Planting seeds of hope

I am nervous as I travel to Kampong Cham province in the east of Cambodia.  I was here a few months ago supporting ActionAid’s response to the massive floods which had swept across parts of the country since last September. 

At that time, the situation was critical.  Whole communities had lost their homes and belongings, and been left without food and water.  Many had seen their crops washed away, leaving them with no means of making a living. I’m returning now to see how the situation has changed, and what people still need in order to be able to get back to their normal lives.

As I enter Kampong Samnang village, I am greeted by a completely different scene.  Women are out planting rice in the fields and children are back to school. 

The atmosphere is one of hope rather than desperation. 

I meet Mein Sreymom, a villager who was provided with rice seeds by ActionAid.  This is the first time she is replanting her crop after the damage caused by the floods, and her smile expresses her happiness at going about this everyday task.  Across the country, an estimated 10% of the total rice crop was destroyed by the disaster, which is why ActionAid’s response is now focusing on supporting people to get back to farming.  

Aside from providing rice and vegetable seeds, ActionAid is also training farmers on how to develop seed beds for vegetable and rice cultivation.  We’re also providing fishing nets to help fisher folk get back on their feet, and livestock such as chickens for families whose animals were swept away by the flood waters. 

The aim is to help people start earning an income once again, so they can provide for their families and not become dependent on relief supplies. 

Supported by donors such as ECHO (European Community Humanitarian Office) and AusAID (the Australian government’s overseas aid programme), ActionAid has been responding to the floods in Cambodia since September 2011.  Working closely with local partners we’ve reached over 36,000 of the most vulnerable people so far, helping them not only to survive the disaster but to rebuild their lives and livelihoods in the long term.