CAMBODIA
Country Paper

Agenda item 7: Integration of disability concerns into poverty alleviation (reduction) projects and development

Cases Studies on Best Practice

This paper was prepared as “country paper” to be presented in the regional workshop. Information and figures were extracted from sources including case studies and reports.

1. Introduction

Cambodia is a post-conflict country where many of the foundations for growth and development - physical, social, human, economic - have been shattered; it has made remarkable progress in rebuilding itself in a relatively short period of time. Despite significant progress, Cambodia remains one of the poorer countries in the world, ranking 130th out of 173 in the Human Development Index (HDR 2002) with the lowest Purchasing Power Parity and the second lowest life expectancy among its neighbours, Thailand, Vietnam and Lao PDR. Rates of maternal mortality and under-5 mortality are high compared to neighbouring countries.

Facts about Cambodia

1 Human Development Index	130th position
2 Life Expectancy of Women	57.4 years
3 Life Expectancy of Men	54.1 years
4 Infant Mortality Rate	138 per 1000 population
5 Total Birth Rate per Year	28 per 1000 population
6 Rural Area population	84 %
7 Urban Area population	16%
8 Below Poverty Level	36%
9 Annual Per Capita Income	US$280

Source: CAMBODIA in the Early 21st Century, 2004

Statistical information on disability

According to a Socio-Economic Survey of Cambodia conducted in 1996, people with disability constitute approximately 2-3% of the population of Cambodia [1]. A more recent survey made by Cambodia Red Cross and Handicap International reveal that one person in 235 is missing a limb(s). In addition, there are also an equally significant number of persons with hearing or sight impairment (35% of total people with disabilities). The vast majority of these disabilities are the result of explosions of landmines or UXO, the legacy of years of political strife. In 1999, another study by the United Nations and Disabled Persons, estimated that disabled persons comprise about 1.4 million or 15% of the total population [2]. The discrepancy can be explained at least partially by confusion of terms used in identifying disability, unclear definition on disability and its categories, and lack of trained staff on disability who collected data.

People with disabilities and poverty

In Cambodia, the population rate living below the poverty line is about 36% while in rural areas it is up to 40%. People with disabilities are among the poorest of the poor, especially women and children with disabilities whose capacity for participating in economic activities can be limited by disability [3].

2. Overview of projects on poverty reduction in Cambodia

Poverty alleviation in Cambodia is the primary development objective of the Government of Cambodia. The Royal Government of Cambodia has declared its commitment to making a concerted and sustained national effort to poverty alleviation so that all Cambodians, including different classifications of the vulnerable groups, can get the benefits of economic growth and participate in the development process.
At a National Workshop, held in May 2000 to launch the preparation of the Second Socio-Economic Development Plan 2001-2005, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen stated that the Royal Government’s main poverty reduction strategy is geared to achieving (i) Long-term, sustainable economic growth at an annual rate of 6 to 7 percent; (ii) Equitable distribution of the fruits of economic growth between the haves and the have-nots, between urban and rural areas and between the sexes; and (iii) Ensuring sustainable management and utilization of environment and natural resources. The Government’s strategic motto is “Poverty reduction through high economic growth over the long term by ensuring environmental sustainability and social equity” [4].

SEILA is a government led rural development program aimed at achieving poverty alleviation through improved local governance. It is the collective responsibility of the inter-government authorities from national to provincial levels. With a budget of about USD 40 million for 2004, the countrywide SEILA program has been implemented to alleviate poverty in Cambodia. The program, which began in 1996, is supported financially by the government and multi-donors. The SEILA program has three broad indicators, the third being the contribution of program’s activities to poverty alleviation.

People with disability are included as a targeted vulnerable group in all program’s activities.

3. NGOs working in disability sector

The current total number of NGOs (international and domestic) is about 600. Among them, there are more than 50 NGOs conducting activities related to the disability sector (from the Affiliate List of DAC Cambodia). In addition to NGOs, there are 5 Government ministries and authorities working in fields related to the disability sector.
The NGOs that are focusing on the people with disabilities and their families as their direct target groups have been conducting activities including outreach, supporting children to school, small grants for running self business, job placement, vocational training and organizing self help groups. They work collectively under the banner of the Disability Action Council, which focuses on co-ordination and identification best practice.

4. Examples of best practices

4.1 Job Placement by the Business Advisory Council

The Business Advisory Council (BAC) was established in January 2001 as an advisory group made up of members representing the main NGOs, government, associations and private employers in Cambodia. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the training, job placement, and income generation of people with disabilities in Cambodia by providing advice, assistance and advocacy to people with disabilities and the organisations that support them [5].

Private sector members of the council are encouraged and supported to hire people with disabilities as their employees. As the result, more than 30 employers have hired about 140 people with disabilities. Those people with disabilities received vocational training in different fields before they were employed. The BAC continues to monitor the success of the programme.

4.2 Income generation through the vocational rehabilitation by World Vision Cambodia

World Vision Cambodia runs a very successful vocational rehabilitation training centre (VRTC) targeting people with disabilities. The VRTC was established in October 1992 in one of the most heavily mine affected provinces in the northwest of the country. The centre is now one among 8 vocational training centres for people with disabilities, especially the mine victims.

About 150 disabled men per year receive an 8 month training program in different fields including repairing motorbike and radio, repairing diesel engines, TV, CD and VCD. To ensure effective skills are acquired by the graduates, during training all trainees are placed in private repair shops to provide on-the-job skills. During training, all participants are provided with accommodation, clothes, counselling, basic medical care, sport activities and recreation at the weekend. After graduating, each graduate is provided with a grant of $US 65 to $US 80 to purchase the requisite tool kit. The centre monitors the on-the-job performance of the graduates for a 6 month period. Further support is available in the form of loans if graduates can demonstrate an ability to save money.

Another programme provides disabled women with village-based training in animal husbandry. After training, they also receive a cash loan to initiate their businesses. To date, about 3754 women with disabilities (including family members who are considered as vulnerable groups) have been provided with skills training and loans.

4.3 Income Generation program by the Community Based Rehabilitation program of Caritas Cambodia

Among the many services provided by Caritas, one of the most successful has been the CBR programme to support clients in business development to increase their family income. Since 2000, when it was handed to Caritas Cambodia, the program has focused not only on people with disabilities themselves but also their family members who support them. The main aim of the program is to integrate blind people into their family and society. The programme covers four provinces and one municipality where about 4500 new clients receive the services directly from the program and indirectly through the referral system. The program refers clients to receive training in different fields including agricultural techniques and small business skills. After training, clients receive loan in cash without interest to initiate their businesses including raising cows and pigs, selling groceries, fishing, growing rice, growing vegetables, and weaving.

As result, some of them have improved their lives significantly. For instance, a 40 year old blind woman could earn up to US$ 2,000 from selling 4 cows which had been raised through the loan program.

5. Issues remaining to be addressed

The draft paper on disability and rehabilitation delivered to the consultative group meeting in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, June 2002, by the DAC Secretariat, identified that the remaining issues needing to be addressed are:

Access to the very basic level of social services by the rural people including people with disabilities is still very low. For instance, access to basic health services is about 53% [6] while only 43.6% of population have access to safe water and 11.3% to basic sanitation [7].
Assistance for people with disabilities including mine victims is still limited, leaving significant needs unmet.
It was estimated that many thousands of people with hearing impairment and mental health disabilities have no access to services.
There is a need to increase the recognition and mainstreaming of people with disabilities in all socio-economic and cultural activities through public awareness campaigns.
Government policy still needs to be greatly improved in regards to prevention strategies and the early detection of disability, through education of people about the need to seek treatment for serious illness (meningitis, septicaemia etc), antenatal care, and good birthing care.

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Notes

[1] Socio-Economic Survey of Cambodia, 1996

[2] Country Paper on Human Rights of People with disabilities and implementation of the ESCAPE Biwako Millennium Framework, November 2003

[3] Draft of sectoral paper on disability and rehabilitation NGO statement to consultative group meeting in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, June 2002

[4] Foundation For International Training for Asian Development Bank - Identifying Disability Issues Related to Poverty Reduction

[5] Cambodia Country Study , 2002

[6] Adopted from DAC, Case study of the Establishment of the Business Advisory Council

[7] UNFPA, Third Regulation Session (2000), New York, United States
Human Development Report (2003), UNDP, Bangkok, Thailand