As I mentioned last month, our director, Suy Leang, who for years has done a stellar job in managing our activity in Cambodia, had developed health issues that prevent him from traveling as often as he had been doing in the past. Since he lives in Phnom Penh, we took the step to move our program from the rural area to Phnom Penh. It seemed a natural choice to make the shift.

We all know that change happens, and this has certainly been the case for us. There have been a number of delays in implementing the major change of moving the lending program. Far more than I had anticipated.   
But, finally, we are here. As I mentioned last month, Leang has had good success in finding our new loan officer, Um Norak, who has a wealth of contacts and experience. We'll be able to rely on him to find some excellent candidates for loans. So much so that we are confident to be able to issue individual loans without the usual "group system" we've been using in the past. It's a fresh start in Phnom Penh, which should work well over time.

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The first client that Norak found was Penh Raksmey, who received a loan of $200. We hope to make a significant difference in her life.

The poor in Cambodia get by on less than $2 per day - in other words, about $50. So when you look at a loan of $200 you are really looking at an amount equal to four months' income, which is a large amount of money for Raksmey. It's an amount that she could never hope to save up on her own, and gives her the capital she needs to build her business.

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This month Um Norak has secured three more clients that are featured here to the left. They appear to be excellent prospects. I'm really pleased with the work Norak is doing on our behalf. It's a good fit for our program.
     
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      Sanitation

I should mention that we will still be serving the rural community of Kos Khel, but with only the Sanitation Program, in which we building latrines for poor families. We do this on the occasional basis as funds are available, and it requires far less ongoing supervision and support. (You'll see that we have received a new donation to cover the construction of another latrine. The photos are right here in this newsletter.)
   

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Good sanitation is essential for health and well being, but it's not the norm in rural Cambodia. Old habits of poor hygiene, of using open fields in elimination of body waste, are still wide spread. The result is the contamination of streams and soils, the spread of disease, high rates of infant and young child mortality, and heavy caseloads of diarrhea and other infections.

 

 Please donate here.    

    

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