Regenerating Fish Harvests in Cambodian Villages

A village workshop presents a unique opportunity. Work for villagers is unending, and there is limited free time. So when 150 Cambodian villagers congregate in one space, it becomes a truly momentous, even humbling experience. It is a rare occasion to explain to Santey Villagers that if we work together, we can all escape the cycle of poverty, and turn malnutrition into something of the past.

The great thing about developing Community Fish Refuges (CFR) is not just the fish harvests, but the atmosphere which surrounds it. Santey village now understands that in order to succeed, each member will need to pitch in.

• 25 women have been volunteered to lead weekly CFR committee meetings, and 24 mothers have been placed in charge of addressing village nutrition
• 25 households have been trained to assess drinking water quality, and to teach their neighbors this method
• 150 village men and women attend regular workshops on natural resource management and sustainable best practices

Village children are beginning to watch their communities transform into a single, unified force to achieve self-sufficiency.

Our donors deserve a round of applause for having shown such an abundance of kindness for our projects in Northern Cambodia. In Santey Village, 240 households report that their household incomes have increased from bounties from the Community Fish Refuge. That means that 1,000 Cambodians are paving the way to elevate themselves from subsistence living. 

And much like the villagers of Santey, our work also never ends. We are in the process of developing a soap-recycling project which will increase sanitation in schools, orphanages, and village communities. Stay tuned.