Deforestation is a major problem in Cambodia. The last intact tropical forest in northwest Cambodia is threatened by illegal logging, land encroachment and poaching. MJP works with local communities and the Ministry of Environment to help conserve this vital ecosystem, rich in biodiversity. We fund a team of local rangers, and work with schools to educate children on protecting their natural environment and share environmental knowledge.
Access to schools and trained teachers is still limited in rural Cambodia. MJP works with teachers in ten primary and secondary schools to improve education, teaching and school facilities. We have renovated and furnished ten school buildings in Samlout. Our education program has helped 15,000 students, equipped classrooms with textbooks, provided mobile libraries, and developed literacy classes and reading clubs.
Some 80% of the population in Samlout live below the international poverty line and personal debt is a major issue. MJP’s locally-run micro-credit project provides small loans and financial advice to the poorest households in seven villages. We help individuals and communities to manage their finance with interest-free loans, support and training.
Around 80% of the rural population in Cambodia works in agriculture. Levels of poverty are high and access to safe and nutritious food is a problem for many families. Improving food security and nutritional wellbeing is central to MJP’s poverty reduction work. We provide practical training to farmers and the community to help them make the best use of their livestock, land and resources.
MJP is committed to empowerment and equal rights for women and girls. We work with local women’s representatives to organise gender awareness campaigns against domestic violence and human trafficking and to promote positive health practices. We help to provide vocational skills training for the most vulnerable girls, and additional support for the poorest female-headed households.
MJP helps provide sustainable healthcare to the local community through two clinics, a maternity ward and training and outreach, working in partnership with local authorities. Our work includes maternal health, reducing child mortality and undernutrition, eye and dental care, hygiene and sanitation guidance, and training for teachers and young mothers.
Cambodia has a rich history that dates back to the Khmer Empire in the early 9th century. The monuments of Angkor Wat and Bayon are testimony to the Empire’s immense power and wealth, diverse art and culture. The history of Cambodia is overshadowed by the rule of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, which resulted in one of the 20th century’s worst human atrocities. Between 1975 and 1979 the Khmer Rouge regime claimed the lives of nearly a quarter of the Cambodian population. Cambodia still bears the legacy of that difficult past, but is a country of immense beauty, resilience and promise for the future.
Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, and one of the least developed countries in the world in terms of access to food, health and education. The majority of Cambodians live in rural areas. According to the World Bank 79% of the population do not have access to piped water supply and 58% do not have access to sanitation. WHO data indicates that Cambodia continues to make in raising living standards, maternal health, early childhood development and primary education programs in rural areas.
Cambodia is one of the most heavily mined areas in the world. Landmines have killed or maimed thousands of people nationwide. De-mining is a crucial part of reintegrating people after the long-running conflict. Development has been hindered by millions of landmines laid in the 1970s and 1980s, that still lie throughout the countryside. Landmines currently contaminate an area of approximately 1,700 square kilometres in Cambodia. As well as threatening lives, landmines limit development by restricting access to land, water, roads and health and education services.
Cambodia is blessed with natural resources and is one of the most bio-diverse countries in Southeast Asia. Its forests are home to several endangered species that have disappeared from neighbouring countries. But this rich environment is under threat from logging, mining, poaching and agricultural encroachment. Further loss of the forests and natural habitats would harm or destroy wildlife and affect millions of people living in remote areas who rely on the land or its resources. Conservation is essential for rural livelihoods and the preservation of the diverse eco-system.
Here is Channoun, one of our female rangers. Her story is powerful – a young woman from the remote countryside who did not finish high school, but who loved nature so much that she took on a ranger’s uniform and a rifle to protection the environment she grew up in. She works with communities, students and monks, and in the last 5 years, the rangers have conducted nearly 5000 patrols, dealt with over 800 cases, and arrested 360 offenders.
Channoun has determined to show that women can do all the works that men can do, and to be a role model for girls in her community. “Young people must engage with the destruction of the natural world going on all around them, so we can help change course before it is too late”. Oct 2021
At the national level, Ministry of Environment (MoE) celebrates and promotes this year WED with the theme “Biodiversity and Human Health”. Minister Say Sam Al of MoE said, “The Ministry of Environment requests local authorities to promote participation in sanitation, tree planting and proper waste disposal to avoid burning of litter or waste mismanagement that may affect human and animal health and environmental quality”.
There are now six nurseries, of which five are community nurseries, being supported by MJP and around 7,400 seedlings of various species ready to be transplanted this rainy season. Environment Day is just the beginning for tree planting activities.
To contribute to the government’s effort, MJP has been actively engaging with local partners, community members, monks and students with several awareness and educational events. Conserving Samlaut forest and restoring the green coverage to the district is a priority for MJP’s founder, Angelina Jolie. July 2021
In mid 2018, villagers in O’Slev village, 7-10km west of MJP field office, reported that they saw a small herd of 3-5 elephant gazing by a stream. In April 2019, another small herd of elephants was spotted near a road construction site, along the Thai-Cambodian border, 15km west of Pailin provincial town. In January 2020, a big herd of elephants was spotted crossing the border from Thailand into Cambodia at a point called Border Gate 400, 20km southwest of JMP field office. And in May 2021, fresh tracks and elephant dung were found at several locations within the protected area by an MoE research team, led by Rachel Crouthers. MJP had provided accommodation and logistics support to their field mission.
Our rangers will continue monitor and gather more evidence of the elephants’ presence in the forests of Samlaut. Long Laen, MJP’s Natural Resource Management Program officer, said “The protected forest of Samlaut is still a potential sanctuary for elephants and wildlife. A more thorough wildlife survey using camera traps and drones would help to reconfirm the population on wildlife and elephants in SMUA.” Such confirmation is expected from a biodiversity survey to be carried out in the next six months by MoE, Flora and Fauna International, and the MJP Foundation. July 2021
Fortunately, the MJP Foundation has been able to continue supporting its patrol teams from the Ministry of Environment to protect the wildlife and forests of the conservation zone in Samlaut District, despite the restrictions on movement imposed in recent months. Rangers have also delivered awareness sessions on the importance of conserving endangered wildlife to local villagers. MJP has also dug a pond to store water and planted fruit trees next to the conservation area for the benefit of wildlife during the dry season.
Over the last two years, rangers have removed and confiscated quantities of illegal hunting material, including homemade guns, snares and electrical wires from hunters. The teams have also rescued wildlife, such as pythons, pangolins, deer, turtles, hornbills.
MJP hopes to complete a full biodiversity study of the conservation zone in Samlaut district before the end of the year, with a view to complementing the on-going Ministry of Education zoning exercise in the area. These efforts will contribute to greater systemic protection of a vital part of Cambodia’s forest habitat and wildlife. Oct 2020
Mr. Yong Sarith, forest ranger, says “I am so exciting to receive these brand new motorbikes for my ranger team for field patrols. The old motorbikes were no longer up to the task of protecting the forest in this rough terrain”. May 2020
Phem Sok Chea, 34 years, is one such smallholder. She lives on a plot of land 20m by 80 m in Boeng Run village, and formerly her family depended on the labour of her husband for their livelihood. In the last few months, MJP has trained Chea to manage her own home gardening project and provided seeds to plant on the land around her house – garlic, gourds, long beans, water convolvulus and lettuces. In just a few months, her family is eating more fresh vegetables, and she has saved $300. She has shared some vegetables with her neighbours, who are keen to follow her lead in the home gardening business. Chea plans to expand her home garden to include, cucumbers, chili, tomatoes, ivy gourds, and ridge gourds to make more savings for her family.
MJP will provide training and seeds to 15 more families during 2020 to help them achieve food and income security. March 2020
The event was organized jointly by the MJP Health and Education teams, with active support from teachers from both schools and the local authorities.
The Fun Run is a now an annual event, and forms part of MJP’s efforts to highlight the benefits of physical exercise to children, to share important health messages with our community, and to promote a new project on non-communicable diseases at Boeng Run Health Centre.
The race was organized in three categories of 4 distances: 3km for the secondary school boys, 2km for the secondary school girls, 1.5km for the primary school children, and 500m for the walkers from both schools. The top 3 from each running group received well-deserved prizes.
One message all the participants agreed on was: See you in 2021! Feb 2020
July 2018
