Creating Livelihoods for the Poor in Cambodia: Practical and Effective Activities

Not only giving gifts, money, and free medical treatment to people on the Cambodian border, the Vietnamese government, provinces, and cities also create livelihoods for people, opening up opportunities for Cambodian people to escape poverty.

Donate, create "seed capital" for poor people in Cambodia

From a breeding cow donated by the Border Guard of Binh Phuoc province in 2020, up to now, Mrs. Sovannthyda's family in Snoul district, Kratie province, Kingdom of Cambodia has had 3 cows. The cows are properly cared for and have grown well. Thanks to this herd, her family has also escaped poverty. How to build and clean barns, cover them with blankets in cold weather, how to plant elephant grass, techniques for caring for beef cattle, cows, and breeding buffaloes; how to recognize some common diseases and prevent epidemics are monitored and instructed by officials, employees, and young volunteer intellectuals of Binh Phuoc; veterinary agencies provide technical support, ensuring that breeding buffaloes and cows grow well.

Giving breeding cows to poor people in Cambodia. Photo: Bui Liem

Mr. Phat Chang (Thmay commune, Kampong Ro district, Svay Rieng province) excitedly boasted that his 4 hectares of land had never achieved such a high yield. Thanks to the application of new production methods instructed by Vietnamese farmers, he harvested nearly 7 tons of rice per hectare. Mr. Chang said: "I learned a lot from the instructions of the people and officials of Hung Dien commune, Tan Hung district, Long An. I regularly use fertilizers and pesticides according to the instructions, helping the rice plants to be healthy, bringing clear results. Surely this crop, the yield will be as high as the previous crops". It can be said that taking care of the lives of people on both sides of the border is a regular task that the local authorities of the two countries pay special attention to. In addition to supporting breeding cows, in recent years, Binh Phuoc province has also supported cassava seedlings, H'Mong chickens, ostriches, and cashew seedlings for the provinces of Kratie, Kratie, Mondulkiri, Tabong-Khmun - Cambodia. In recent times, a series of provinces in the West of Vietnam have regularly exchanged and supported provinces in Cambodia. Specifically, An Giang province has supported Takeo and Kandal provinces in training on rice cultivation techniques, agricultural products, livestock, guiding pest management methods and coordinating water resource management in border areas. Or Dak Lak province has supported economic development capital for 5 women in Se Re Huy commune, Ko Nhet district, Modulkiri province, with an amount of 150 million VND. Long An province has regularly exchanged and shared agricultural cultivation techniques, transferred scientific and technological advances with farmers in the neighboring country for more effective production. Long An province has supported Svay Rieng province of the Kingdom of Cambodia with 1,000 liters of disinfectant and 10,000 doses of vaccine to prevent foot-and-mouth disease 2 types (O, A) in livestock. Tay Ninh province has also mobilized many resources to support the Cambodian people, such as: helping to grow cassava seedlings, supporting road repairs; sending Vietnamese farmers to support farmers in the neighboring country with production experience, selecting rice seeds, fertilizers, and ways to preserve agricultural products; organizing exchanges, visits, and sharing experiences and techniques in raising pigs, and ways to treat septicemia in buffaloes and cows... Dak Nong province handed over the Ethnic Vocational High School to Mondulkiri province (Cambodia). The project consists of 14 blocks of houses with 56 classrooms and other items such as gardens, fences, stadiums, libraries, etc. to serve the teaching of literacy and vocational skills for children of Mondulkiri province.

Long An Provincial Border Guard awarded 2 scholarships to 2 students in Chanhtria District, Svay Rieng Province, Cambodia. Photo: Thanh Phu

Practical, effective

The donation of cows, breeding animals, seedlings, and techniques is very important, encouraging poor people to develop the economy... from this meaningful gift, families have more motivation to strive to rise up, creating a foundation for families to escape poverty in the near future. Colonel Nguyen Hong Khiem, Deputy Commander of the Border Guard of An Giang province, said that in the coming time, the Border Guard of An Giang province will continue to strengthen people-to-people friendship activities between the two countries in general and the neighboring provinces in particular, especially the people in the areas on both sides of the border. Organize visits, give gifts, medical equipment and supplies; cultural, artistic and sports exchanges for people on both sides of the border. In particular, exchange of experiences in production, aquaculture and economic development in border areas. In addition, during the working session between An Giang province and the delegation of Kampong Chhnang province (Cambodia), the leaders of the two provinces agreed to focus on promoting cooperation in the fields of agriculture and aquaculture. In particular, An Giang will support training in breeding techniques and commercial freshwater shrimp farming for Kampong Chhnang province. "Reality shows that only when people's lives are stable and developed can we build a peaceful, friendly, cooperative and developed border," said Colonel Nguyen Hong Khiem. According to diplomats , promoting border economic development, caring for the lives and livelihoods of people in border areas, coordinating to open young leadership training courses and linking to open vocational training courses for young people in border provinces are practical and effective activities. These programs and activities will contribute to preserving and promoting the friendly and traditional relations between the province and Cambodian border localities. This is also one of the key tasks in 2024 of the Central Committee of the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Association proposed at the Joint Conference between the Central Committee of the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Association recently held in Tay Ninh province in November 2023.