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Rade (Rural Association for the
Development of the Economy) is a small Cambodian NGO based near Svay Riêng.
Founded by Bunny VAR (who was active in UN pacification programs and then
decided to work in the villages) and friends. The team is composed of 2
retired teachers, 4 half time teachers, an agronomist. A partnership with a large international
NGO (CRS, Catholic Relief service) allows RADE to have access to technical
expertise. |
Raising goats has proven to be more difficult than raising cows, due to the lack of food
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With limited resources RADE conducts 4 programs:
- Drinking water: 500 wells have been installed. Thanks
to thecontribution of the villagers, a guarantee of strong motivation
and commitment, all wells are functioning.
- Cow bank: the poorest have no cow to plough their
fields. It must be done by hand when they cannot afford to hire one.
RADE, with the Village Development Committee, has chosen the poorest
households. Groups are formed and by turns each member can borrow 200$
for 1 cow. The loan is refunded by installments in 3 years. Each time
a group of borrowers reimburse part of its loan, RADE can immediately
expand the program to include new households.
- Agriculture extension, with the support of CRS.
- Human and civic rights: meetings are held in the
villages where one discusses local politics and development. This is
a priority because of the fragile political situation after the Khmers
Rouges.
Mekong Plus has long term plans to cooperate with RADE but this must
be done progressively. When possible we will also work with other organizations
in the region. See the story: Why Cambodia?
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The team presents its activities
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