PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – The flood which hit 18 provinces of Cambodia in late 2011 was the country’s worst flooding in over a decade. It left more than 240 people dead and about 10 percent of the country’s rice damaged. During that critical time, FIDR responded actively to the urgent needs of 4,466 flood most affected families Kampong Chhnang Province, one of worst affected provinces along the Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake, by delivering food packets and clean water products as its first phase of emergency flood relief.
Responding to the provincial request, soon after the flood receded, FIDR began its second phase of the flood relief by delivering vegetable seeds to 3,082 flood affected families from 33 villages in Rolea Pa-ir District of Kampong Chhnang Province on two consecutive dates, 19 and 20 January 2012. FIDR sees this vegetable seed relief distribution as a way to partake in the post-flood rehabilitation of the Royal Government of Cambodia in restoring the livelihood of the flood-affected families in Kampong Chhnang Province.
The families were selected based on their vulnerability to the food shortage. According to the District Agriculture Officers and local authorities of Kampong Chhnang Province, the families’ wet season rice was destroyed by the flood and most of them do not farm any dry season rice. This leads them to confront food shortage.
Each family received a vegetable seed packet that contained 1) 200g of Water convolvulus, 2) 100g of Amaranth, 3) 02 small cans of Chinese cabbage, 4) 02 small cans of Chinese radish, 5) 02 small cans of Cucumber, 6) 02 small cans of Pumpkin, 7) 02 small packets of Wax gourd, and 8) 02 small cans of String bean. FIDR expects that they will use the vegetable seeds for their gardening and thus, will contribute to the family daily consumption.
The two-day vegetable seeds distribution was a success of the second phase of FIDR’s flood relief which received a lot of supports and cooperation from the provincial and local authorities and other stakeholders in the province.