ACT Alliance

By Ratna Leak

In Cambodia's Kulen district, in Preah Vihear province, ACT Alliance has donated 30 tons of food worth US$41,092 to people displaced by fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops around Preah Vihear temple in February.

The humanitarian aid was channelled through Life With Dignity (LWD), a Cambodian NGO in the Cambodia ACT forum. The ACT Alliance aid was administered by LWD to address the emerging needs of the victims in cooperation with the National Committee for Disaster Management, DanChurchAid, Christian Aid and Church World Service.

Dr Sam Inn, executive director of LWD, said, “We cannot ignore people's suffering. As we are a humanitarian organisation, we must try our best to help them as much as we can.”

He added that LWD’s goal is to contribute to poverty alleviation in Cambodia through empowerment and the strengthening of civil society, leadership and governance. “Our contribution today definitely reflects our goal,” he said.

According to Chan Vibol, who leads the LWD Emergency Response Team, 2,420 out of 2,678 families who are staying at Takueng Displaced People Camp in Kulen district were identified by the joint assessment team as the most vulnerable families. They were classified into two groups—the first group consisted of 697 families of which each family has more than 3 female members, and the second group consisted of 1,723 families. Families received packages with basic foodstuffs.

Chun Phally from Sen Chey village, Chaom Ksan district, near the border, said her family was told to leave the village immediately on the first day of the fighting.

“My two children and I were very frightened when we heard the shooting,” said Phally, whose son is 16 years old and whose daughter is 8.

Today, after receiving a kit of food donated by ACT, Phally packed all her stuff and loaded it on an engine cart to leave the camp, even though the local authority has not yet told her to do so. “I have decided to go back home now. My brother, a soldier defending on the Preah Vihear temple, told me the fighting has stopped,” she said, adding that she needs to go home to take care of her three cows. Her 20 ducks and chickens have already died.

“Though I received some humanitarian aid from the government, local and international NGOs, from generous people inside and outside of the country, staying in the camp is not as comfortable as home,” she said.