In October September 2013, Cambodia experienced severe seasonal flooding for the second year in a row. The poor were hit hardest as they lost much of their assets: small subsistence farmers lost the important rice harvest which should have secured their food security in the months to come and agriculture day labours had few if any job opportunities. Furthermore, rice prices increased significantly which greatly impact the poorest households who already spend most of their disposal income on food and especially rice.
Part of the ‘flood response project’ involves the distribution of unconditional cash grants (UCG), and Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) packages at village level to beneficiaries badly affected by the floods. The cash grants are in Riels equivalent to USD20, while the WASH packages contain detergent, water purification tablets, and a 30L plastic water container. This particular distribution event will help 271 households from 4 different villages, and was conducted by Ponleu Kumar (PK), ACT’s local NGO partner.