Chieb Household Initiative for Empowerment
Building (CHIEB)

October 2010 June 2013 *Chieb district, Preah Vihear Province
* Primary beneficiaries: 4,400 community members
* Secondary beneficiaries: 5,500 community members
* Budget: $442,650
Donor/s: ADRA Australia and Community Contributions

Cambodia remains a country in transition as world and local economic and social forces challenge stability of livelihoods and basic food security. Agriculture is Cambodia’s most important economic sector as the primary source of employment for at least 70% of the population. Farmers are primarily small land holders with less than two hectares (ha) per household with rice cultivation in about 95% of the total cultivated area; however, yields are the lowest in Southeast Asia. Most rice production depends on natural rainfall and only 7% full dry season irrigation (i.e., double annual cropping) is practiced. Floods and droughts frequently cause significant damage, contributing to yield fluctuation and a generally low average output of 2.3 tons/ha. Yields of rice and other cash crops are often much lower in remote areas with lack of technology and quality inputs. The quality and welfare of livestock is also poor due to lack of quality feed (especially in the dry season), limited veterinary services and supplies.

These problems are especially pertinent to the project target district of Chieb located on the Cambodia-Laos boarder which is the most isolated district in the Preah Vihear province and until this year, one of the most inaccessible districts in Cambodia. The government is now constructing a 53 km. road between the provincial capital and Chieb district. With the new road there is potential for rapid change but experience is that the isolated community members with low or no formal education are often at risk to external exploitation.

This Chieb Household Initiative for Empowerment Building (CHIEB) project is designed as an initial “entering” project for ADRA in Chieb district. Water supply is one of the primary felt needs of the community and it is expected (based on visits to the district and previous experience) that the community will engage in such efforts with strong levels of participation and ownership. The project will focus initially on hygiene education and domestic water supply (which will also have the potential to be used for small scale irrigation projects), while building trust and community relations, all leading to a focus on agriculture and livelihoods in years two and three.

The project will begin addressing needs at the community level through building capacity of key community based partners targeting both the social and technical aspects of lack of water resources and poor hygiene and sanitation. The project will build capacity using principles from the Participatory Extension Approach (PEA) utilised in the recent AusAID funded Integrated Rural Development Households Are Renewing Vital Energies for Sustained Transformation (HARVEST) project for community mobilisation on both water/sanitation and livelihood opportunities.

Important aspects of PEA include relationship building, identification of key innovators and mobilizers, experimenting with new methods and cross learning. This will integrate with use of the Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) method promoted by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD). Community based technicians will be trained in quality WatSan production and installation methods developed in previous AusAID funded projects.

The core of the CHIEB Project is community capacity building enabling groups from target communities to own and drive their development and fully benefit from interventions. This empowerment process is the basis for agriculture, hygiene and WatSan activities and is expected to lead to communities identifying additional obstacles to livelihood and other development issues.

The community based volunteer role is to work as an assistant with staff to facilitate groups of community members to consider the key issues that are constraints or limitations to improvements in their current food security and WatSan situation. These volunteers will be considered as local “experts” and interested people will be able to continue to learn from them on a one to one basis, even if formal meetings are not continued.

Improving rice and vegetable production methods will continue with increased farmer to farmer learning and adoption based on changes in traditional habits by early adopters. Changes will likely include adopting locally appropriate System of Rice Intensification (SRI) growing methods, expanded cash crops with increased varieties and expansion of growing seasons due to additional water supplies. Transportation access will allow for marketing opportunities to the provincial capital.

Sustainability is built into the material and equipment being installed. The wells, latrines and tanks will be of the most durable designs available. Wells will be fitted with locally manufactured treadle pumps which have proven to be easily maintained from locally available spare parts for potentially decades. Latrines will be constructed from solid concrete and should have a life expectancy of 30 or more years as well. Project staff will link with community members to market and provide access to water and sanitation packages through their newly acquired skills. They will be given a complete set of installation equipment which they can use to continue activities within their communities on a demand basis. It is expected that at least four of the 12 Technicians trained over the course of the project will have the initiative to organize their own business for the project to contract with in the last year and a half and at least one or two of these Technicians will find a ready market of late adopters forming a team able to support their own Water and Sanitation business producing quality latrines, tanks, and installing/maintaining pumps.

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