02/10/2005

As the result of sustained advocacy by Refugees International, on February 2 the UN World Food Program delivered rice to the indigenous Phnong in villages in Mondulkiri, Cambodia. Last November, an RI assessment mission found that a food shortage was unavoidable due to an unusually short wet season. RI advocacy brought much needed attention to the looming food shortages facing the Phnong, an indigenous hill people that are of some of the poorest and least accessible people in Cambodia.  

The Cambodian Family Development Services, a local non-governmental organization, was essential in coordinating and securing the food delivery to this remote Cambodian province.  The CFDS team’s capability of verifying the poorest families provided a basis for seeking support from the WFP. RI supported CFDS for the past several years as part of RI’s efforts to protect the vulnerable Phnong population.

Overall, the food aid reached 3,029 recipients, of which 1,608 are women.  The recipients are from 22 villages in six communes, representing three districts in the province.  Families numbering four or fewer received 80 kg of rice, while families of five or more received 100 kg of rice.  The rice should last for two months.

RI became aware of this problem last November after visiting the Phnong villagers and talking to local government officials (see RI’s bulletin from November 9, 2004, “Cambodia: Protecting the Phnong”).  At the time it was estimated by a government officials that 3,000 of the 4,000 hectares farmed by the Phnong were damaged by the drought.  Many families told RI that they had already started to reduce their food consumption.  

While RI has worked tirelessly to assure that food aid continues to vulnerable Phnong families, we recognize that food aid is ultimately an unsustainable stop gap measure. But creating a viable economy among the Phnong that provides income while respecting their culture presents immense challenges. In the meantime, lowland Khmer, taking advantage of improved roads and abundant land, are starting to move into Mondulkiri in large numbers. The survival of the Phnong is at stake and RI will work with Phnong leaders, local government, and Cambodian NGOs to seek solutions to the problems that the Phnong are facing.