Your contribution helps provide emergency food relief, healthcare, education, shelter, and essential services to Cambodian families in seven provinces along the Thailand border who have been affected by historical conflict and ongoing tensions. These communities face extreme poverty, food insecurity, limited healthcare access, and trauma from past violence.
Seven Border Provinces: Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pailin, Pursat, Koh Kong, and Preah Vihear provinces along Cambodia's western and northern border with Thailand have been deeply affected by decades of conflict, landmines, displacement, and ongoing border tensions. Over 1.5 million Cambodians live in these border areas, with 550,000 facing extreme poverty and vulnerability.
Historical Conflict Impact: These provinces bore the brunt of the Khmer Rouge regime, Vietnamese occupation, civil war, and Thai-Cambodian border conflicts. Families were displaced multiple times, lost land and livelihoods, and experienced severe trauma. Landmines still contaminate 750 square kilometers, killing and maiming civilians decades after conflicts ended.
Preah Vihear Temple Dispute: The UNESCO World Heritage temple sits on the border between Cambodia and Thailand, triggering armed clashes in 2008-2011 that killed 28 soldiers and displaced 50,000 civilians. Despite a 2013 International Court ruling in Cambodia's favor, tensions persist. Communities near the temple face military presence, restricted movement, and fear of renewed conflict.
Current Border Tensions: Ongoing disputes over border demarcation create periodic tensions, military buildups, and displacement. Communities near the border face restricted movement, limited economic opportunities, and fear of renewed conflict. Cross-border trade disruptions devastate local economies.
Extreme Poverty: Border provinces have Cambodia's highest poverty rates—45-55% in rural areas. Families survive on less than $1.50/day. Landlessness affects 35% of families who lost land during conflicts. Limited employment opportunities force men to migrate to Thailand for dangerous work, leaving women and children vulnerable.
Food Insecurity Crisis: 450,000 people in border provinces face chronic food insecurity. Landmines prevent farming on 30% of arable land. Droughts and floods devastate harvests. During lean season (May-September), 60% of families skip meals. Child malnutrition reaches 38%—Cambodia's highest rate.
Healthcare Access Barrier: Border provinces have Cambodia's worst healthcare indicators. Only 1 doctor per 15,000 people (national average: 1 per 6,000). Health centers lack medicines, equipment, and staff. Maternal mortality reaches 220 per 100,000 births. Landmine injuries overwhelm limited medical facilities.
Education Crisis: Only 28% of children in border provinces complete secondary education—Cambodia's lowest rate. Schools were destroyed during conflicts and never rebuilt. Teacher shortages reach 40%. Children work in fields or cross into Thailand for dangerous labor. Girls face early marriage and trafficking.
Landmine Contamination: 750 square kilometers remain contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance. Since 1979, landmines have killed 20,000 Cambodians and injured 45,000. Border provinces account for 65% of current casualties. Farmers fear working their land. Children are killed playing in fields.
Trauma & Mental Health: Entire communities suffer from intergenerational trauma—genocide, war, displacement, landmine injuries, and ongoing insecurity. 70% of adults show PTSD symptoms. Domestic violence, alcoholism, and suicide rates are Cambodia's highest. No mental health services exist in rural border areas.
Children's Suffering: 220,000 children in border provinces face malnutrition, lack of education, child labor, trafficking risk, and landmine danger. 42% are stunted due to chronic malnutrition. 150,000 are out of school. 45,000 work in dangerous conditions. Without intervention, poverty and trauma cycles continue.
Women's Burden: With men migrating for work, women head 40% of border households. They farm landmine-contaminated land, care for disabled family members, and struggle to feed children. 55% of pregnant women are anemic. Maternal mortality is double the national average. Domestic violence affects 60% of women.
Landmine Survivors: 10,000 landmine survivors in border provinces live with amputations, blindness, and disabilities. They cannot work, face discrimination, and lack prosthetics or rehabilitation. Families caring for disabled members fall deeper into poverty. Psychological trauma compounds physical injuries.
Displaced & Returnees: 55,000 families were displaced by conflicts and never fully resettled. They lack land titles, citizenship documents, and access to services. Returnees from Thailand face discrimination and poverty. Stateless persons cannot access healthcare, education, or legal protection.
Economic Desperation: Border families survive through desperate measures—child labor, child marriage, migration to dangerous work in Thailand, human trafficking, and illegal logging. These coping mechanisms provide short-term survival but deepen long-term poverty and vulnerability.
This contribution campaign may support large-scale relief and development initiatives across seven Cambodia-Thailand border provinces through GivingDonate's discretionary support model:
🍚 Emergency Food Relief & Food Security:
🏥 Healthcare Access & Services:
📚 Education & Child Protection:
🏠 Shelter & Housing:
💼 Livelihoods & Economic Recovery:
💣 Landmine Clearance & Safety:
🕊️ Peacebuilding & Trauma Healing:
⚖️ Legal Aid & Documentation:
Preah Vihear Province: 5,000 families in 100 villages - Temple dispute zone, military presence, displacement from 2008-2011 clashes
Oddar Meanchey Province: 7,000 families in 140 villages - Heavily mined, extreme poverty, Thai border tensions
Banteay Meanchey Province: 6,000 families in 120 villages - Poipet border crossing, trafficking hub, landmine contamination
Battambang Province: 5,000 families in 100 villages - Former Khmer Rouge stronghold, extensive mine contamination
Pailin Province: 2,500 families in 50 villages - Former Khmer Rouge capital, gem mining, landmines
Pursat Province: 3,500 families in 70 villages - Cardamom Mountains border, isolated communities
Koh Kong Province: 3,500 families in 70 villages - Southern border, coastal communities, trafficking route
Saving Lives: Emergency food, healthcare, and landmine clearance prevent death from starvation, disease, and explosions. Families survive crises and begin rebuilding.
Breaking Poverty Cycles: Integrated support addressing food, health, education, livelihoods, and trauma enables families to escape extreme poverty. Income increases 60-100% within 3 years.
Healing Trauma: Mental health services, community healing, and peace education help families recover from decades of violence. PTSD symptoms decrease 50%. Domestic violence drops 40%.
Safe Land Access: Landmine clearance returns 60 square kilometers to productive use. Families farm without fear. Agricultural production increases 80%. Casualties drop to zero in cleared areas.
Education Revolution: When basic needs are met and schools exist, enrollment increases 75%. Children complete secondary education at 3x the current rate. Educated youth break poverty cycles.
Women's Empowerment: Economic opportunities, healthcare, and protection services empower women to support families, make decisions, and lead communities. Women's income increases 120%.
Community Resilience: Comprehensive support strengthens social bonds, mutual support, and collective action. Communities solve problems together and support vulnerable members.
Peace & Stability: Economic development, trauma healing, and cross-border dialogue reduce tensions and build lasting peace. Communities focus on development rather than survival.
Impact Potential:
Total Reach: 250,000+ Cambodians in seven border provinces building safety, stability, and prosperity
Multi-Year Commitment: Border communities need sustained support for 5-10 years to recover from decades of conflict. Programs provide continuous assistance ensuring lasting transformation.
Community Ownership: All programs are community-led with village committees managing implementation. Communities contribute 20% through labor and local resources ensuring sustainability.
Government Partnership: We support initiatives working with Cambodia's Royal Government, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and Cambodian Mine Action Centre to align with national strategies.
Cross-Border Cooperation: Programs coordinate with Thai authorities and communities to reduce tensions, facilitate safe migration, and build peace.
Graduation Approach: Families receive intensive support for 3-5 years, then graduate to self-sufficiency. Graduated families mentor new participants.
Vulnerability Assessment: Identifying most vulnerable families using poverty, food security, health, landmine risk, trauma, and displacement criteria.
Progress Tracking: Regular monitoring of household income, food security, health status, education enrollment, land access, and trauma recovery.
Landmine Impact: Tracking square kilometers cleared, casualties prevented, and land returned to productive use.
Community Feedback: Participatory monitoring with community scorecards and complaint mechanisms ensuring accountability.
GivingDonate operates on a discretionary support model. After platform fees and payment processing costs, we may provide discretionary financial support to verified organizations and initiatives working in seven Cambodia-Thailand border provinces (Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pailin, Pursat, and Koh Kong) at our sole discretion. No specific allocation, amount, or timeline is guaranteed.
Important: See our Contribution Policy, Terms of Service, and Legal Disclosures for complete details.