The impact of Covid-19 on Cambodian rural communities.

Cambodia has been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis will have a medium-term impact on poverty and well-being, especially among the vulnerable in society. (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD).

The pandemic worsens the vulnerability of specific groups of workers including women, children, indigenous people and migrant workers due to unemployment and lack of work for those in lower levels jobs. (The Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO).

An estimated 1.6 Million unskilled workers have now lost their income due to the country’s lockdown and other measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. (International Labour Organization, ILO).

The loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector -and in the garment industry in particular- is having a knockdown effect in the rest of Cambodia’s urban economy, affecting street food vendors, local transport providers and many other sectors.

At the same time, remittance of wages earned from working abroad have declined. Cambodia could lose $90M over six months from the loss of jobs based in Thailand. (Emerging Markets Consulting, EMC) and additional losses will result from the loss of jobs in South Korea and other neighbouring countries, for which many Cambodian families rely for their sustenance.

Most poor Cambodian families are large, with 3 or 4 generations living in the same household, often a single room dwelling. The household relies on two or three young people in the family to earn income to support all family members.

Typically, these young workers have only primary school education and don’t have the skills to make a decent wage. These young earners traditionally have worked in the garment sector, or they go to work in Thailand in construction or as farm labourers, remitting their wages over to their families.

Many of these young workers have returned home to Cambodia since the first outbreak of Covid-19 and the closure of the border with Thailand  in 2020. Most of them cannot go back to work as the borders remain closed, and they cannot find work locally in Cambodia.

Green Umbrella’s Food Program.

Green Umbrella has set up a Food Program to provide Food Kits to the poorest and most vulnerable families such as;

• Old people who do not have family support 
• People who lost their jobs and do not have any income.
• Immigrant workers from Thailand
• Poor families with large household members
• Farmers and rural workers

The Cambodian government identifies the poorest and most vulnerable families. Local community offices provide Green Umbrella with names of the families most in need during this urgent time. Green Umbrella continues to work with the local authorities and monks from local temples to visit and to deliver Food Kits to every one of these households in the communities

Our immediate target is to provide 200 Food Kits to 100 families, so each family receives two Food Kits over a two month period. The Food Kits consist of 20kgs rice, 1kg dry fish, canned fish and various condiments. The cost of each food kit is USD 22.

In April Green Umbrella delivered food to 50 families in seven rural villages. You can imagine how happy these families now are – many had gone without food for a number of days, and are therefore truly grateful to all donors to this Green Umbrella Food Program .

GU will continue its Food Program to the end of 2021 should the economic impact of COVID-19 remain with us in Cambodia.

Please continue to support Food Kits (USD 22) by donating here.