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Out of 80 planned original placement cattle, 50 were distributed to Heifer project members from three self help groups (SHGs) implementing the Community Empowerment for Poverty Reduction project, supervised by Chamroeun Chiet Khmer, one of Heifer’s project partners.
The distribution ceremony was held at Roleak Village, Takeo Province, on December 12. Participants included Kirivong District Governor, the Vice District Governor of Koh Andet Dirstct, representatives from World Vision International Cambodia and from the Provincial Rural Development Office, village leaders, Commune Council chiefs and members, Heifer Cambodia staff, and the SHG leaders and members.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Ho Bunyeth, Interim Country Director of Heifer Cambodia, introduced Heifer’s history, vision and mission to the guests. He also spoke of Don West’s concept and stated that the gifts would enable poor farm families to get back on their feet to combat poverty and hunger, helping themselves to help others through passing on the gifts by applying the Heifer Cornerstones and the Valued-Based Holistic Community Development (VBHCD) approach.
Expressing his impression on the Heifer-funded project, Mr. Tok Tonglim, Kirivong District Governor, said he would learn more about the Cornerstones concept and VBHCD approach and disseminate these principles at the national level. He also encouraged the project participants to take good care of the provided inputs and utilize their skills and knowledge gained from trainings to transform their lives and strengthen their community for sustainable development.
Begun in 2007, the three-year project empowers 80 farm families, of which 50% are woman-headed households, to develop strong communities and environmentally friendly farming practices for food and income generation in a holistic manner. After the SHGs were formed, each SHG member received technical and non-technical trainings including VBHCD, gender awareness, environmental health and sanitation, education advocacy and other social issues. Each SHG will pass on not only the physical inputs, but also the knowledge they received, at the same value and quality to a new SHG.
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