Our Development Model

Sustainable Cambodia utilizes a participatory development model: The village families create a Village Development Committee, which works with our staff to prioritize the projects that will have the most impact on the village. Nothing is "given" to the villagers. The villagers must commit their time and labor to make the projects happen, while Sustainable Cambodia typically provides the training and nearly all the first-year financing for the projects. The amount of assistance is reduced over a three-year period, as the villagers become more and more self-reliant. At the end of the three year period, the quality of life in the village is dramatically improved, and the villagers have the self-created resources to continue to improve it.

The projects from which the Village Development Committee can choose include fresh water wells (usually the top priority), irrigation, gardens, alternative agriculture, a village school, a pre-school daycare center, vocational training, micro-loans and micro-business, and village healthcare.