PEOPLE IN NEED’S NEW PROJECT IN PHNOM PENH TO HELP IN THE POST-COVID-19 PANDEMIC RECOVERY
Published: Jun 28, 2021 Reading time: 2 minutes
People in Need (PIN), together with its local partners and with funding from the European Union, has launched a new project which aims to support poor urban areas in Cambodia to recover from the impacts of COVID. This multisectoral project will address issues of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); social protection; livelihoods; gender-based violence prevention; and the protection of children in 255 poor communities spread across 14 of Phnom Penh’s districts.
Franck Viault, Head of Cooperation with the European Union Delegation to Cambodia, says: “COVID-19 has affected many lives around the world. We have seen the number of cases rise, and we have observed how the pandemic has caused unemployment, homelessness, and weakened livelihoods. Unfortunately, this has made life even more difficult for the most vulnerable groups in our society. Through the “Integrated COVID-19 Response in Urban Poor Settings in Phnom Penh”, the European Union will work with PIN and its local partners to support the Royal Government of Cambodia in mounting a sustainable COVID-19 response. The aim is to accelerate recovery by improving knowledge about COVID-19, promoting prevention measures, empowering women and children, and providing economic opportunities for those affected by the pandemic.”
To ensure broad outreach throughout the targeted population, the intervention will encompass a wide range of activities, including: COVID-19 awareness-raising campaigns, public events, communications to promote advocacy and behavioural change, web and application development on house rentals and housing rights, social media campaigns focusing on the protection of women and children, and some research studies such as the Labour Market Assessment. It also aims to strengthen social protection for vulnerable communities, provide psychosocial support and protection services to women and children at risk of gender-based violence, diversify the skillsets of workers in the informal sector to help them rejoin the labour market, and support small businesses.
Lukas Laube, PIN Cambodia Country Director, says: “The project has come at the right time, especially for Cambodia. We are grateful for the support of the European Union to help us ensure that the urban poor in Phnom Penh can recover from the effects of the pandemic. This project is a product of the shared goals of the Government of Cambodia, the European Union, and the project consortium. Complementing the agenda of the Cambodian government, the project will encourage proper hygiene, safeguard the rights of women and children, and alleviate the challenges of unemployment and weakened livelihoods.”