New Start, New Life

New Start, New Life

The housing situation in Cambodia is still dire and about two-thirds of the population live in sub-standard housing conditions. There are still about 10M people who live in houses without proper toilets, in places that are poorly built and unsafe from potential disasters such as floods, windstorms, places where children cannot properly study due to the lack of electricity or where they get sick of diarrhea and other waterborne diseases due to the absence of a safe source of water. Often the most vulnerable have to deal with corruption and are exposed to forced evictions because of the absence of secure land tenure.

The current New Start, New Life (Chapadeum Chivet Thmey) of Habitat Cambodia recognizes the most vulnerable individuals in Cambodia that cannot be targeted by market-based approaches, as their limited economic means and/or specific vulnerabilities call for tailor-made support. For six years with over two phases, Habitat Cambodia has effectively implemented projects that enhance most vulnerable such as people with HIV/AIDs, the elderly, people with disabilities, and marginalized people with holistic housing solutions, water and sanitation, and livelihood. This holistic program aims to combine housing support and access to sanitation with psycho-social assistance and livelihood support in order to have a transformational impact on the lives of the most vulnerable in need of initial help to start a new life.  A new home for them means a new start and the possibility to unlock their potential and consider a future for their family. This project currently is funding by 4 donors through Habitat Australia (with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia), Habitat Netherlands, and Habitat Korea and individual donors through Habitat International.

Project achievements:

  • Plots of land for relocated families purchased: 30
  • New houses built (brick houses, wooden houses): 41
  • Houses repaired: 73
  • Water filters distributed: 131
  • Toilets built: 89
  • Home maintenance training: 173
  • Livelihood training and basic financial literacy training:149
  • WASH training: 208
  • Family Development workshop: 149
  • Micro-grant for startup business/livelihood: 88