AGRICULTURE FAMILY PROJECT
A WAY OUT OF THE SLUMS WITH MANGOS
As in many developing countries, rural exodus is a problem in Cambodia for which there has not yet been an adequate answer. With the “Agriculture Family Project” we are gathering valuable insights into what conditions are needed to prevent people from fleeing into the slums.
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As part of the project, slum families have found a new home with us since 2015. We turn them into farmers with their own farm and thus give them the tools for a future life outside of Smiling Gecko.
HELPING PEOPLE HELP THEMSELVES
Our concept is very simple: every family on campus receives a microfarm in the classic Khmer style. Here the families can raise chickens and grow their own fruit and vegetables. The food produced in this way, which includes water spinach, mangoes and papaya, covers the family’s own needs and is processed in the campus kitchen if it meets the quality standards there.
The latter is important to the families’ development process because it teaches them how to produce quality food and earn an income off campus. And that’s the point. After all, we don’t want to educate a few families, but as many as possible, so that the time on campus should be limited.
SMILING GECKO PROVIDES START-UP FINANCING
When families make the step from campus, we support them with start-up financing. This can be used to buy land or build a house, for example.
THE PROJECT NEEDS FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We are very grateful if you support the “Agriculture Family Project”. The start-up financing in particular is very expensive for us, since land in Cambodia has become very expensive due to land speculation. In our opinion, loans for the families are not an adequate financing method, since the repayment leads to high burdens, which would probably drive the families back into the slums. A vicious circle that we want to break.
