Action by Churches Together (ACT)
Alert - Cambodia 1/2002
Geneva,  24 September 2002


ACT member Church World Service Cambodia (CWS) reports that the
combination of floods and drought are of major concern as the country's
most vulnerable populations could face food shortages next year.  More
than 1.5 million people in 9 provinces have been affected by the drought.
Officially only 50% of cultivated areas have been planted with rice and
there are fears that all this could be destroyed. Late rains have brought
some relief to eight drought stricken provinces, but extensive flooding in
another five provinces has affected more than one million people.  This is
the third consecutive year of disastrous floods in Cambodia and the
cumulative effect of that and the drought this year has had a catastrophic
effect on food production.

CWS has carried out initial damage and needs assessments in their working
areas in Svay Rieng, Kompong Thom, Battambong and Bantey Meanchhey, and
found that the rice seedling and transplanting phases have been severely
damaged if not totally destroyed.

ACT CO is currently working on a proposal from CWS Cambodia in response to
the needs of the most vulnerable population in the CWS working areas.
The proposal comprises assistance to save what is left of the crop and
replant where there is enough rainwater.  Secondary crop production will
also be encouraged and supported in areas where there is little rain so
that people will have some food to eat.

In response to the concerns of food shortage during the coming three
months CWS proposes supporting rehabilitation and mitigation measures with
Food for Work in the most affected areas.  The estimated budget will be
around US$ 140,000.

Thank you for your attention.
For further information please contact:

ACT Director, Thor-Arne Prois (phone +41 22 791 6032 or mobile phone
+ 41 79 203 6055)
or
ACT Appeals Officer, Mieke Weeda (phone +41 22 791 6035 or mobile phone
+41 79 285 2916)


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Action by Churches Together (ACT) is a worldwide alliance of churches and
their related agencies, meeting human need through co-ordinated emergency
response.  The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of
Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


   Ecumenical Centre                          Phone: ++41-22-791.60.33
   150, route de Ferney                         Fax: ++41-22-791.65.06
   P.O. Box 2100                             E-Mail: act@wcc-coe.org
   1211 Geneva 2                              Telex: 415 730 OIK CH
   Switzerland                                 http://www.act-intl.org


distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International Disaster Information
Volunteers in Technical Assistance
                                          web: www.cidi.org
                                     listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
comments/suggestions/requests to incident@cidi.org