Red Cross Helps Cambodians Recover from Fires

Written by Christina Ward, Staff Writer, RedCross.org

January 28, 2002 — In late November 2001, two major fires ripped through crowded residential areas of Cambodia's capital city, Phnom Penh. The blazes destroyed about 3,000 homes — all squatter settlements inhabited by impoverished families. More than 20,000 people were left homeless.

Thousands of poor families were left homeless by the fires.

Cambodian Red Cross (CRC) volunteers responded immediately to the fires, helping with rescue efforts and assisting families over the following days as the extent of the devastation became clear. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies provided financial aid and personnel to help the CRC relief effort.

The Cambodian government resettled victims at a camp located about 11 miles outside of town. By Dec. 14, 2001, more than 3,000 families had settled at Anglong Khngan, where most still live today. Living conditions there have improved in recent weeks but are still poor, according to local reports. While more latrines have been installed and hand-dug wells have helped supply safe water, many families are still crowded in tents and living under plastic sheeting.

The American Red Cross provided $10,000 to help the Cambodian Red Cross purchase relief kits for the most needy families, including those who had not yet received any outside aid. Each kit consists of a rice pot, plastic sheet, mosquito net, nylon mat and plastic water container.

"You must understand that these people lost essentially everything," said George Adams, head of the American Red Cross delegation in Cambodia. "They have been relocated to an area several miles outside the city, and they have little or no means to provide for their own shelter and reestablish a household."

Moreover, they have far less access to job opportunities than before the fires, he added. "The squatter areas that they were living in were right downtown, it is much more difficult for them to access what little employment they had."

The municipality government has opened and is operating a health clinic, and the government has also provided food supplies, shelter materials and financial aid to some of the families. Although conditions remain rough, critical aspects including sanitation and water supply have improved, Adams reported.

Other Red Cross Assistance in Cambodia

In addition to the ongoing relief for fire victims, the American Red Cross is also continuing work on an integrated program of assistance for people with disabilities, which it launched in Cambodia about 10 years ago. At the center of this program is a physical rehabilitation center that provides free services to Cambodians in need.

Cambodia has only recently begun to emerge from the social, economic and political destruction resulting from more than 30 years of civil disturbance and war. The nation's health and social services sector dissolved during this time of internal conflict, leaving the country unable to handle the health care needs of its population, including the needs of countless war victims. Among the most vulnerable are tens of thousands of people severely injured by landmines, unexploded ordnance (also known as UXO — bombs or shells that did not explode and remain undetected in the countryside), as well as those suffering from the indirect effects of years of war.

Headquartered in Phnom Penh, the three-part American Red Cross program aims to provide continued aid to the disabled and most vulnerable through rehabilitation services. At the Kompong Speu Rehabilitation Center, Red Cross workers and Cambodian staff members produce and fit prosthetic and orthotic devices, and provide physical therapy, community outreach, rehabilitation services and medical referrals as needed. Meanwhile, the American Red Cross works with the National Center of Disabled Persons on a "Community-Based Rehabilitation" project to build capacity at the community level to provide rehabilitation assistance to people with disabilities and their families.

Until they could resettle at the new camp, squatters lived in crowded makeshift tents near the rubble of their former homes.

In the third part of the program, also in collaboration with the National Center of Disabled Persons, the Red Cross works on an "Information and Referral Services" project that provides job training, counseling, and therapeutic, educational and vocational referral services for disabled adults. Red Cross staff also work closely with the local Disability Action Council to establish a national disability information network that will meet the informational needs of all the stakeholders in the disability sector.

The American Red Cross disability and rehabilitation program receives major support from USAID and the Australian Red Cross (which receives funding from Australian AID). The Bouwer Family Foundation is another longtime donor.