On our humanitarian trip to Phum Trea, Cambodia on 10 December 2010, we learned about the plight of the fishermen along the Tonle Sap Lake.
For generations, Tonle Sap Lake has supported the livelihood of fishermen who live in dilapidated structures floating on the shore. These fishermen can no longer sustain a living owing to the depletion of fish supply due to overfishing and pollution.
60 years old Imam Karim Aly, a Muslim Cambodian from Pursat Province who owns 100 hectares of agricultural land in Pursat Province wants to help these fishermen resettle. He wants to donate 2,500 sq m (25 x 100) of his new land to each family. Hope Directors discussed with him and consulted Cambodian lawyers on the land ownership.
We expressed, on behalf of Hope Villages, our intention to support the re-settlement of these 100 families and the community development. We agreed to provide two pump wells as a start and to further aid in providing better homes for the families, a clinic, a school, pump wells, water purification and farming.
