Buddhism For Developement

BFD has a strong record in the development and support of human rights activity. TBFD work in this area began in 1999 in Banteay Meanchey Province and has evolved and extended to Oddor Meanchey in 2000, Battambang in 2003, Kampong Thom in 2004, and Preah Vihear, Kampong Thom, Pailin, and Siemreap in 2006.

This program guides and supports the development within communities of local capacity to prevent Human Rights violations and to promote local justice.

Today, the Human Rights program covers 853 villages or 116 communes, in 18 districts of 7 provinces.  A total of more than 1,547 community activists (853 working at the village level, and 492 work at the commune level), work voluntarily to promote the respect of Human Rights, local justice, and socio-economic development in their own communities. BFD has received recognition for this work both nationally and internationally, and the model of human rights development is promoted across Cambodia

Access to education underpins one of our larger project areas and has a focus on building schools and providing scholarship support particularly to poor disadvantaged or remote communities.

The project tends to support children from desperately poor families where there is little possibility of these children obtaining an education. For example, there are those whose parents are affected by HIV/AIDS. Often support is provided to families as direct support or loans for small business, enabling children to attend school rather than have to stay home to support family or other work duties.

BFD’s HBC program supports the national health aims of the RGC and is a major contributor to Cambodia’s Millenium Development Goals for the Cambodian health sector. In particular the BFD aims to:    
•    decrease the amount of newly transmitted HIV/AIDS within communities.
•    provide an integrated health care and support to PLHA .
•    improve the social and economic conditions of individuals, families, and communities impacted by HIV/AIDS.

BFD provides comprehensive care, support and prevention education to  suspected PLHA and  OVC and general population of target groups in Cambodia. The work is based in 5 operational district, in Battambang, Siem Reap, and Kampong Thom province and links closely to provincial health programs operated through local health centres.

Rural Development : To support farmers and their communities BFD have worked with farmer groups to develop better practices in production and management of crops, including diversificstion, allowing additional cash crops to be integrated into more staple crops with the outcome of improved incomes.

BFD has been actrive in mobilising farmers into cooperative groups giving them improved access to market both for agricultural inputs and for selling crops at fair prices.

The LAAR program aims to promote active, effective, and sustainable engagement between local communities and their elected commune councils. LAAR aims to improve participatory democratic practices within government as well as strengthening links between commune councils, civil society, and national level.