Cambodia is considered one of the most disaster prone countries in South East Asia with a score of 4.6 on the INFORM 2015 Index. The country is regularly hit by natural disasters, especially floods and droughts, which are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change. There is still no official building code in Cambodia and over 90% of construction workers have not received any form of formal training. Therefore it is of high importance that technically specialized NGOs such as Habitat for Humanity provides assistance to the government in order to share standard house designs that are adapted to the local context and disaster resilient.
HFHC Action
HFH Cambodia aims to build safe and resilient communities through direct disaster risk reduction and response interventions at local level, mainstream DR3 within the construction sector, and deliver awareness raising within Cambodian society.
HFH Cambodia has signed a MoU with the National Disaster Management Committee and started collaboration with the Ministry of Land Management Urban Planning and Construction in order to help mainstream DRRR in the construction sector. At the same time the organization aims to launch large-scale improvement of construction skills within the private sector (informal home builders) to promote construction of disaster resilient houses and promote community preparedness through implementation of the PASSA methodology (Participatory Approach for Safe Shelter Awareness). Lastly response to disasters with emergency relief (shelter kits, NFIs) and reconstruction through the “Build Back Better” approach will be implemented.
