OUR PLANS FOR PRASAT CHAR VILLAGE

Our goal for the residents of Prasat Char Village is to see them become more self-sufficient and self-reliant as opposed to have them come to rely on aid.

It has been said that the way to help a starving man is not to give him food, but to give him a source of income.  A popular way to put it is "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach him how to fish and you feed him for life".  A saying that I completely agree with, BUT for this approach to work you must also see to it that his short term basic needs are met.  If you give a hungry man some bait and a fishing rod and teach him how to fish, but don't give him something to eat while he goes fishing then he is going to have to eat the bait and he will sell the rod to buy more food.

Therefore a two phase approach is needed - basic short term needs must be addressed.  If a family has no rice to eat and holes in the roof of their house then these needs must be considered immediately, while also considering ways to help the family help themselves in a long term sustainable way. 

We believe wholeheartedly that education is one of the most important tools we have for helping to break the poverty cycle.  Hence, the reason we have built our school at Prasat Char Village.

Some other things we plan to do in the future (or may already be doing) are:

- -- Help the residents to set up small businesses.

 -- Organise them to make crafts to sell.

-- Get as many children into school as possible.  

-- Improve our school.  Train our teachers further, etc..

-- Hold seminars on health related issues, agricultural issues, etc.

-- Continue to address the issue of safe drinking water..

-- Address irrigation issues and continue to supply vegetable seeds, tools and watering cans.

Our aim is to find ways for them to improve their own lives.

Our aim is to find ways for them to earn more money.

Our aim is to get all children into school.

Our aim is to teach them about their choices and their options.

In other words our aim is to get them to become more self-reliant and look after themselves instead of being recipients of charity..