Poverty Alleviation through community empowerment (PACE)

The Poverty Alleviation through Community Empowerment (PACE) was initiated in 2003 with support from the McMahan Center-Abilities Activists.  WRF and the McMahan Center are continuing our partnership for a second year of this program. 

The PACE program is designed to train 150 people with disabilities in marketable skills so that they may have an opportunity to earn a sustainable income, establish a microenterprise (small business) and significantly upgrade their living standard, since the average annual income in Veal Thom is merely US$50. PACE is a community-based, socio-economic development intervention in Veal Thom. The training is modeled after the Success Case Replication methodology, however, the PACE project also provides community-wide skills training for all interested community members.

This community is made up of approximately 1010 people that represent 227 families. Close to 100% of families have a member with a disability--many as a result of landmine accidents. There are 195 people with disabilities living in Veal Thom. The community leaders have pledged to accept more people with disabilities and their families who have no farmland and are poor. Additionally, in planning for the future and the process of reintegration, the leaders will aim to have non-disabled families move into the village.

There is a high level of poverty and the community generally relies on agriculture as their means of subsistence and income.

In 2004, the PACE Program Achieved the Following:

• 135 people with disabilities or their family members have been recruited for training.
• 92 PACE participants have completed their skills training in such areas as:
• The majority of individually trained PACE participants have started their own businesses.
• The 92 graduates have all received grants in the form of business kits, i.e., tools for their microenterprises.
• At least 8 former trainees have agreed to train others in their new skills and 5 new trainers have also been recruited..
• Two agricultural experts taught two training sessions concurrently for 20 days, with 40 PACE participants greatly enhancing their skills.
• The McMahan Center-Abilities Activists donated a VAN to the community so that the PACE participants and community members could bring their produce and goods to sell in local markets.
• On August 11th , WRF and the McMahan Center hosted a community wide ceremony, the PACE Achievement Ceremony, honoring the abilities of the PACE graduates.

WRF will continue working in Veal Thom for a second year to: Provide follow-up services for PACE graduates; Continue training for those already recruited; and Expand the training to include up to 100 additional PACE participants, primarily family members of people with disabilities.   We will also work to disseminate these findings and lessons learned with other village commune leaders, NGOs and Ministries through a two-day workshop in Cambodia.

PACE PROGRAM – CAMBODIA EXTENDED

The McMahan Center-Abilities Activists has agreed to extend the Poverty Alleviation through Community Empowerment (PACE) program in Cambodia.  The Center, through its Sierra Foundation, will provide $75000 in additional funding to allow the World Rehabilitation Fund to: provide training to most or all of the individuals who have expressed interest in this opportunity, but have not been able to be accommodated during the course of the project; follow-up the most recently trained individuals; and continue providing assistance to the school until the end of the school year.

The original grant is due to expire at the end of November.  WRF staff has provided training to 152 members of the Veal Thom community, which exceeds the proposed number of 150.   This project has enabled the citizens of the village to engage in sustainable activities to maintain support of the 315 families currently living there.

The Veal Thom community was founded by ex-combatants, from all factions involved in the Civil War in Cambodia, who were disabled by landmines or ordinance during the hostilities. Training provided by WRF has enabled many citizens of the community to establish businesses that is yielding financial support for the families of the village.

The grant extension will allow WRF to produce a “manual” that describes the methodology used to carry out this program and summarizes the impact of the project on the citizens of Veal Thom.

Alison McMahan and Mathieu Roberts, filmmakers, have documented the program from initiation through to the end of its first year.  For more information on the Veal Thom documentary "Living With Landmines", click here.

This documentary has been produced by the McMahan Center, with input from WRF, and can be obtained by request from the World Rehabilitation Center.