Community First Initiatives, Inc. is an international, nonprofit organization that works with villagers in rural Cambodia to initiate and support the development of these forgotten communities.
The need in Cambodia is great and very evident in the rural countryside where over 80% of Cambodia’s people live. Here there is an almost total lack of infrastructure upon which to build the economy. A vast majority of rural Cambodians do not even have access to potable water. With no means to support themselves, people leave for the city or border towns to seek work, yet they have no skills. Families are separated. Women and children are put at risk.
At least 1.7 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships and starvation or other causes directly related to the rule of the Khmer Rouge regime under Pol Pot. Because of this, vast amounts of intellectual resources and basic knowledge generally passed from generation to generation were abruptly lost. Of countries followed by United States Agencies:
- Cambodia ranks 167 of 175 in education spending.
- It is 178 of 222 in life expectancy.
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita ranks 187 of 228 countries.
We at Community First, believe that successfully fighting poverty depends upon working with villagers to help them build an infrastructure that will improve the quality of their lives in a sustainable way. All of our initiatives are developed in direct collaboration with villagers and village leadership.
Our focus is on generating income, enhancing agricultural practices and improving access to better healthcare and education. The success of all of our projects depends upon meeting the critical need for reliable sources of water and adequate sanitation facilities. Since we began our work in 2008, the daily lives of over 1,300 people have been directly and positively changed through our community development efforts.
PHOTOS FROM OUR LATEST INITIATIVES
