It was a painstaking process to rebuild the country after Cambodia was devastated by armed con-flict for more than 20 years. With over half of the government's expenditures relying on foreign aids, the country's social welfare system had barely existed.
For the general populace -- most of who had difficulties having their basic living needs met -- the strike of an accident or a sudden adversity could be a life-and-death issue.
The FRA Emergency Relief Program was thus devised to help the underprivileged Cambodians up-on accidents or emergencies.
FRA social workers had paid home visits to cases to make sure that the families on the beneficiary list were indeed in dire need of help.



1.How the FRA Emergency Relief was Distributed?
To help poor families ride over difficulties upon trying time, the FRA offered them cash, food sup-plements, books, stationery or interest-free credit, depending on their respective needs, such as medical treatment for illness or disease, funerals , education or starting a small business.
2.Who Get the FRA Emergency Relief?
(1)Cleft lip patients:
In 2001-2002, the agency assisted 20 Poipet villagers suffering from cleft lip from birth in receiving surgeries to have their split upper lips sealed at the faraway Angkor Children's Hospital.
(2)Landmine victims:
During the war, the Poipet area was littered with landmines, causing many refugees and settlers to become victims of landmine explosion. The agency offered medical subsidies or rice to these victims who were either maimed or sick and had difficulties making a living.
(3)AIDS patients:
Sex trade was flourishing in Poipet, a Thai-Cambodian border city of settlers and poor souls. As the number of HIV-carrier families climbed, more AIDS babies were born there.
The scourge of AIDS was also rampant in other rural areas around Cambodia beyond Poipet.
Assisting AIDS patients is one of the major missions of the FRA in Cambodia. To those patients who cannot afford to see a doctor, the agency offered them free transportation to hospitals, money to pay for medical bills and nutrition supplements.
(4)People or families in dire need of relief aids:
The FRA offered cash subsidies, rice, milk powder or clothes to families or individuals who could not even find an odd job to earn petty incomes.
3.Breakdown of the FRA Emergency Relief Beneficiaries:
Items(A.D)
|
Medical subsidy
|
Bicycle subsidy
|
Living cost allowance
|
Emergency aid subsidy
|
Entrepreneurial subsidy
|
Board
|
Total
|
2002
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
7
|
2003
|
6
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
12
|
2004
|
4 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
20 |
2005
|
20 |
103 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
134 |
2006
|
8 |
60 |
6 |
10 |
4 |
0 |
88 |
2007
|
10 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
10 |
0 |
27 |
2008
|
15 |
4 |
23 |
5 |
11 |
5 |
63 |
2009
|
36 |
0 |
57 |
17 |
7 |
7 |
124 |
2010
|
47 |
165 |
318 |
9 |
1 |
25 |
565 |
2011
|
75 |
55 |
574 |
151 |
3 |
9 |
867 |
2012
|
70 |
12 |
313 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
407 |
2013
|
47 |
0 |
443 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
496 |
2014
|
37 |
1 |
486 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
538 |
2015
|
34 |
0 |
262 |
140 |
0 |
0 |
310 |
2016
|
48 |
0 |
575 |
179 |
0 |
0 |
802 |
2017
|
40 |
0 |
295 |
287 |
0 |
0 |
622 |
2018
|
40 |
0 |
214 |
213 |
0 |
0 |
467 |
2019
|
36 |
0 |
194 |
194 |
0 |
0 |
424 |
2020
|
27
|
0
|
68
|
210
|
0
|
0
|
305
|
2021
|
26
|
0
|
10
|
227
|
0
|
0
|
263
|
2022
|
24 |
0 |
7 |
211 |
8 |
0 |
242 |
2023
|
20
|
0
|
36
|
244
|
0
|
0
|
300
|
2024
|
18 |
0 |
30 |
281 |
8 |
0 |
329 |
Total
|
688 |
402 |
3,918 |
2,292 |
60 |
52 |
7,403 |