Welcome and thank you for visiting our project website!

The Ministry of Interior implemented the Livelihood Enhancement and Association of the Poor project for five years (2017 – 2022). It was designed to support the poverty reduction policy of the Government in strengthening good governance, which is the core stone of the Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employment, Equity, and Efficiency.

LEAP pilot project started in 2008 with the credit support of the World Bank, and the project was well implemented since July 2010 and ended in 2012. After the pilot, TWG of the Ministry of Interior conducted research. It analyzed drawing experiences from best practice in the region and country, examining both positive and negative viewpoints from effective poverty reduction and sustainable project implementation.

In 2017, the World Bank and the Ministry of Economic and Finance (MEF) agreed to integrate the LEAP project into the list of financing projects for 2017. With Ministry of Economics and Finance approval, and followed the directions provided by Smadech Kralar Hom Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister, and as Minister for Ministry of Interior; the Ministry of Interior, and consisted of its members from Phnom Penh Capital Hall, Siem Reap provincial administration, and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, created and lead ADHOC committee, together with the World Bank TWG, started the process of creating a new project, called new LEAP, and Phnom Penh identified as being additional target area for the enhancement of urban poor households.

By drawing together the experiences of social and economic changes, the food products are not content to produce for family consumption and food security but new food products entering the market and economics for farmers and their communities. Thus the LEAP project was designed based on the fundamental principles and concept of not giving fish, even teach how to fish. It is located at the center of the LEAP project document suggesting the establishment and strengthening community institution of the poor that (1) supporting the creation of Self-Help Groups, group of producers, community farmers, are of more enormous scope of market-oriented in order to enable their members or individuals to generate income, (2) providing the community institution of the poor with the opportunity and capability to access financial service for their own business, and (3) linked with other relevant business and labor markets.

LEAP project promotes the participation of poor and marginalized people in community development activity to improve access of poor and vulnerable households in selected communities to financial services, opportunities for generating income, and small-scale infrastructure, and to provide an immediate and effective response in case of an eligible crisis or emergency.

The project consisted of four key components, covered two different target areas: in Siem Reap for 47 communes from 9 districts, and in Phnom Penh with 13 Sangkat from 12 Khan. Alternatively, activities of Component 1&2 are similar to those addressed in the LEAP project framework, but how different is that Siem Reap covered mostly agriculture, and as for operations in Phnom Penh focused on business improvement, job opportunities, and service rather than agriculture. Action 1: supporting the establishment of Self-Help Group (SHGs), producer groups, or/and farmer communities to enable their members or individuals to have accessed the production activities for their income, capability to develop the plan of entrepreneurship, financial management, training on skill in technology, commercial service, and market orientation. Activity 2: skill and business improvement, job opportunities through an internship program for youth and unemployed women in target communities. Activity 3: Improve access to service, and small-scale infrastructure facility for urban and rural poor communities like agricultural infrastructure improvement, and better access to assistance in responding to the basic need of target communes and Sangkat, which addressed in prioritized development plan for Communes and Sangkat, including warehouses, water supply and sanitation, irrigation schemes, roads, installation of street lamp pole, etc.

The budget for the project implementation is an addition to the national state budget allocated for an annual budget plan for Commune and Sangkat for the capacity development of commune council members to manage and provide excellent and effective service to target community households. It used an existing community based- mechanism and procedure, which council members have implemented the Government’s centralization and decentralization.

With a clear role and responsibility in managing this critical project, I am very proud to have been able to join with the Government, private sector, especially building firm partnerships with development partners to enhance the livelihood of the poor and ensure sustainable economic growth. Besides the information on the website, for more information, please contact our project team through the address indicated below.

Thanks

H.E. Gny Chanphal,
Secretary of State and LEAP Project Coordinator,
Ministry of Interior