No water is too deep for Bou

Bou Poch (42) uses a water source that the community itself created. The pond enables them to keep fish and it provides enough water for the people, animals and crops.

Bou Poch, married and raising 4 children, lives in Lompath village, Cambodia, in an indigenous community. The communal land titles they receive from the government are often not respected. Development projects such as mining, large agricultural projects and illegal logging are penetrating deeper into primeval forests and often lead to land grab of the indigenous communities.

In cooperation with local organisation Development and Partnership in Action (DPA) Oxfam Novib supports the indigenous communities to ensure that their land rights and cultural heritage are preserved. DPA works to protect the primeval forests where these communities live, to build the capacity of the people and secure their land rights in order to enable small-scale agriculture and income security. They train rural communities to apply different farming techniques. For example, they teach small-scale farmers to grow more rice on smaller plots of land and to improve and increase their yields. This way the communities are being empowered to be their own advocate of change and treasure their heritage for future generations.

The community in Lompath village also created their own water source. They made a fishpond by digging a hole in the ground and filled it with water and fish from the river. The community uses it as a fishpond but also for drinking water, water for the animals and vegetable gardens. DPA gave the community members financial support and training to create, use and manage the fishpond.

Read more about our work on food, land and water.