Many people in Koh Kong Cambodia have seen their share of tragedy as a result of the frequent storms that batter the villages. For 58-year-old Sun Sokhen, the worst storm came in 2000, when her grandson was swept out to sea during a massive sea surge.
“In my village, many disasters strike. The most shocking one in my life was in 2000, when my grandson drowned in a sea surge. We were all so sorry and sad that we did not know how to prevent it.”
Villagers are traumatised by the experiences of previous storms, but have little knowledge around how to prepare for and recover from disasters bound to occur in the future. We are working to change this reality by helping children, their families and communities prepare for disaster.
Save the Children is working in Koh Kong to educate children on disasters and changes in their local environment, to support families living here to implement more sustainable livelihoods, and to help communities identify hazards and reduce local risks.
Our programme partners with community leaders, like Sokhen, to facilitate greater community knowledge and awareness. Since attending training courses on sustainable livelihoods and participating in the village disaster planning sessions, Sokhen has grown in confidence.
“I have shared with my villagers about what I have learnt about climate change. I advised them to predict the weather before going fishing, otherwise, the storm might damage fishing tools and other property. My villagers can predict the weather by listening to the radio, television and looking at the sky.”
She is committed to ensuring that everyone in her village has the knowledge and skills needed to remain and thrive in the community that she loves – and she is determined that no more children’s lives will be taken by the storms.