Rural Assistance Program Prey Veng (RAP), Cambodia

COVID continues to keep our Rural Assistance Program on hold. 

Our reports earlier this year have  detailed how the COVID 19 virus created severe travel restrictions making it impossible  to run this program without the assurances and safeguards  that  our  personal  supervision and  close staff support provide.   This type of monitoring  has always  been a critical element of our program and we feel that it has been key to our success  and  our ability to achieve so many of our goals over the past 20 years. Unlike our programs in  Phnom Penh , we do not have locally placed staff in the countryside  that are of the caliber needed  to oversee the operations of the entire program. Although this has always been a  challenge,Mark’s frequent  on-site visits to review  our projects were essential to monitor and maintain  efficient use of our limited  resources.

Cambodia remains substantially closed down,  with schools and many business closed.  Tourism and business travel  is at a near  standstill, with most attempts of international  travel impractical due to the 14 day quarantine requirement on visitors. The massive  wave of the Delta variant of Covid in Thailand, at the present time,  seriously  impacts transit from /through Thailand to Cambodia. Consequently,  we must  reluctantly  continue the “ pause” of  our   current operations of our Rural Assistance Program as we wait for COVID to subside.

We are deeply grateful to you for your understanding during these challenging times.

Barbara & Mark Rosasco 

The  impact of COVID 19 continues to be felt throughout Cambodia.  Last April, Cambodia  was closed to entry by Americans and Europeans, making it impossible for Mark to visit and more importantly, making it impossible to  responsibily supervise the operations of our Rural Assistance Program. Consequently and most reluctantly,  we initiated a temporary suspension of our program.

Some months  later in  Fall of 2020 it appeared that Cambodia was seeming to be  ready to open back up. Now  a recent  and punishing  upward surge in COVID cases have  put our plans back on pause,

Cambodia,  since late February  2021, has  seen a surge in COVID cases. So much so, that the government  has ordered all schools to close and it  has imposed travel restrictions not  only in the cities, but also throughout the countryside, limiting travel from one province to another, making it impossible for us to properly run our program. 

Unlike the US, stay at home mandates are  being strictly enforced. Schools, businesses, markets and even the banks are closed and people are challenged on the streets for valid reasons  for them to be out and around. We had been hopeful that things would open up by now, but just yesterday, we learned that the stay at home order has been extended another week.

We remain on " pause" hoping that  conditions will begin to normalize. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience and your support during this difficult period.

Thank you,

Barbara & Mark Rosasco