Rural Assistance Program Prey Veng (RAP), Cambodia

Since our last project report in January, the world has changed dramatically  due to the impact of the COVID 19 virus. The global economic impact combined with strict travel restrictions have made it difficult to continue to maintain the  high levels of close supervision and staff support of our program which we know have been critical to the success  of this program over the past 20 years. 

At the end of April ,  Cambodia remaned closed to entry by Americans and Europeans, making it impossible for Mark to travel    and even local quarantine restrictions remaining in place in Cambodia , inhibiting travel by locals throughout the country.  Consequently,   we reluctantly made the decision to suspend, for the time being,  further operation of our Rural Assistance Program. It is our assumption that this may potentially   last  until   the end of calendar year 2020. 

Our decision was based on the following factors.

1) Donor funds do not currently  provide funding adequate to maintain the program at its previous levels. 

2) We believe that, due to the coronavirus crisis now gripping the world and the unlikelihood that it will be resolved this year, fundraising through the balance of 2020 is going to be extremely difficult.

3) Given #1 and #2 above, we felt that we had no choice but to suspend the operation of our program, as we wait to see how things develop. 

We are very disappointed that this is where we find ourselves , but  without  a firm committment of funding, we have not choice but  to pause for now as we  evaluate what might potentially  be possible with reduced resources  once travel restrictions begin to ease.  We will keep you posted on any updates as they occur.

We are deeply grateful to our donors for their generous and long time support of this program and it is our sincere hope that we at some point we will be able to once again move forward.

Barbara & Mark Rosasco