Terre Cambodge and Frangipani Spa support to ADF for Phnom Kulen National Park
A brief report on 11 years of support to ADF/ Phnom Kulen Program (2010-2021), April 2021.
After years of support, close collaboration, long discussions, brain storming and... friendship... it was about time to give an overview of Terre Cambodge (TC) and Frangipani Spa (FS) support to Phnom Kulen, through ADF!
To Summarise briefly before we go into details:
- Terre Cambodge is an eco-responsible travel agency and receptive operator that offers a wide range of travel packages and tours in Cambodia. Committed to promoting responsible and environmentally friendly activities, Terre Cambodge organizes visits to Phnom Kulen. Frangipani is one of the best Spa in Siem Reap city, at the gateway to Angkor. Together, they have supported the Archeology and Development Foundation (ADF) since 2010 and part of their profits are used to finance its development activities, in particular the income generation component. TC is aware of the problems and challenges posed by the globalization of tourism and is committed to promoting responsible and environmentally friendly eco-tours.
- Frangipani Spa is a traditional spa located in Siem Reap and providing high standards spa treatments at affordable prices. Located behind the Central Market of Siem Reap, they offer a variety of massage treatments, body wraps, scrubs and facials. As a sister company of Terre Cambodge, Frangipani Spa supported monthly the ADF Income Generation/Alternative Livelihood activities since 2010 up until February 2020.
- ADF is an NGO implementing the Phnom Kulen program since 2008. This entity is registered in the United Kingdom (n.1122750) and since 2016 as an international NGO in Cambodia. This association was created to better understand the origins of the Khmer Empire in this area, to contribute to the preservation of the environment of the Phnom Kulen National Park, to ensure that the Cambodian population living on the plateau is directly involved. in the protection of archaeological sites and their natural environment and that their livelihoods are improved in the process. Along with archaeological research, ADF has a range of activities to improve the lives of local villagers, mainly on environmental protection, regeneration, educational awareness, infrastructure for education, hygiene and sanitation, and sustainable farming practices that generate income.
TC and FS support to Phnom Kulen, through ADF:
- Terre Cambodge (TC) and Frangipani are ADF's oldest and most loyal donors, shortly after its creation in 2008. From 2010, TC and Frangipani Spa are supporting the component of creating alternative income (alternative agricultural solutions) to the benefit of the villagers of Phnom Kulen. More than forty families have thus benefited from technical and material support for the establishment of family production units for the breeding of fish, chickens and pigs, or the cultivation of mushrooms and vegetables. Solidarity tourism agencies, partners of TC (Vision Ethique in 2013, Allibert Trekking in 2012-13, Échangeons le Monde Solidarités in 2014 and 2015) have also joined this program, sometimes supporting it over several years (Chamaeleon-Stiftung, 2014 -2021).
- In May 2019 and thanks to the continued support of TC and Frangipani Spa, ADF joined forces with Agrisud International to strengthen this component in the municipality of Khnong Phnom. To date, it allows these activities to be offered to nearly 190 families from 5 villages in Phnom Kulen. Augmented by the cultivation of black ginger and fruit trees, the project also ensures the grouping of breeders / producers and access to the market for their products.
- From 2010, TC and Frangipani also supported the first activities undertaken by ADF in primary schools in Phnom Kulen with the supply of equipment (school supplies, blackboards, bins, first nursery in Anlong Thom, house for teachers in Ta Penh, etc. ), while supporting a nutrition program. The ADF team also organized plastic garbage collection sessions in schools and villages, raising environmental awareness.
- In 2013, TC and Frangipani contributed to the establishment and monitoring of the rice bank, installed in Thma Chruogn village, ensuring food security for the most disadvantaged families in this village. The same year, a water supply system for the village of Phum Thmey was rehabilitated.
- TC, in partnership with Tourisme et Développement Solidaires (TDS), also got involved in 2016 and 2017 in the area of hygiene and sanitation with support for the primary school in the village of Sangke Lak. Concretely, this involved the regular provision of a person (Miss Chhun Phirom) for the hygiene sessions offered to the students, and the construction of infrastructure for the school (2 water supply systems , toilets, sinks, incinerator, nursery and other elements decorating the school: play and rest area, kitchen, tree planting, garbage cans, solar panels). A library for the Ta Penh school was also funded in 2016. In 2015 and 2016, several “incentive”-type travel groups organized by TC and ADF funded and participated in rehabilitation activities for schools in Phnom Kulen.
- In 2018, TC funded an awareness campaign against plastic waste in Phnom Kulen National Park, with the installation of 9 panels, at the most visited locations in the park. In 2018 and 2019, TC and Frangipani also funded the training of rangers and patrols in Phnom Kulen National Park, to prevent illegal activities such as slash-and-burn, cutting of large trees and hunting.
- Finally, and since 2018, thanks to the support of the responsible tourism agencies TDS and ECM, TC and ADF have set up a Community-Based Tourism Centre (CBTC) for the Village of Anlong Thom. This centre, whose objective is to provide additional income to the villagers of the forest community (CPA) through tourism, offers a tourist offer with general information, tours, lunches, local guides and artisanal products. A second CBTC in the village of Popel and financed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Swedish development agency (SIDA) also benefits from TC's expertise, thanks to a person seconded part-time. These projects, still underway in 2021, benefit from the expertise of TC and ADF.
It's all interlinked!
- The support from TC-Frangipani Spa is now mainly focused on the alternative income program (livestock and cultivation activities), with technical support for the 2 Community-Based Tourism Centre and the hygiene and sanitation program.
- All activities supported and initiated with TC and FS are inter-linked and, in many cases complete the activities sponsored by others ADF's donors and project. For exemple, our CBTC supervisor advises both CBTCs (previously funded by UNDP for Popel and by ECM & TDS for Anlong Thom and now by Humy) and also intervenes in our hygiene and sanitation project, funded by Almayuda Fundacion (see Our Sponsors). Our Hygiene and sanitation project in Sangke Lak primary school, initially supported by TC and TDS, was continued and extended to 3 other schools thanks to the support of Almayuda Fondation. Every program we implement in Phnom Kulen are taylored-made, fitting the needs of the situations. This is possible thanks to TC and FS flexibility, and the other donors too yes!
- All the activities undertaken by ADF and supported by TC and Frangipani fit into the local development plan of Khnong Phnom Commune and Svay Leu district. At the national level, activities are also in accordance with the management plan of the Phnom Kulen National Park.