Many rural villages in Siem Reap Province had little to no access to international aid prior to Trailblazer Foundation’s arrival. The result was residents of these villages suffered a high rate of disease, illiteracy and other devastating effects of lack of water, sanitation and food. Being the first to go into these villages where there were no other Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), is a true definition of "trailblazing".

But our definition of trailblazing goes much deeper. Once we arrive within a village we work within the context of the Cambodian and village culture, establishing trust, fostering relationships and supporting the village infrastructure. The villagers identify their greatest challenges and possible solutions, which in turn sets the agenda for Trailblazer projects. We find that clean water, education and community/economic development are high priorities for alleviating poverty and increasing their quality of life in a sustainable manner.

Thirty-six percent of Cambodians live below the poverty line, 20% live below the food-poverty-line and cannot meet the minimum food requirements of 2,100 calories per day. Ninety-one percent of those who live below the food poverty line live in rural areas and spend 65% of their total expenditures on food. *World Food Program Executive Board Report June 2007.

We have found that empowerment and equitable participation of the villagers is key to the success of their sustainable outcomes. Using the success of our work in Sras Village, our pilot model, we are replicating this community-based development model in the surrounding region within Siem Reap Province, touching the lives of thousands.

We pursue projects that emphasize basic needs, health and sanitation, education and vocational training and which use appropriate technologies. As the basic need of water is met, Trailblazer works with village leadership to establish or enhance a village committee structure. These leaders ultimately manage the sustainability of projects without the need for ongoing international aid. We encourage and mentor villagers to develop their own village bank fund, which is a village-run micro-loan program built to foster sustainable economic development. This bottom-up approach gives villagers ownership and pride and leads to permanent success.

All village request-based projects are designed to ensure sustainability in order for Trailblazer (external implementer) to eventually exit the stage and allow the village community (internal activators) to successfully and autonomously continue all endeavors.

Due to flooding and poor quality roads, rural villages are unreachable in the rainy season, July through December. This obstacle creates a period of full separation between the village and NGO except for telecommunication, which is often unreliable. Without any outside assistance, Sras Village is one village in particular that has proven to be fully independent to manage its own community projects. Because of the relatively long duration of this period, the evaluation of village operations after the rainy season helps to illustrate sustainability trends for longer periods to come when Trailblazer has transferred to a role of support-as-needed. As Trailblazers, we are committed to continue expanding into other rural villages in Siem Reap Province and beyond.