Areas of Operation

Bridges Across Borders is currently working with impoverished and marginalized communities in Phnom Penh and Kep, Takeo and Kompong Speu provinces.

Click on a region to learn about the project

Back to Top

The goal of our community development program is to empower the poor and vulnerable communities we serve and help them to realize their own potential to improve their standard of living. Bridges Across Borders provides support and training to our partner communities to help them solve their problems and realize their development aspirations. We support creative, environmentally sound, local initiatives that improve access to education and vocational training, health care and sanitation, food production and access to clean water, employment opportunities and livelihoods.

Back to Top

BAB Approach to Development

Our approach to development is people-centered, participatory, and focused on the improvement of human wellbeing. It is based on the idea that poor and disempowered communities can build themselves if given sufficient financial and technical support and protection of their basic rights. It is rooted in the fervent belief that communities have the right to development, but that they also have the right to decide for themselves the nature of that development. We believe that every individual has the right to a decent house with security of tenure, education, health care, protection from hunger and malnutrition, and a means of providing for oneself. These are human rights that the Cambodian government is primarily responsible to respect, protect and fulfill. Yet, we also understand that the Cambodian government has limited capacity and resources to fulfill the rights for all of its citizens, and we believe that the international community - particularly those from the wealthiest corners of the planet - also have a responsibility to help ensure that these basic rights are enjoyed equally by human beings everywhere. This is the philosophical foundation of our Community Development Program.

We aim to empower the poor to solve their own problems by helping them to come together as a community to develop their capabilities and realize their potential. We work directly with communities and support community-based human development initiatives. We help build the capacity of local government to improve public services and respond to the needs of its citizens. And we stand together with the Cambodian human rights community to challenge gross violations of economic and social rights like the exploitation of children and illegal forced evictions

Back to Top

Article of Interest:

“Development in the Era of Privatization: Fifteen Years On” by David Pred

Back to Top