The People are Suffering
Cambodia continues to be one of the poorest countries in the world. It continues to struggle with corruption, poverty, crimes and disease.
In 2007, the statistics of Cambodia show the following:
• At least 40% of the population lives below the national poverty line
• 34% of the population makes less than $1 a day
• 78% of the population lives on less than $2 a day
• Life expectancy is only 57 years old
• 59% of the population does not have access to safe water
• 83% of the population does not have adequate sanitation
• Disease is highest in all of Asia (prevalence of Aids is 1.6%)
• Access to health care is limited to those that can pay for service
• The infant mortality rate is 98 per 1,000 live births
• The under 5 mortality rate is 143 per 1,000 live births
• Vaccine-preventable diseases, diarrhea and respiratory infections are among the leading cause of childhood death. Maternal mortality is also high.
• 35% of children are not immunized for polio, measles or Diphtheria
• Malnutrition affects most Cambodian children - 45% of children under 5 are moderately to severely underweight
• Primary school enrolment rates are high. But, so many children repeat grades that it takes on average more than 10 years to complete primary school. Less than half of all students complete primary school.
• 26% of children enroll in secondary school
• Accidental death, for example as a result of traffic accidents or drowning, is a serious threat to children in Cambodia.
• Landmines still pose a grave hazard for internally migrating children and youth who attempt to salvage unexploded ordnance and sell it as valuable scrap metal.
• In 2005, a study of Non Governmental Organizations concluded that less than 25% of the money raised to help Cambodians actually reached the people whom needed it most. The rest disappeared.
Source:
UNICEF, 2007
World Health Organization, 2007
CIA World Factbook, 2007
Video Link:
4:07 Small Voices: stories of Cambodia’s Children
