The Urban Poor Development Fund in Cambodia: supporting local and citywide development

Abstract

Following the Pol Pot era in Cambodia, the high levels of poverty, rapid urban growth and low level of community organization were exacerbated by an absence of government support for the poor. The Urban Poor Development Fund (UPDF) was established in 1998 to provide support to a growing number of community-based savings groups. It provides loans and grants for land acquisition, upgrading, house building, income generation and food production, but also gives community savings groups the chance to improve their knowledge, their confidence and their capacity; most critically, it supports them to develop better relations with government agencies. By April 2008, 122 communities in Phnom Penh and 44 communities in 11 other cities had received support — more than 22,000 households in total.