Kenneth Kitahata '20

Winter Term 2019

Microlending in Cambodia

Kenneth (‘20) spent WT ‘19 in Battambang, Cambodia volunteering at the NGO HelpAge Cambodia. HelpAge’s mission is to improve the wellbeing of older people, organizing everything from malaria testing to money lending. While Cambodia is a young country, rural elderly have little government support and are increasingly becoming primary caregivers to grandchildren as adults migrate for work. HelpAge is an informal social safety net. Kenneth’s project was to create three brochures about their Cow Bank, Rice Bank, and Revolving Fund to market to foreign donors. The majority of his 4 weeks were spent researching these programs through reviewing HelpAge documents, interviewing staff, and conducting field visits to surrounding villages to speak with program recipients. What began as a project to study microlending became a learning experience in how an NGO provides sustainable long-term care for elderly. Credit access is not the only solution, but a piece in a larger structure of programs including the Cow and Rice Bank. Challenges of food insecurity, social isolation, and poor health are not unique to Cambodia’s elderly, and HelpAge approaches sustainable aging through integrating a number of livelihood programs.