We’re very sad to report that 75 families have been notified that they have to leave their homes. The land, occupied by the residents of Otres for 20 years, has been sold to developers.
Many of the families are very poor and settled here after the war, creating a new community, supporting each other.
Since then, a village has developed around them, the tourist industry has grown and now their farmland and homesteads are on valuable real estate.
In response, Shine has surveyed those affected and is providing assistance to those most in need. Without help, many would be forced to move kilometres away to other provinces, where they’d have no access to education, medical facilities or markets.
We have started by renting a plot of land to relocate families. The land has been secured for 3 years, thanks to donations coming in to help us deal with this unexpected event. The Cambodian people are moving their houses, replacing materials and are starting again on land near to the pagoda, where Shine is based.
This means that a 3 year plan needs devising to create a sustainable and safe community and future, in light of this move.
The families have moved away from the footfall and traffic of the main road, thus losing the customers of their home businesses. There are many problems faced. We will work carefully, with the people, to find the best solutions that we can.