- Health & Wellbeing ·
Reducing Poverty and Inequality in Urban Cambodia
From Slums to dignity in Urbam Cambodia
- Asia
- hello@actionchange.org
Project Summary
Project Challenge
Project Solution
Impact
Reports
Project Summary
Regeneration is the aim of this project. In Phnom Penh there is around 300 informal settlements where people have made their home and have a lack of water and sanitation. Although Cambodia is one of the fastest growing economies the country remains one of the most least developed. A problem we can’t tackle alone, partnered with University of New South Wales we are able to access their resources to help build up resilience from the bottom, using their support for research to build a better slum
Project Challenge
Cambodia continues to have a serious infrastructure gap. Water, sanitation, roads and solid waste management are among the most critical services in need of improvement. And lack of access to year-round all-weather roads impacts food value-chains and access to health, education and other public services. This project has partnered with key academics from UNSW to help educated, empower and inspire the local community leaders to build resilience from the ground up.
Project Solution
Working with the community we will conduct vital research to ensure we explore all opportunities and options with the community and with our guidance they will choose the best structure to tackle the current crisis they face. Upon agreeing a plan we will use the funds that we raise to help the community transform their own community and rebuild a resilient and safe community that will be sustainable long term and ensure it provides safe water and sanitation to help fight the poverty gap
Impact
Long term this research will be used to transform all current poverty slums across Cambodia and help living conditions keep up with the economic growth of the country.
Reports
Project Report | Mar 27, 2026
Plans Are Only Plans And it’s OK to Change
By Tyrone Bennett | CEO of Action Change
Hello to our Faithful Cambodia Supporters,
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over 20 years of Action Change, it’s that the best-laid plans often need a reality check. I’m reaching out because we’ve hit a significant fork in the road with our work in Cambodia, and I want to tell you exactly how we’re pivoting to stay on track.
In my last update, I was buzzing about those university partnerships. But as the world turns, things change—funding shifts in the USA and a “pause” from the UK mean those big institutional backups are off the table for now.
So, what now? We go back to our roots. We aren’t waiting for a 2027 “maybe.” We are rolling up our sleeves and doing this the way we’ve always done it: person-to-person, community-to-community. The gap we’re fighting hasn’t changed—when a family earns $140 but needs $240 just to survive, they don’t have time for us to wait on a university contract. They need us now.
The “Re-Design” Mission Over the next three months, we are stripping this project down to its core to make sure every single dollar you give is doing the most work possible. Our goals haven’t shifted, just our tactics:
The Food Gap: We’ve only managed 4 school food runs recently. My goal for this re-design is to get back to 10. For just $100, we can feed 60 children for over a month.
The Clinic: We are restocking basic medical supplies to keep the local community healthy and working.
The Clean Water Goal: Our blueprints are ready; we are just waiting for the funds to unlock safe water for our schools.
Thank you for being the backbone of this project and for sticking with us through every twist and turn!
Regeneration is the aim of this project. In Phnom Penh there is around 300 informal settlements where people have made their home and have a lack of water and sanitation. Although Cambodia is one of the fastest growing economies the country remains one of the most least developed. A problem we can’t tackle alone, partnered with University of New South Wales we are able to access their resources to help build up resilience from the bottom, using their support for research to build a better slum
Cambodia continues to have a serious infrastructure gap. Water, sanitation, roads and solid waste management are among the most critical services in need of improvement. And lack of access to year-round all-weather roads impacts food value-chains and access to health, education and other public services. This project has partnered with key academics from UNSW to help educated, empower and inspire the local community leaders to build resilience from the ground up.
Working with the community we will conduct vital research to ensure we explore all opportunities and options with the community and with our guidance they will choose the best structure to tackle the current crisis they face. Upon agreeing a plan we will use the funds that we raise to help the community transform their own community and rebuild a resilient and safe community that will be sustainable long term and ensure it provides safe water and sanitation to help fight the poverty gap
Long term this research will be used to transform all current poverty slums across Cambodia and help living conditions keep up with the economic growth of the country.
Project Report | Mar 27, 2026
Plans Are Only Plans And it’s OK to Change
By Tyrone Bennett | CEO of Action Change
Hello to our Faithful Cambodia Supporters,
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over 20 years of Action Change, it’s that the best-laid plans often need a reality check. I’m reaching out because we’ve hit a significant fork in the road with our work in Cambodia, and I want to tell you exactly how we’re pivoting to stay on track.
In my last update, I was buzzing about those university partnerships. But as the world turns, things change—funding shifts in the USA and a “pause” from the UK mean those big institutional backups are off the table for now.
So, what now? We go back to our roots. We aren’t waiting for a 2027 “maybe.” We are rolling up our sleeves and doing this the way we’ve always done it: person-to-person, community-to-community. The gap we’re fighting hasn’t changed—when a family earns $140 but needs $240 just to survive, they don’t have time for us to wait on a university contract. They need us now.
The “Re-Design” Mission Over the next three months, we are stripping this project down to its core to make sure every single dollar you give is doing the most work possible. Our goals haven’t shifted, just our tactics:
The Food Gap: We’ve only managed 4 school food runs recently. My goal for this re-design is to get back to 10. For just $100, we can feed 60 children for over a month.
The Clinic: We are restocking basic medical supplies to keep the local community healthy and working.
The Clean Water Goal: Our blueprints are ready; we are just waiting for the funds to unlock safe water for our schools.
Thank you for being the backbone of this project and for sticking with us through every twist and turn!
