As the floodwaters rise around the base of their houses, grandmothers in rural Cambodia are often forced to remain inside looking after their grandchildren. Their own children have either migrated over the border – to the city or to nearby garment factories for work – or they have taken livestock and other family members to higher ground.
Even if they were able to, some of Cambodia’s elderly women fear leaving their houses during a flood, due to insufficient transport, resources or accessibility/privacy of safe areas.
To address issues such as this, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ActionAid Cambodia have been working together under the project ‘Strengthening Climate Information and Early Warning Systems in Cambodia’ (funded by Global Environment Facility-Least Developed Countries Fund) to enhance gender equality in disaster risk reduction.
