Delayed Funding Puts the Squeeze on NGOs

The delayed disbursal of long-anticipated US funding continues to hinder the work of numerous local human rights groups, representatives from several of those organizations said Thursday.

The US Agency for Inter­national Development awarded the East-West Management Institute the contract on Oct 1 to disburse about $3 million in grants for this year, according to EWMI director Jeffrey Falt.

More than seven months later, no contracts have been signed.

Mom Sarin, president of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom for Human Rights Association, said Thursday that his organization had not received any funding since Jan 1 and has cut back its operations dramatically.

“We are facing difficult times,” he said.

Sok Sam Oeun, director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, which provides free legal defense to the vulnerable and poor, said his lawyers have not been paid since January and morale is suffering.

CDP continues to work on open cases, but has had to reject some new ones, he said.

Naly Pilorge, director of Licad­ho, said her organization has managed by reallocating various funds. She said that the EWMI grants, when they come, are to be retroactive, so groups hurting the most should be able to pay back sala­ries.

Falt said that money was provided to sustain groups that expected aid, but only for October through December.

He said more interim funding was considered, but ultimately denied by USAID.

The process of selecting aid recipients has been a long one. Falt said his office has weeded through 60 grant proposals, requested revisions, and narrowed the field to at least eight organizations.

He said those proposals are now waiting for the approval of a regional officer in Bangkok, who has been away from his office but is expected to return soon.

“As soon as he signs them, New York cuts the checks for everybody,” Falt said. “I think we’ve jumped through every hoop now.”

(Additional reporting by Yun Samean)

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