Background

Cambodia’s poor population is predominantly rural, with nearly 80 per cent relying on subsistence farming that is highly vulnerable to climate variability, economic instability, and household-level shocks. Limited productive assets, market access, and skills constrain poor households’ ability to build sustainable livelihoods, leaving them exposed to recurrent poverty and food insecurity. Addressing these structural vulnerabilities requires an integrated approach that goes beyond short-term assistance to enable durable pathways out of poverty.

The project aims to strengthen institutional capacity at both national and sub-national levels to effectively implement Cambodia’s national Graduation-Based Social Protection (GBSP) programme. By combining income security with livelihood development, the initiative supports poor households to transition from subsistence to self-reliance through structured, time-bound support. Over the project period, 45,000 households—equivalent to approximately 225,000 individuals—will directly benefit from the programme’s interventions.

To achieve its objectives, the project delivers an integrated package of support, including cash assistance to stabilize household consumption, transfers for the acquisition of productive assets, tailored skills development and vocational training aligned with local market opportunities, and individualized coaching and mentoring. Together, these measures enable households to strengthen their livelihoods, build resilience to shocks, and sustainably graduate from poverty within a nationally owned and scalable social protection framework.