STORIES FROM EWMI’s PILOT COMMUNITY LAND DOCUMENTATION PROGRAMS
In a survey of 150 households in Doung Chrom Village in the province of Pursat in September 2009, 105 households had no land documents whatsoever. Only 20 had land sale or purchase papers, and only two had official certificates showing legal ownership.
Less than a year later, even though the government has not begun issuing land titles in this area as part of its national titling scheme, things have changed in Doung Chrom Village.
As the result of an East West Management Institute (EWMI) partnership with local authorities, local NGOs and community volunteers, villagers have taken action to document their land ownership and protect their rights:
- Village officials have a map showing owners of all residential land, following an interactive process involving all villagers, as well as a comprehensive document showing all land owners.
- Each household has a booklet describing their land, photographs of all land-related and other official family documents, and a photo of the family in front of their house.
- Villagers who used to store their important papers in the thatch walls of their houses – leaving them vulnerable to water damage and other hazards -- now keep their land documents encased in plastic or in boxes.
- Village Chief Tev Saroun reports a sharp increase in the number of people asking him to witness land transactions, which creates a stronger paper trail reflecting land ownership. In contrast to the past, when he received less than one request each year, he witnessed several transactions in the past few months.
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