AsiaLIFE

Businesses across the region have suffered from the global recession. This magazine is no exception. As advertising revenue – our only source of revenue – declined, I decided to introduce a US$1 cover charge for the magazine earlier this year. At the time I felt this was the best way to maintain the high standards we have set and develop the project into the future. This move has proved unsuccessful. This month I have decided to remove the cover charge and make AsiaLIFE a free magazine once more. Normal service will be resumed. I confidently predict that it will be as hard to find a copy of AsiaLIFE at the end of the month as it has been for the previous two years. If you do find it impossible to find your essential guide to life in the Penh then email me at the email address at the bottom of this column and I will arrange for a copy to be delivered free of charge to your home. Those who wish to continue paying US$1 for the magazine, simply put your money in the boxes as previously and we will donate the money collected to a local NGO.

AsiaLIFE is not alone in suffering from the downturn. For many years Cambodia has been a safe haven for NGOs. Evolving from post-conflict reconstruction to development and increasing Cambodian ownership, the sector has seen substantial changes since its inception in 1992. The current economic climate presents a new set of challenges. Donors and governments are reducing their budgets. NGOs are competing for a much smaller piece of pie. This is a situation that is likely to get worse before it gets better, as projected expenditure for 2010 will be fixed at a time of low GDPs and diminished savings. How have the country’s 1,000 or so NGOs adapted to the changing environment? What should they do in the future? In our cover story Nora Lindstrom asks precisely these questions and finds people surprisingly upbeat about the state of NGOs within the kingdom.

Despite the removal of our cover price, I feel confident that AsiaLIFE will grow over the next months and years. Increased coverage of the region is just one of the measures that we will implement as we continue to ensure that AsiaLIFE is your magazine of choice. For all those who told me that the US$1 would not work, I’ll buy you a drink next time I see you, so long as it doesn’t cost more than a dollar.