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| Here are some recent project highlights... Mobilizing community resources: For several years, communities in Kompong Thom have been working to protect the forests on which they depend. This year, for the first time, several villages began to collect money to pay for patrolling expenses. Community financial management: The village bank in Anchanh Rung village functions well and people trust it. The committee members have clearly divided roles and understand financial management. People borrow and repay properly, and interest is building up. There is a high level of participation, more people want to join, and people can borrow to support their businesses.
The self help group in Preik Sangke village in Sihanoukville province was established and began saving money in 2005. It has 12 members who were among the poorest women in the village at that time. Members’ savings have now grown to 1.8 million riels ($440) and members are able to borrow from the group for their own businesses. In 2008 the group built up its fund by using some of its money to buy rice at harvest time when the price was low and resell later when the price went up. Later, the group decided to buy husked rice to sell every day in the village. By the end of the year, with this income the group’s total funds were 2 million riels.
Members are helping each other in numerous ways, participating actively in community activities, and making long term goals. They protect natural resources, report on stop fisheries violations, advocate on land disputes, and are participating in women’s networks in their village and commune. They have helped to resolve cases of domestic violence in the village, and they encourage families whose children had dropped out of school to put them back in school. Community organizing: One of the partner NGOs has been conducting community organizing in an indigenous community in Siem Reap since 2006. The community now plans and implements activities on its own. This has been achieved through linking different groups within the community together in a village network. This network has elected leaders who are recognized by local authorities.
The network includes a women’s group that educates women in the village and coordinates activities related to the women’s interests. The group has organized savings activities, planted household vegetable gardens, and raised livestock. Women in the village understand their rights, know how to use them, and participate more fully in community activities.
Other groups include patrol teams that protect community forestry and fisheries conservation areas. A youth group helps to mobilize people to participate in community activities, and works to eliminate gangs and the use of drugs. The group helps to get children involved in protecting natural resources – for example, when they are tending cattle and see someone using illegal fishing equipment or fishing in a restricted area, they can report the violations to community leaders so they can take appropriate action.
When group members get new information or experience, they share it with other members of the group. Once every month or two, leaders of all the groups meet together with other community leaders to follow up implementation of community initiatives, discuss concerns, and make plans for future work of the community. In implementing initiatives, the community tries to reach agreement and promote cooperation among different sectors of the community. The community has also linked with nearby villages to share information and help each other protect their common interests. Protecting natural resources: A community in Kompong Thom province, supported by one of our partner NGOs, was angry that five families from another province had moved in and started clearing the forest on which the community depended. The entire community went to meet the families and make them promise to stop, and return back to their own province. The land clearing has stopped.
Students club: Members of the students club in Kampot help each other, especially those who are struggling more in school, or those who don’t have money to pay for private classes. Some of the students tutor others. They have pooled their money to help buy bicycles for two of the club members. They have also helped students who want to drop out of school to stay in school (whether or not they are in the club) – by talking to their parents and neighbors. The students have also tried (unsuccessfully) to get bad teachers replaced – they went and complained to the school director. One student in particular devotes a large amount of time to helping other students. He is also interested in social issues, and talks to his teachers about mining, logging, the environment, etc. They have told him that he shouldn’t “think too far in the future,” but he replied that “if you teachers don’t think about these resources today, what good will it do me to study hard? Cambodia’s natural resources will all be gone by the time I have finished school.”
Organizational management of partner NGOs: One of our partner NGOs had serious problems with time management, and staff members were unclear about their roles. This resulted in too much work being given to one person (the program manager) and everyone spending too little time in communities. The SADP partnership team facilitated the NGO in developing job descriptions for all of the staff and monthly work schedules that properly balanced work in the office with work in the communities. The result has been much greater efficiency and a feeling by all staff that they understand their own jobs much better. This year, we worked with four partner NGOs to: - Help them improve their skills in community organizing – to organize community groups, promote collective leadership within communities, increase participation of women and the poor, mobilize youth to participate in community activities, and help communities and community groups analyze their problems and plan activities to solve them.
- Help communities improve their management of funds they have built up, in both rice and cash.
- Facilitate communities and community groups in planning and implementing their own initiatives, and providing support - one bridge, three community wells, one school, and one flood dike, and supported community patrolling in one district and support to a community fisheries and community forests in two other districts. In one village we helped support a community teacher, teaching first and second grade students.
- Provided support to 110 students at junior high, high school, and university level to help them continue in school.
- Help them improve their management and make their financial management more efficient.
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