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Samlaut District of Battambang Province is the most war-torn area of
Cambodia. Its population consists entirely of returnees and Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs), who lived under the rule of the Khmer Rouge
for nearly 30 years, only to be driven from their homes by fighting
after the coup d’etat of 1997, and their children. Samlaut has the
highest percentage of landmine victims and other destitute families in
Cambodia. These vulnerable families, many of them in desperate need of
support, are the focus of CVD's work. |
The current CVD projects are:
-
Empowerment through Entrepreneurship
(funded by Child at Venture)
- Promoting Civil Society Transformation (PCST) amongst children based in Pailin Municipality
(funded by Terre des Hommes – Germany)
- Anti-Child Trafficking
(funded by Terre des Hommes – Netherlands)
- Promoting Civil Society Transformation at Village Level
(funded by Terre des Hommes – Netherlands)
- Skills Training Center for Disabled Children
(funded by Terre des Hommes – Netherlands)
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Social Service and Education Assistance
(funded by Private Sectors - Katja Boll and Friends)
Former projects:
- Maddox Jolie Project
(funded by Angelina Jolie)
- Focused HIV/AIDS Prevention on Indirect Sex Worker
(funded by Khmer HIV/AIDS Alliance (Khana) – FPP)
Project proposals:
CVD is currently looking for funding for 3 projects.
- Drug Awareness
Drug addiction is becoming one of the biggest problems that teenagers face in many countries
around the world. In Cambodia thousands of school children are facing this threat as well.
Many will become addicted if no proper measures are taken.
- Community Forestry
This project will contribute to livelihoods improvement through sustainable agricultural
development and efficient forest resource management in 3 villages in Samlaut District.
- Vocational Skills Training Center for Disabled Children
CVD is looking for a one-off grant for the construction of buildings for the Vocational Skills
Training Center for Disabled Children.
1. Funded by Child at Venture
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Project Title: |
Empowerment through Entrepreneurship |
| Main goal : |
The mission of C&C Company is to improve the living conditions of young disabled people by delivering employment so they can build up savings, education and work experience and will be considered to be a confident and valuable economic factor to their family and to society. |
| The product : |
We are producers of marketable, medium and high quality clothes and bags which are produced in morally high standard working conditions. |
| The market : |
At the very beginning stage, we only start with assembling clothes that were produced by a local Thai company. This product will only be marketed to the local Thai private groups. Starting from assembling a ready cut clothes, we will move to a medium quality product with 30% of our labour to supply to the local market (in Cambodia) such as provincial town and Thai-Cambodian boarder market.From the experience of medium quality production, we will increase the number of labours from 30% to 50% of medium quality which will serve the local market. At the same time, starting from 2009, we will look into allocating 20% of our labour to produce high quality products which aim to serve abroad market include, Australia, Europe, and/or American markets. |
2. Funded by Terre des Hommes – Germany
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Project Title: |
Promoting Civil Society Transformation (PCST) amongst children based in Pailin Municipality |
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Project Goal: |
To contribute to poverty reduction of the remote populations through education,
livelihood improvement, and promotion of democratic civil society transformation
at village level |
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Project Objectives: |
Objective I: Encourage the participation of children in democratic civil
society interaction among clubs and project supported temporary schools are
incorporate with government structures at village level.
Objective II: Promote attitudinal development among villagers, particularly
within village associations/clubs in order to lead to positive change.
Objective III: Strengthening capacity of associations/clubs in resource
mobility and management of groups/clubs' small-scale community-based management
to address basic needs, including food security, social welfare and infrastructure
rehabilitation. |
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Project Rationale: |
Pailin, located 375 kilometers northwest of the capital of Cambodia, is the smallest
municipality and famous for the precious gem-mine stones and fruits farms. Before the
war, 1975, the people of this city had a high standard of living conditions. The city
presently consists of two Khans (districts), 8 Sangkats (communes), and 83 villages.
The total land is 109.866 square kilometers, of which 33.000 hectares is agricultural
land while the others are mountains and forests. Approximately 95% of the total
population of 41.284 persons are farmers whose lives depend on planting corn, rice,
sesame, soy bean and digging stones etc.
Since it is a mountainous area, the plants are relying completely on rain. In the
previous years, from 2000–2004 and the beginning of 2005, most of the areas of Pailin
were affected by drought. At least 80% of the total population faced food shortage,
especially the migrants who have no farmland. A direct result of the poverty and
breakdown of society caused lots of people in this area to become the most vulnerable.
They are frequently forced to leave homes to work in Thailand. Many children stay
illiterate because the parents are poor, cannot afford to pay for a higher level of
education and the school facilities do not respond to the increasing numbers of children
in the areas. Instead of going to school, the children have to work beyond their physical
strength or ability to assist their parents in earning an income. The lives of people who
have no farmland depends on selling their labor to others in the villages to assist in
harvesting corn, sesame and soybean - just to live from hand to mouth. Some people take
risks and cross the border to work in Thailand as construction workers or other workers
in order to make money. |
Click here for more details
3. Funded by Terre des Hommes – Netherlands
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Project Title: |
Anti-Child Trafficking Project in Cambodia |
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Location: |
Battambang Province and Pailin Municipality |
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Project Goal: |
Stop and Minimize Child Trafficking in Cambodia |
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Project Objectives: |
- To raise awareness and disseminate trafficking information to at-risk people/children in targeted areas.
- Improve the local leaders’ understanding and involve them in the prevention measures.
- Provide direct assistance to at-risk and/or victims of trafficking.
- Strengthen law enforcement.
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Project Beneficiaries: |
Primary beneficiary:
- Children in school, children not attending school and their families who are at risk of being trafficked
- Village people
Second beneficiary:
- Community Leaders, village chiefs, police
- School teachers, school directors and other related NGOs
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Project Rationale: |
Trafficking in human being is one of the most sinister problems that the world community has to
face in the new millennium. Fed by a global system that allows millions of people to live in
abject poverty, trafficking cheapens human life until it is reduced to a saleable community. The
buying and selling of human beings in Cambodia is an increasing problem that demands answer and
assistance from every level of the society.
Trafficking in Cambodia and the South East Asia region is based around the movement of people
into lowly paid and socially undesirable jobs, predominantly in the sexual industry, but also
in construction, domestic service, and begging rings.
Prior to 1990, Cambodian society has very little or none knowledge of the problem of trafficking,
particularly of the sexual exploitation matter. Trafficking of Vietnamese girls for prostitution
in Cambodia is due to the relaxation of border controls. Cambodia is a destination and transit
country for young girls, who are trafficked from Vietnam. This phenomenon started after 1993
when Cambodian borders were opened in response to the new market economy. However, the exact of
Justice estimates that at lease 100,000 Vietnamese have been forced to work (sexual service worker)
in Cambodian brothel. Some of these victims are subsequently trafficked to Thailand and other
countries for sexual purpose.
According to the Human Rights Commission of the National Assembly, 18% of women and girls
prostitutes in Cambodia are Vietnamese; while the Center for Protection of Children Rights (CCPCR)
estimates that 35% are from Vietnam. The ILO estimates that at least 3,000 women and girls from
southern Vietnam have been trafficked to the country to work as prostitutes, with more than 15%
being younger than 15 years of age in 1998. After Cambodians, the Vietnamese make up the largest
group of women prostitutes in Cambodia. Most of these Vietnamese girls, know little about
trafficking, and have been taken from poor families and trafficked across the southern border with
Cambodia with offers of high paying jobs or simply sold by their parents.
These young Vietnamese victims are usually first enslaved in a brothel area, called Svay Pak which
is about 11km north of Phnom Penh city, before being resold to the other tourist cities such as Siem
Reap, Sihanouk ville, Koh Kong, Battambang and Bantey Meanchey. Svay Pak has the largest number of
Vietnamese girls, as they appeal more to foreigner tourists than Cambodian girls.
The increase of the amount of the number of trafficked women and girls illustrated of the fact that
trafficking is a lucrative business in Cambodia. It makes around millions of US Dollars annually. It
estimated that approximately 88,000 Cambodians work in Thailand as bounded laborers at any given time.
Many girls are exploited in the sexual industry while some young children and elderly are employed as
beggars. Annually, around 30,000 women and girls are trafficked to neighboring countries, especially
Thailand and premises to Malaysia, Singapore and/or even to Hong Kong and middle east countries. Women
and girls, particularly those in rural areas, are the most likely to become victims of trafficking. |
4. Funded by Terre des Hommes – Netherlands
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Project Title: |
Promoting Civil Society Transformation at Village Level |
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Project Goal: |
To build the foundation elements of civil society through the
promotion of formal and informal community-based groups/associations
in order that social justice, equitable rights, and sustainable
development can occur at the village level. |
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Project Objectives: |
The project aims at encouraging villagers’ participation, competence,
independence, reintegration, ownership and self-reflective. Raising
the social awareness and confidence of people will lead to attitudinal
and behavioral changes. |
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Project Rationale: |
Cambodia's population has been defectively influenced by political
instability for decades and this problem still continued. Under these
circumstances, social structures and civil norms are seriously and
negatively affected. In August 27th 2003, the parliamentary general
election took place, but until today there are no signs of political
compromised and power-shared among the parties to establish a new
government. This political regime looks set to continue. The traditional
high-powered dominating administration regime in Cambodia will continue
to overlook human rights violation, domestic violence, trafficking, child
abuse and social disorders.
In a country accustomed to autocratic and highly centralized authorities
there are no inherent expectations of participation by the people – either
on part of the authorities and even less on part of individual citizens.
Traditional patronage management has conditioned the people to look to
their superiors for instruction, advice, support and favors. Personal
initiative is not encouraged. The current political stands of Cambodian
policy contribute to dominant structures which lead to distrust and fear
of political exploitation. However, individuals have the possibility of
developing relationships with institutions not completely subjected to
state control, but require an opportunity for developing a lively civil
society. Villagers need to look at themselves differently after years of
socialist regimes have left them with a perception of themselves that is
at odds with taking charge of their own development. There is a need to
increase people’s sense of self-worth and confidence in their own ability
and community. |
5. Funded by Terre des Hommes – Netherlands
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Project Title: |
Skills Training Center for Disabled Children |
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Project Goal: |
The disabled children and families will be able to generate income from
skills learnt, so that they can live with hope, self-confidence and will
be accepted by their community. |
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Project Objectives: |
To provide appropriate skills to disabled children in order to attain
self-sufficiency and economic status of the family of the target children. |
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Project Rationale: |
There is already ample assistance by NGO’s in Cambodia for landmine victims,
blind and deaf but somehow the polio victims slip through the net. In fact,
there is a higher number of children with this disability in the area. In
Cambodian culture, disabled people are socially discriminated against, so it
almost impossible for these children to earn a living without any appropriate
skills.
We have identified a number of skills which would be suitable to train these
children. These include: horticulture, electronics, hairdressing, dressmaking,
small business skills and basic literacy will be made available where necessary.
Additional skills will be included according to the needs in their villages and
the desires of the beneficiaries.
Besides the direct assistance for the disabled children, the project’s aim is
also to improve the living conditions of their family where necessary. This help
will include small asset loans, agriculture revolving fund, cow and seed banks,
land clearing and other necessary support to increase their economic conditions. |
Click here for more details.
6. Funded by Katja Boll and Friends
| Project Title: |
Social Service and Education Assistance |
| Project Goal: |
Addressing the primary need of the children in Kampong Touk village |
| Project Objectives: |
The village Kampong Touk is located around 25 kilometers North-west of Samlaut District Head quarter. There are 107 families (485 persons) living in this village. 100% of villagers are farmers, whose lives rely fully on seasonal crops plantation such as sesame, soy bean, peanut and mainly rice.
There are no public infrastructure, health center, temple, clean drinking water and education facility in this village. More than 100 children who reached school age are illiterate; only a few (above 10 years old boys) can travel to public school, which is located approx. 8 km away from their village, on the very bad and muddy road. Small children (7 - 9 years old) cannot go to this school as the distance is too far to walk.
CVD decided to start assessing for primary need of the children in Kampong Touk village.
First meeting conducted by CVD field staff was held on 28th September 2005. This initial meeting was to personally meet and discuss with local authorities to identify exact needs and demands related to children and to follow up on requests that were raised during our meeting in previous months. The participants mentioned the need for school construction for children in this village. The actual following was to find out how much the villagers will contribute and what are the interests of the villagers in participating in the process to build a school for their children.
Second meeting was held on 12th October 2005, by Project Manager with the villagers and local authorities to identify village volunteers and set up a school facilitation group in collecting resources for school construction. We found a group of villagers and organized them to work in team for mobilizing the resources within their village.
On 19th October 2005 CVD staff held a meeting with village head and most villagers (some of them went out to farm) of Kampong Touk village, Mean Chey Commune, Samlaut District, Battambang Province. The meeting was to review the contribution of the villagers to help with the building. We found out that the timbers, land and bamboo for school construction were already in place. During the meeting the villagers presented their collections to the meeting as the following:
The school will be a one classroom school, size 5 meters x 7 meters.
The school will be made of wood and bamboo structures
It will be walled with bamboo
Wooden column
Zinc roof
Dirt-floor
Very basic table made of bamboo and wooden frame
CVD presented details on the contributions that will be assigned for this school construction and share in school running cost.
CVD got the kind donations of the total sum $ 460. The plan to spend this money are as following:
US $ 175 for zinc (for roof)
US $ 240 for teachers ($20 per month x 12 months)
US $ 45 for tables (very basic made) and black board
The above expenses were based on resources availability which we obtained from donations. Therefore, the physical constructions of school, timbers for the structure, tables and frames are fully contributed. The fee for teacher was not fully paid. The given stipend was based on voluntary wage and the availability of resources. We will identify additional money for covering the teacher wages, so that he can receive at least $ 50/month, if he has to teach full time (morning and afternoon).
In these above expenses we cannot cover school kits/supplies i.e. uniforms, bags, writing materials such as slate, chalk etc. for approximately 40 students of grade 1.
Based on the latest meeting with villagers, they asked us to support grade 2 as well. There are approximately 30 students that need to continue education within the village.
On 28th October 2005 the school building was commenced. This new building will be completed by first week of November 2005. Hopefully, the class can start by then. The new scholastic year started on October 1st 2005; therefore, there will be a one-month delay for these children in enrolling the course. The delaying time will not be a problem as the teacher will be paid to compensate the teaching time during a public school holiday.
Community contribution:
Wood for school construction
Labor (they all will work together to build this small wooden school).
Managing the construction process
Managing the ongoing school activities (follow up the teacher)
Please note that this school needs to be divided into two classes, grade 1 and grade 2, taught by only one teacher, grade 1 in the morning and grade 2 in the afternoon. The quality of the education may be limited because we have limited resources, but we can at least help the children to learn to read and write. We expect that at least 70 children enroll for the classes within this scholastic year.
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Former projects
1. Funded by Angelina Jolie
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Project Title: |
Maddox Jolie Project (MJP) |
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Project Goal: |
The overall goal of this project is to protect and rehabilitate the
wildlife, eco-system and watershed conservation values of the Samlaut
Multiple Use Area, Battambang Province. |
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Project Objectives: |
The objectives of this project over the initial three-year period are
therefore to:
- Protect and rehabilitate the wildlife, eco-system inside Samlaut
Protect Area
- Benefit the communities around the Samlaut Protected Area
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Project Rationale: |
Cambodia has had a long history in protected area development. By the
time of independence in 1957 over two million hectares of Cambodia’s
forest was designated as either wildlife sanctuary or forest protection
reserves. The subsequent intervention of political insecurity, war, and
political isolation resulted in the neglect of these reserves. However,
the re-establishment of protected areas has become an integral part of
Cambodia’s national rehabilitation since the beginning of the post-war
period. A key aspect of this development has been efforts to provide for
nature conservation and wildlife protection. This includes the designation
of 23 separate protected areas by Royal Decree in November 1993.
The Samlaut Multiple-Use Management Area is one of these. Located on the
Cambodian – Thai border within an isolated portion of far western Cambodia,
it has a total area of approximately 60,000 hectares. About 39,000 ha. lie
within the municipality of Pailin whilst the remaining 21,000 ha. lie within
Samlaut district of Battambang province. Its boundaries follow old road
alignments, some of which have been maintained in trafficable condition
and river and stream courses. The reserve was therefore designated as a
multiple-use management area because of concerns that the inevitability of
industrialized gemstone mining would lead to the substantive degradation of
its nature conservation values. |
Click here
to read the article "Tree Oil Vats Dismantled".
Click here to
read the article "Call for Deforestation Stop".
Click here for
photos from the signing of the MOU (Memorandum Of Understanding) with the Ministry
of Environment.
2 Funded by Khmer HIV/AIDS Alliance (Khana) – FPP
| Project Title: |
Focused HIV/AIDS Prevention on Indirect Sex Worker |
| Project Goal: |
Contribute to a reduction of HIV/AIDS-STI epidemic diseasing within
Battambang Operational District. |
| Project Objectives: |
- To reach high number of key populations consisting of 450
IDSWs living in 7 health centers under Battambang operational
district from September 2004 to August 2005 (cluster 2);
To promote key population in taking the lead of various
advocacy and leadership activities by working closely with 20
peer facilitators and outreach worker, 188 indirect sex workers
living in 7 health centers under one administrative districts,
Battambang operational district from September 2004 to August
2005 (Cluster 3)
To assist key populations consisting of 100 IDSWs living in 7
health centers under one administrative districts, Battambang
operational district to strengthen solidarity and mutual support
while maintaining their cultural values from September 2004 to
August 2005; (Cluster 4)
To assist key populations consisting of 11 peer facilitators and
250 IDSWs living in 7 health centers under one administrative
districts, Battambang operational district to improve skills in
risk reduction for HIV and STI transmission from September 2004
to August 2005; (Cluster 5)
To assist key populations consisting of 5 peer facilitators and
outreach workers living in 7 health centers under one administrative
districts, Battambang operational district to develop and disseminate
target-specific IEC materials; which address their need and interest
from September 2004 to August 2005 (Cluster 6)
- To raise awareness on HIV/AIDS, STIs and reduce stigma and
discrimination among general public in order to reduce discrimination
against key populations by working closely 5000 general population
living in 96 health centers under 13 administrative districts,
Battambang province.from September 2004 to August 2005 (Cluster 8)
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| Project Rationale: |
Battambang province is on the far northwest border to Thailand.
Battambang is a drop-in point for businessmen traders back paint
packers from over the world. Battambang town itself populated
over 1.5 million. The civilization and modernity of
Battambang economic has also growth along so many Karaoke parlors,
Beer gardens, Restaurants, Brothels, Nightclubs, Massages-houses,
and recreation sites in this township. Thus the level of risk of
HIV/AIDS transmission in Battambang is also high. Based on an
informal assessment to Karaoke parlors and Beer gardens, Restaurants
the findings show that there were at least 70% of sexual providers
and lured from this type of place. The assessment also reveals that
at least 25% of the Beer girls and 15% of the Karaoke girls find
their new sexual partners at their workplace and they will change
their partner routinely from one night to another. The extension
of entertainment sites are still increasing, thus the risk of
HIV/AIDS-STI will evidently be added, if there is no proper precaution
taken on an appropriate manner toward the prevention and awareness. |
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