m

Land i n es

Isolati on

Developing
in Sight

Reflection

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE

CAMBODIA Leadership
 WHO WE ARE

INSIDE
 Message From our Country Representative 4
 Village-based Development
 How We Work 6
 Where We Work 8
Church World Service (CWS) was one of the 1st Why We Work
 10
humanitarian organizations to arrive in Cambodia
after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, in 1979. Since  Mine Clearance 12
then, we have been carefully developing and
implementing made-in-Cambodia solutions  Peace Building 15
tailored to the specific needs of the country’s  Water and Sanitation
most vulnerable people, mainly the rural poor.
Often they are landless, disabled, or single  Saving Lives 18
parents, while even those with land can grow
 Testing the Water 21
only enough rice to feed their families for 5 to 7
months of the year – if the harvest is good.  Developing Partners

We constantly adapt and fine-tune our programs  Lending a Hand 24

to fit Cambodia’s rapidly changing needs.
 The Border 26
The depth of our experience, the swiftness of
our ability to respond and the diversity of our  Emergency Appeal 29
partnerships allow us to implement sustainable
and effective programs that spark community-led  Our Focus 30
development, very often in remote villages where
no other international NGO has a presence.

The expertise acquired by our staff makes us

uniquely qualified to enhance the technical and Oddar Meanchey

institutional capacity of Cambodian NGOs,

Preah Vihear
community-based organizations and local
Bantey Meanchey
government agencies. We have 75 staff working
at our headquarters in Phnom Penh and in 6 Siem Reap

of Cambodia’s poorest provinces: Banteay Battambang

Meanchey, Battambang, Kompong Thom, Oddar Pailin
Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Svay Rieng.
Kompong Thom

VIETNAM

LAOS

SOUTH
CHINA
SEA

Phnom Penh
THAILAND

Svay Rieng
CAMBODIA
Text & Design: CWS Cambodia, Write Away Design & Editing All photographs were taken with prior
consent. Consent of parents was obtained GULF
Photos: CWS staff prior to photographing children. CWS would OF THAILAND
Dhammayietra (cover, 2nd from bottom, page 16) like to thank the individuals, communities and
write_away@soon.com MAG (top cover, pages 13-15), ICSO (page 24) partners whose stories inspired this report.
Ryan Plummer (page 4), Peter Harris (page 5)

Developing in Sight 3
 MESSAGE FROM OUR COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE
A “Some villagers, alarmed by the
lmost 30 years after our arrival in Cambodia,
CWS continues to work in villages where no
other international NGO has a presence.
Very often these villages are extremely isolated, lack
the most basic infrastructure and have experienced
a severe breakdown in community solidarity. Their
remoteness also makes access difficult under the best
of circumstances, and during the rainy season it can
take our fieldworkers several hours to reach a village.
Still, our work is specifically tailored to each village
and the most vulnerable households; we do not offer
blanket solutions because there are none. Even villages
in the same commune often experience very different
problems: one may face drought (Beng) while another
just a few miles away has to cope with seasonal
flooding (Boeng Khvaek).
Intimate knowledge of each village is essential. This is
why our fieldworkers, as well as those of our partners,
live part time in the villages where we work, sleeping a
few nights a week in the homes of residents.
This is the first step: building relationships with
residents and experiencing firsthand the problems they
face, as well as – and this is equally vital – seeing their
potential.
This connection with the people we work with ensures
that the assistance we provide goes where it is most
needed, and that it produces sustainable results. At the
same time, it ensures that we are seen as partners in
development rather than dispensers of aid.
Our goal is to help create the social infrastructure
that facilitates community-led development: Village
Development Committees, Health and Peace
Volunteers, Self Help Groups, and enhanced links to
Commune Councils, for example. This takes time, skill
and a very deep level of commitment.
Everywhere we go we continue to encounter the same
resourcefulness, courage and determination that are
fueling Cambodia’s remarkable recovery from decades
of war and civil conflict.
We strive to direct this “human resourcefulness” to
effective and sustainable development that elevates the
needs of the absolute poor to the top of the agenda.
This approach has had very inspiring results. For
example, members of the most vulnerable households
4 Developing in Sight
“We strive to direct this ‘human
resourcefulness’ to effective and
sustainable development that elevates
the needs of the absolute poor to the
top of the agenda.“
have used the skills, confidence and experience they
acquired in Self Help Groups, Rice Banks and Village
Development Committees to win election to Commune
Councils. Those who had been isolated in absolute
poverty are now in positions where they can have an
effect on the policies of local governments.
This report is intended to provide a snapshot of the work
we are doing. It is difficult to cover everything because
we take an integrated approach to development, work
in geographically diverse areas, and are active at all
levels of society and with diverse partners. What unites
our programs is their focus on building respectful,
long-term relationships that improve lives, communities
and organizations. We are convinced that these
relationships are the DNA of genuine development.
Two important developments took place last year. We
expanded Direct Assistance to 18 villages in Preah
Vihear province, the most isolated area in Cambodia
and the final bastion of the genocidal Khmer Rouge.
CWS is the 1st international NGO to provide village-
based development in this province. We are starting
from scratch: building and repairing bridges; striving
to lower the unacceptable rate of child and maternal
mortality; confronting domestic violence; improving
sudden appearance of tanks and other
military hardware, have fled border
areas ... Our work in building peace
and security is more vital than ever.“
access to health services, water and education; and
providing emergency relief.
Secondly, within CWS, we have upgraded our
monitoring and evaluation unit, and the results of its
review have pinpointed areas where we can channel
our resources most effectively.
It is also important to note, that Cambodia, and
especially the villages where we work, faced 2 new
threats during the past year: the global food crisis;
and a dispute with Thailand that has drawn thousands
of troops to a border where the consequences of war
remain visible and the traumatic memories are still
strong.
These threats pose immense and immediate challenges
to Cambodia’s most vulnerable citizens. Food security
is once again a major problem throughout the country
(the price of rice more than doubled early last year),
while residents near the Thai border have had to
cope with an increased military presence as well as
increasingly hazardous access to Thailand, where
many of them work on a daily or seasonal basis,
frequently in exploitive situations without recourse to
assistance.
Some villagers, alarmed by the sudden appearance
of tanks and other military hardware, have fled
border areas, while our fieldworkers, and those of our
partners, report rising anxiety, suspicion and fear. Our
pioneering work in building peace and security is more
vital than ever.
Despite the rising tension, we remain committed to
continuing our work in the remotest villages along the
Thai border. In some cases, we are their primary link
to local and provincial agencies, and their only link to
other humanitarian agencies.
As our work becomes more urgent, we are facing
increasing funding pressure. Despite our proven track
record, integrated rural development does not easily
mesh with the sectoral approach to funding adopted
by many large donors.
We do not isolate a single problem or issue to focus
on, but adopt a holistic approach. We do this because
it works. The Cambodian NGOs we work with (and in
some cases fund) are also finding that this integrated
development model is complicating attempts to attain
funding. Still, we are encouraging them to continue
implementing this model – because it works so well.
We continue to channel our resources to meet
Cambodia’s most urgent needs: alleviating poverty;
providing access to safe water, health services and
education; building the capacity of Cambodian NGOs
and ecumenical partners; and creating or enhancing
relationships to solve common problems.
We are inspired by our vision of the immense potential
of the people we encounter.
We do not spend a lot of time or money on public
relations or communications; our focus is the most
urgent needs of the most vulnerable people. We hope
that this report provides you with an accurate overview
of the work we are doing and invite you to contact us
at any time for more details.
Sincerely,
Josephine Barbour
Country Representative
On behalf of CWS Cambodia’s staff
Developing in Sight 5
 VILLAGE-BASED DEVELOPMENT
How We Work
C
WS was the 1st humanitarian organization to
arrive in Beng village since the fall of the Khmer
Rouge in 1979. Our fieldworkers 1st visited the
village, which is located about 2 hours from Kompong
Thom town in Sraeung Commune, in mid-2007. As
usual, they began building relationships with residents
by sleeping in their homes 2 or 3 nights a week.
One of the first steps was to help create a Village
Development Committee. This was done through an
election: 3 men and 3 women were elected. More
than 85 percent of the village’s residents over the age
of 18 voted.
After the election, committee members received training
on their roles and responsibilities, village planning,
peace building, domestic violence, proposal writing,
and proper nutrition for mothers and children.
A Sala, community meeting hall, was also built,
and it has become a focal point in the village for
disseminating health information and facilitating
community discussions on a wide range of issues: from
safe drinking water to setting up Self Help Groups.
The committee drafts annual plans with very specific
goals, such as requests for wells, fruit tree seedlings,
more training on domestic violence, and a request
to the Commune Council that an irrigation dam be
integrated into the Commune Development Plan.
6 Developing in Sight
A map of the village has been drafted and a census
undertaken that identifies households in terms of
wealth: rich (1), middle class (14), poor (31) and very
poor (33). The difference between middle class and
poor is that the former own land and a motorbike.
The categories are used to ensure that direct aid and
assistance goes to the most vulnerable of the villages’
79 households, including one home where a deaf-
mute woman who has repeatedly been the victim of
rape is raising 2 children alone.
As is true in most communities, vulnerable families often
live in isolation due, in part, to the stigma associated
with absolute poverty as well as their own shame and
despondency. In Beng village, however, they are now
being drawn into the community and their neighbors
are helping them. Vulnerable people now have a say
in development plans.
The villagers have identified key barriers to development:
illiteracy (122 adults in the village cannot read or write);
lack of safe drinking water; insufficient food; no capital
to start businesses; lack of livestock; lack of irrigation;
inadequate roads; and domestic violence. Along with
these barriers, which are immense, residents are also
identifying solutions and taking steps to achieve them.
The most positive impact so far has been on health.
With the nearest Health Centre 8 kilometers away,
residents used to rely on prayers and offerings to heal
illness. Mosquito-borne diseases like Malaria and
Dengue are endemic to the area, but before CWS implemented
health training (with the assistance of the Cambodian Red Cross
and Health Center staff) residents did not know how to prevent
transmission of these diseases, or when it was necessary to get
treatment. They were unaware, for example, that the mosquito that
transmits Dengue bites during the day, while the 1 that transmits
Malaria bites during the night. Knowing this fact, parents now
ensure that their children sleep under mosquito nets when they nap
during the day. The number of cases of Dengue and Malaria has
plummeted in the village (from over 10 to 2 or 3 a year).
A strong link has been formed between the village and the Health
Center. Quarterly meetings bring together health center staff, CWS,
Village Health Volunteers and Traditional Birth Attendants. Children
now receive tetanus vaccinations and have regular checkups.
Moreover, mothers are now giving birth under the supervision of
nurses or doctors, and the village’s Traditional Birth Attendant, Ms.
Vann Chea, has a new role. Instead of delivering babies under
unhygienic conditions, she is dispensing the birth-spacing advice she
gained through CWS-led training. Birth spacing helps reduce child
and maternal death rates, improve health and reduce poverty.
 CWS fieldworkers like Ms. Khem Ratha become members
of the villages they work in, sleeping at residents’ homes a few
nights a week for four years. This is why we call our model
village-based development.
We do not draft strategies and development plans for villages
from offices located in provincial capitals or Phnom Penh.
Instead, our fieldworkers facilitate each village’s effort
to identify the hurdles it faces and pinpoint solutions. This
builds trust, fosters solidarity, and ensures that residents gain
the confidence, knowledge and skills necessary to develop
their communities independently. It also allows us to respond
immediately to crises, such as floods and fires.
 Satrea lives with her 2 children in a
thatched hut in Choam Boeng village in
Sraeung Commune. The small plot her
home is on belongs to her sister, and
the rice field she owns is just 10 square
meters. If the harvest is good, it provides
just 2 months of rice for her family.
Her husband abandoned her and their
children 3 years ago and she has not seen
him since or received any support from
him. Satrea suffers from lung disease as
well as typhoid. Before she became ill,
she used to travel to work on plantations,
leaving her children (a boy 13 and a girl
7) in the care of her sister. She did this to
earn money to buy food. Now, she can
only do odd jobs around the village, and
only on days when she is not too weak.
When CWS fieldworkers arrived in the
village they provided rice and nutritional
supplements for her children, as well
as school supplies so they could attend
classes. They also encouraged her
to attend training sessions on home
gardening, and chicken and pig raising.
She was given seedlings for fruit trees
(mango and jackfruit) and now has a
garden that supplies vegetables for her
family. Eventually, she will be able to
sell fruit, chickens and pigs to generate
income.
“I want to be able to afford to
pay for my son and daughter
to attend secondary school.”
Developing in Sight 7
 VILLAGE-BASED DEVELOPMENT
Where We Work
After phasing out of 40 villages in Kompong Thom in 2006, CWS initiated village-based development in 13
of the most remote and isolated villages in the province’s Prasat Sambour and Santuk districts in July 2007.
Combined, this program reaches 1,365 families (6,973 people, of whom over 40 percent are 14 years of age or
younger). At the same time, CWS also pioneered village-
based development in 12 villages in the Northwestern
province of Preah Vihear, which borders Thailand and
Laos. This was increased to 18 villages in 2008. They
comprise 2,689 families (11,697 people).
One major obstacle faced in Preah Vihear is the extreme
remoteness of the villages. Some are inaccessible during
the rainy season. Even during the dry season, field staff
must travel through the dense forest of Kulen PrumTep
National Park by oxcart, then cross a river that is waist
deep, to reach the 6 villages in Yeang Commune.
We are considering placing our field staff permanently
in these villages during the rainy season.
Thmei village: math matters
 Mrs. Pol Khim’s reason for attending adult literacy
classes in Thmei village differs from those of most
her 25 classmates. “I want to be able to read about
Buddhism,” she explains – almost in a whisper – during
one of the classes, which are held 6 times a week.
About 90 percent of the students are women, most of
whom are mothers, and the 2-hour classes are held in
the evening because, for most of them, this is the only
free time they have.
8 Developing in Sight
The classes are run in conjunction with
the Non-formal Education division
of the Provincial Department of
Education, which trained their teacher,
Mr. Cheam Yoeun, and provides him
with a stipend. His students say he is
very talented and so enthusiastic that
he allows them to extend the classes
an extra hour, to 10pm.
The women have a very urgent
need to learn how to add, subtract,
divide and multiply. They say they
are constantly worried about being
cheated by brokers as well as at the
markets where they sell or buy produce
and other goods. They also want to
be able to help their children with
their studies. The first primary school
opened in the village in 2003, and all
of their children attend it. Some of the
mothers say their children are helping them learn to
read and write, while others say they are helping their
children do the same. Some also study in small groups
if they have free time during the day.
All agree that they are becoming more confident and
less embarrassed. People, even their own children,
used to call the “stupid” because they could not read
or write.
Boeng Khvaek village: forced migration
Getting enough food to eat is the priority for most
residents here. This food crisis was compounded
earlier this year when the UN World Food Programme
stopped providing free breakfasts at the local primary
school.
Adults and teens are forced to migrate to Phnom Penh
or work on cassava plantations at the other end of the
province to earn enough money to buy rice. At the
plantations they are paid $1.75 a day and are neither
given food nor a place to sleep. They also have to
cover the cost of transportation, which is $5 each way.
In Phnom Penh they often face an even higher risk of
exploitation if they lack a family or social network to
rely on. Only 4 people in the village have completed
high school. Most of the adults are illiterate.
Those who cannot travel to work are often forced to
sell livestock or are driven into debt to moneylenders to
buy rice, which more than doubled in price last year.  The chief of the village’s development committee,
Ensuring a stable and affordable supply of rice here is Ms. Hut Loun, reviews their annual development plan,
vital. Not only will this alleviate anxiety, hunger and the drafted with the assistance of a CWS fieldworker. Because
risk of exploitation; it will also help create the security flooding destroys some residents’ paddy fields, new income-
that is a necessary condition for families to begin
raising themselves out of absolute poverty.
generating activities are needed to create a stable economy
in the village, and reduce the need for residents to leave
in search of work. This poverty-forced migration separates
husbands from wives and parents from children, often for
The rice bank established with the assistance of CWS months at a time.
last year is helping cushion its members from economic
shock and providing them with an alternative source
of obtaining rice that does not drain money from the Their development plan has 4 categories and 23 goals.
village. It is a sustainable solution that also fosters a  Health
spirit of sharing in a village where – even more than - More malaria prevention training
a decade after the end of civil conflict – distrust and - More dengue prevention training
isolation continue to prevent people from working - Hygience and sanitation promotion
together to solve shared problems. - Latrine construction
- More water filters
- Hand-pump wells
Like most farmers in the province, those here have  Food security
relatively small plots (less than 1 hectare on average) - Fish raising training
and grow just 1 crop of rice a year. If the harvest is - Poultry raising training
good, it can feed a family for 5-6 months. However, - Fruit tree planting
even this is not guaranteed. The lack of an irrigation - Request more seedlings*
system means farmers must rely on seasonal rains, - Vegetable growing training
- Request more vegetable seeds
which some years cause flooding that inundates paddy - Set up a tree nursery
fields and destroys crops.  Education
- School materials for vulnerable children
In less than 6 months, the rice bank has grown to - Non-formal classes
330 kilograms, from the 220 kilograms provided by - A small library
CWS. The 11 households that are its members repay  Disaster planning & emergency response
1.5 kilograms for every kilogram borrowed. Previously, - Request that a dam be repaired
- Emergency food supply
when they borrowed rice from another village they - Monthly meetings with Self Help Groups
would have to repay 2 kilograms for every 1 borrowed, - Request working capital asssistance from CWS
and cover the cost of transportation to and from the - Monthly meetings with CWS
village. Rice-bank members are seeing the tangible - VDC capacity building
benefits of cooperation and are planning to build a - Construction of a Sala (see page 6)
storage facility for their rice. Two more rice banks have * The land around CWS’s Kompong Thom office is used to grow
been set up. All put a priority on helping the most seedlings for distribution to villages.
vulnerable households among their members.
Developing in Sight 9
 VILLAGE-BASED DEVELOPMENT

Why We Work  CWS pioneered democratically elected Village Development Committees in each target village of
Preah Vihear, identified and assisted vulnerable households, and selected and trained health and peace
volunteers.
Through a
partnership with However, in Preah Vihear there is a special emphasis on maternal and child health. Children born there
are among the most likely to die before they reach the age of 5 in Cambodia, which has the highest child
the WFP, CWS mortality rate in the region, and the 25th highest in the world. About 1 in 8 Cambodian children die before
is providing the age of 5. (Source: WHO) The rate is 43 percent higher in rural areas than in towns and cities, and is
education inversely proportional to the level of maternal health education, according to demographic health surveys.
on child and
maternal health Intensive intervention by CWS fieldworkers, Village Health Volunteers and local authorities has shown dramatic
results in improving the nutrition and health of infants, pregnant women and lactating mothers. At the start
in Preah Vihear of the project, they identified pregnant women, lactating mothers and infants (less than 2 years of age) in 18
province. villages. In partnership with the World Food Programme, food and nutritional supplements were distributed
Cambodia’s to 565 infants, 234 lactating mothers and 175 pregnant women. Health Volunteers also conducted village
unacceptably training sessions and home visits to educate parents, and monitored infants’ weight gain.
high level of Data from 3 villages selected for a sampling found that no child under 5 was severely malnourished, while
child mortality those classified as “moderately” malnourished prior to the intervention were moving closer to “normal”.
is at its worst
in rural
areas where Four Years
maternal health Our village-based development model is implemented in 3 phases over 4 years in villages identified by baseline
education is surveys. Phase 1 is devoted to building relationships with residents and lasts 1 year. A Participatory Rural Assessment
lacking. is also conducted. Phase 2 lasts 2 years and focuses on strengthening livelihoods at the household and community
level. Formal monitoring and evaluation is conducted in the 3rd year. During the final year, Phase 3, the structures
set up in the village are strengthened. The program ends with a handing over ceremony within the village.

Twelve villages in Kompong Thom are in the early stage of Phase 2. The 13th village is in Phase 1 because it
was not included in the baseline survey. Following a request from its village chief, CWS included the village in
the project. Six of the 12 villages in Preah Vihear are in Phase 1. Below is a partial list of what CWS and the
Mutually inspiring relationships based on active values, and technical communities have accomplished in Kompong Thom, and a list of what they intend to do next in Preah Vihear.
expertise fused with local knowledge, have the power to transform lives.
Kompong Thom Preah Vihear
(July 2007 to November 2008) (July 2008 to June 2010)
 27 Village Health Volunteers and 21 Traditional  Enhance relationships with residents and local
Birth Attendants have been trained in 12 villages and provincial governments
 8 literacy classes in 8 villages have been started  Help Village Development Committees draft
 7 Self-Help Groups and 5 rice banks formed comprehensive development plans
 25 Red Cross and 24 Community Peace volunteers  Install more wells and small-scale irrigations
have been selected and trained in 12 villages systems
 Demonstration farms have been set up in 8 villages,  Provide school materials to 120 students (60
palm sugar groups in 5, water-pump groups in 2 percent female)
 39 vulnerable households have been identified for  Provide training on family assessment and
direct and intensive assistance household planning to an additional 54
 Capacity of CBOs enhanced vulnerable households
 Village development plans are being integrated  Support 36 additional vulnerable families to
into annual Commune Council plans implement their plans
 Food and nutritional supplements distributed to  Strengthen leadership and management
children, pregnant women and lactating mothers capacity of Village Development Committees,
 Materials supplied for construction of open wells Village Leaders, Commune Councils
and latrines, water filters distributed  Start 8 literacy classes in 4 communes
 Training on vegetable and livestock raising  Work with Health Centers to provide refresher
 Water pumps for dry-season rice growing supplied courses to 43 Health Volunteers on HIV/Aids,
 Grants and training for vulnerable people to set up STDs, Dengue and Malaria
micro businesses  Facilitate the formation and strengthen the
CWS fieldworkers Chey Peseth (left) and Chanhak Sokhom wade  Understanding of peace-building and restorative capacity of 34 Self-Help Groups
through a river to reach Yeang Commune, Preah Vihear. justice strengthened  Encourage and support home gardening as
 Swifter response for victims of disaster well as integrated farming systems

10 Developing in Sight Developing in Sight 11

 DE-MINING

Life without Landmines

CWS remains dedicated to the
belief that no individuals, families
or communities should have to live
amidst landmines. With support from
our donors we will continue working
with our partners to ensure that
Cambodians no longer have to live in
daily fear of these horrific devices.
O
ne of the world’s most treacherous mine
belts, K5, runs along Cambodia’s border with
Thailand. Thirty years after the mines were laid
they continue to kill, maim, and cause blindness and
other grave injuries. Of the 590 victims over the past
2 years, 229 were children. (Figures do not include
the final two months of 2008.) The most vulnerable
households are also the most affected.
Despite the significant decline in the numbers of
landmine victims in national statistics, the provinces
where CWS works remain heavily impacted by mines
and unexploded ordinance. More than half of all
landmine causalities in Cambodia in 2007 and 2008
occurred in 4 of the provinces where CWS works:
27 percent (160) in Battambang; 14 percent (85)
Moreover, villagers, most often women and children,
are forced to walk long distances for water if sources
nearby are in areas suspected of being mined.
CWS has been providing funding* for the Mines
Advisory Group (MAG) to de-mine and educate
the public about the risks of mines and unexploded
ordinance for more than a decade, most recently
in Malai District, Banteay Meanchey, where there
are about 35 landmine causalities a year. A former
battleground along the Thai border, the district is home
to former Khmer Rouge soldiers as well as returnees
from refugee camps. CWS’s funding has been used to
support 1 mine clearance team, which includes widows
of landmine victims as well as landmine survivors.

in Banteay Meanchey; 9.7 (57) percent in Oddar
Meanchey; and 7.5 percent (44) in sparsely populated
Preah Vihear. (Cambodia Mine Victims Information
System, CMVIS)
If these causality statistics are further broken down to
the District and Commune levels, their impact on the
areas where CWS works is far greater. For example,
2 districts where CWS is implementing village-
based development through local partners (Samlout
in Battambang and Malai in Banteay Meanchey)
accounted for more than 10 percent of all casualties
over the past 2 years. (CMVIS)
Still, as tragic as they are, causality figures are only
one gauge (albeit a horrific one) of the impact of
landmines. These deadly devices are also a major
barrier to development. They trap households and
entire villages in fear and poverty. For example, fields
where mines have been laid, or are suspected to have
been laid, cannot be used for farming.
Their work is time consuming and costly (funding ran
out at the end of June but MAG was able to continue
the work for 3 more months). One reason that the de-
mining process is so slow is that every metal fragment
or shrapnel detected beneath the surface must be
treated as a landmine, each of which takes a substantial
amount of time to excavate.
Our humanitarian mine clearance has focused on
areas near roads, villages and schools, as well as
fields that can be used for farming and areas where
community ponds can be dug. The sites are selected
by communities. The work is far from complete; more
funding is necessary. So far, 95,090 square meters of
land have been cleared. In total, 207 anti-personnel
mines, 15 unexploded ordinances (bombs), 2 anti-tank
mines and 34,264 metal fragments were removed.
Two clearance areas will be returned to communities
for farming and social purposes, which will provide a
step out of poverty.
* Funding support from EED, Christian Aid and NCCA has been vital.

From left:
CWS supported
de-miners at work
in Malai District. A
de-miner prodding
to uncover a
landmine.
Right:
Primary school
children celebrate
the clearance of
mines from their
school ground.

12 Developing in Sight Developing in Sight 13

 DE-MINING
The K5 Mine Belt
The most heavily mined area in Cambodia is also one of the poorest:
along the Thai border. The mines were laid after the Khmer Rouge
retreated to base camps there following the Vietnamese invasion in
1978. In 1984 and 1985, they and 230,000 civilians were driven
across the border into Thailand. To prevent their return, tens of
thousands of local residents were forcibly conscripted to help construct
a minefield along the 1,046 kilometer border. This became known
infamously as “the K5”, the 5th in a series of defensive plans (Kar
Korpier pram).
After Vietnamese forces withdrew, Cambodian soldiers laid thousands
more mines to defend towns and villages, military positions, and
supply routes. Khmer Rouge and Monarchist opposition forces also
overran parts of North and Western Cambodia, laying even more
mines. In the mid-1990s, the newly formed Royal Cambodian Armed
Forces launched annual dry-season offensives at the remaining Khmer
Rouge strongholds, laying mines each time. By 1999, the Khmer
Rouge leadership gave up and sought amnesty or were captured.
There are few reliable records of where the mines were laid. Estimates
of their number range from 1 million to 4 million.
CWS has been supporting 1 entire MAG demining team in Malai
District, Banteay Meanchey.
“After the conflict between the Khmer Rouge and government
troops we returned [from Thailand], but when we arrived here
we found there were landmines. I could not farm the land. How
could we survive with landmines all around us? We just wanted
a safe life. My children were too young to understand the risk. I
thought we’d have to leave. Then MAG arrived [in March 2008]
and cleared the area. We have a new life.”
Moung Chheang (Back left)
Mr. Chheang lives in Banteay Ti ll village,
Malai District with his wife, children and mother.
14 Developing in Sight
“The people still dealing
with landmines are the most
vulnerable in Cambodia. They
fear for their lives and the lives
of their children. Because the
exact location of landmines is
often unknown, the fear of their
presence is itself a huge barrier
to development. Even their
suspected presence is enough
to deter development.
At MAG our goal is to clear
land for development so
that people in landmine-
contaminated areas can
escape the poverty that is a
direct result of these deadly
obstacles. For this reason
CWS is an ideal partner: we
share their goal of removing
obstacles to development so
that even the most vulnerable
Cambodians can have an
opportunity of escaping from
poverty and fear.”
James Sutherland
Program Officer, MAG
PEACE BUILDING
Searching for Justice
A
mong the many questions Cambodian youths
asked at the CWS-supported International Peace
Conference in Siem Reap in September were: Word by Word
why are former leaders of a regime responsible for
the deaths of up to 2 million Cambodians being For the past year, CWS community and peace program
officer Mr. Nao Sok has been spending several hours a
treated so well while they await trial; and what does week transcribing a 90-minute documentary about South
“allegedly” mean? Representatives of what is called Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. When
the Extraordinary Chamber in the Court of Cambodia he completes this, the English words will be translated
(ECCC) attended the weeklong event to explain the into Khmer, and then dubbed. The film will be shown
complex procedures of this hybrid tribunal, run jointly
in workshops for police officers, government officials,
by the UN and the Royal Government of Cambodia. commune councils, and journalists, among others.
Transcribing dialogue is a laborious task, especially
The 6 ECCC representatives, including a legal when it is not in your native language. It can take hours to
consultant for 1 of the 5 accused, explained the history transcribe a few minutes of the film. Dozens of speakers
and mandate of the tribunal, its 4 stages (investigative, convey an extreme range of tones ­– wounded, furious,
pre-trial, trial and appellate), how victim complaints evasive, detached, resolute, and compassionate – in
are “processed”, and how victims can participate. accents he had never heard before. He got stuck on a
Victims have 2 options: they can file a complaint or single word for weeks: “Kafkaesque.”
a civil party action. The former allows them to give
prosecutors additional evidence, while the latter allows The workshops also use snippets from Cambodian
director Rithy Panh’s documentary “S21: Inside the
them to seek collective and moral reparations. To file
a complaint or civil party application, victims need to Khmer Rouge Killing Machine.” The acclaimed film
fill out a “Victim Information Form” and deliver it to the brings former guards and survivors of the infamous
Court, the ECCC representatives explained. torture center together to discuss, and re-enact, the
atrocities that happened there. “We can’t show the entire
film because it is too unsettling for many people. They
Answering the questions from youths, they told them start shaking and weeping. You have to be very sensitive
that the trials must follow “international standards”, in your approach to victims of trauma. You need to be
which mean that a person is innocent until proven incredibly delicate. The process is very, very slow.”
guilty. They explained that the judges are responsible
for deciding who was a “senior leader” and who was
“most responsible” for the crimes committed by the
Khmer Rouge, and that the ECCC has the power to try
all suspects who committed serious crimes ­­­­­­– such as
genocide, crimes against humanity, , homicide, torture
and religious persecution ­–­­ in Cambodia between
April 17, 1975 and January 6, 1979.
“As the ECCC proceeds, it is the right time for
Cambodians to talk about their history,” explained the
conference organizer Youth for Peace. “The Khmer
Rouge period has not been much talked about by
Cambodian people, and especially by the youth.
Children of survivors and perpetrators do not receive
any formal education on the history of the Khmer
Rouge period, and largely depend on family narratives
for information. There [has been] little or no movement
for justice after the conflict.”
The conference was international with about 350
participants, including about 290 Cambodian youths.
Through discussions with youths from Rwanda, Peru
and Guatemala, some learned for the 1st time that
genocide, torture and crimes against humanity had not
happened only in Cambodia. The conference included
country presentations, peace art workshops, a panel
on post-conflict social movements in various countries,
discussions on how to preserve and honor memory,
and a peace march. One speaker pointed out
that 70 percent of Cambodia’s population was
born after the genocide. “Youth is power,”
she told them. By working together they
can put to rest the older generation’s
attitude that Cambodians are
inherently cruel, she said.
Developing in Sight 15
 PEACE BUILDING

in Thailand in 1992. The 16-day

pilgrimage, which passed through
Khmer Rouge controlled areas,
was intended to begin restoring the
hope and spirit of the Cambodian
people.
Dhammayeatra Battambang has
a close relationship with CWS that
is based on a mutual commitment
to peace, the group’s volunteer
coordinator Ms. Sek Sorom explains
at the Pagoda in Battambang town
where the group has a small office.
The group has received training and
grants from CWS and its members
have attended CWS workshops. It
works primarily with prisoners and
children.
Last year they used a small grant
(less than $1,000) to initiate peace T-shirts and banners say: “Rejecting violence
and non-violence classes for helps families live in dignity and happiness.”
primary school students in villages
around the town on Sundays. In  CWS helped Commune Councils in Preah Vihear organize their 1st march against domestic violence. Residents
village schools there are few, if any, of 9 villages participated in the event, which is being integrated into the nationwide White Ribbon Campaign.
extracurricular activities, and as a Empirical data on domestic violence in Cambodia is thin, but alarming.* There is, however, a consensus that the
result children face a higher risk level of domestic violence in Cambodia, as in other post-conflict countries, is intolerably high.
of joining gangs or taking drugs,
Ms. Sarom explains. At the Sunday One positive development is that domestic violence is now discussed in public, and at all levels of government.
classes they learn about Buddhist Another is that Cambodian men, as well as women, are taking the lead. CWS Cambodia believes that post-
precepts, practice meditation, and traumatic stress combined with gender inequality is a major cause of domestic violence. Soldiers who return from
play games. They also take turns the battlefield often turn their homes into war zones.
cleaning up the school ground and
are learning how to plant trees as a Children who experience or even witness domestic violence become profoundly traumatized; they also face a
way of teaching them to respect the high risk of reenacting violence or becoming victims themselves. Our Peace Building program aims to break this
environment and create goodwill in tragic cycle in 3 ways: public-awareness campaigns; intensive training; and funding and technical support for
their communities, she says. NGOs and small groups that have the expertise (or the potential) to implement effective interventions.
The group only has the capacity * A demographic health study conducted in 2000 estimated that 23 percent of married women are beaten by their husbands, more than 50 percent of
to accept 30 students for each divorced women had been beaten by their husbands, and that uneducated women are most at risk.
of the 2-month sessions. So far,
120 children have participated.
Ms. Sarom is pleased that after each session several
Small Change children volunteer to help with the next one. And she
especially excited by one unexpected result. A 13-year-
old boy who had been a schoolyard bully is now a
Starting point

A
small grant from CWS is allowing a volunteer- Because conflict transformation begins with the most Skills: This requires training and practice, both within
peace and non-violence volunteer. difficult conversion – one’s self – CWS staff receive CWS and in the community. Specific components
run organization in Battambang to continue from 1 to 4 training opportunities a year. We also think include: communication skills; ability to analyze
spreading the teachings of the Nobel Peace Dhammayeatra Battambang is planning to expand deeply about lessons learned and solve problems as local capacities for peace; ability to offer third-party
Prize-nominated monk known as the “Gandhi of from 3 to 10 villages in 2009 and to secondary they arise by getting to their root causes. This enhances assistance (in Cambodia this is especially useful for
Cambodia” to primary school children in villages schools. They are hoping as well to increase the ratio our problem-solving skills and teamwork. alternative resolutions of land disputes); as well as
around Battambang town. of girls in the sessions to about 70 percent. problem-solving and negotiation skills, particularly in
We believe that ending violence requires three inter- ways that move parties to a needs-based approach.
Dhammayeatra Battambang comprises a small group “It is important to focus on girls. They face the highest related tools: ideas, skills, and attitudes.
of volunteers who are very risk of dropping out of Attitudes: To develop a more peaceful society it is
committed to the teachings school because their Ideas: The paradigm shift from war-mongering necessary to shift attitudes about gender, nationalism,
and work of the monk To change the attitudes of parents, they parents want them to to peace-building requires a constantly enhanced stereotyping, corruption and transparency, collaboration
who was the Patriarch of
Cambodian Buddhism followed the footsteps of the monk who work at home,” Ms.
Sarom said. To change
understanding of conflict, violence, development,
peace, restorative justice, identity and power. These
versus competition, and inclusiveness.
during the Khmer Rouge inspired them. the attitudes of parents, concepts can be either barriers or building blocks. This approach to building peace allows us to work
period and its aftermath, they followed the The latter can be achieved by a constantly deepening on solid ground; we integrate it into every project
Samdech Preah Maha footsteps of the monk understanding of them. we implement and every relationship we build. For
Ghosananda. (His Pali monastic name, Maha who inspired them; they organized a walk of monks example, Village Peace Volunteers are trained in every
Ghosananda, means “Great Joyful Proclaimer.”) and children through the villages around the town on This is difficult. It requires repetitive reflection and village we work in, the Commune Councils where we
Children’s Day (June 1st), thanking parents for sending discussion for individuals to internalize the concepts in work receive conflict resolution and anti-corruption
He is best known for the Peace Walk (Dhammayeatra) their children to school and handing out Peace Walk a way that unifies them with other people, and alters training, and the Cambodian NGOs we support receive
he led through Cambodia after returning from exile flyers from CWS. the way they interact with and perceive others. in-depth instruction on how to ensure transparency.

16 Developing in Sight Developing in Sight 17

 WATER AND SANITATION

Safe Water Saves Lives

C
WS’s Water and Sanitation (WatSan) project
covers 19 villages in 2 districts of Svey Rieng.
The 3-year project ends this fiscal year and
will likely be duplicated in another target area of the
province. The project is run in collaboration with the
Provincial Department of Rural Development. Three
department staff work directly with CWS. The extensive
training they have received enhances the capacity
of the department to improve water and sanitation
throughout the province.
WatSan provides wells, water filters and latrines, as
well as education on hygiene, infectious diseases and
sanitation. It has resulted in a dramatic decline in the
incidence of water-borne illnesses, such as diarrhea
and typhoid, in the target villages. At the same time,
wells are providing vulnerable households with water
for home gardens. This saves them the cost of having
to buy vegetables and creates the opportunity for them
to generate income by selling their produce.
One constraint on the project last year was a surge in
the price of construction materials. Suppliers reneged
on contracts in order to sell materials at higher prices
to other buyers. As a result, a decision was made to
reduce the number of wells and latrines supplied and
increase the number of water filters, which are far
cheaper to produce.
Education has been key to the project’s success. CWS
staff conduct intensive training at all social levels:
from individual households, health clinics, village
committees and Commune Councils to all primary
and secondary schools in the districts.

 Diarrhea and other diseases related to poor sanitation kill at least 10,000 Cambodians a year.
(Source: World Bank (WB) Water and Sanitation Program 2008) *
 Children are especially at risk. Every year about 12,600 Cambodian children under the age of 5 die from
diarrhea-related diseases, which accounts for 21 percent of all deaths in that age group. (Unicef)
 About 10 percent of Cambodian children die before they are a year old. Many of these deaths are
due to preventable, waterborne diseases or mosquito-driven ailments resulting from poor sanitation
facilities. (Unicef)
 Rural sanitation coverage in Cambodia is the lowest in the region and the 2nd lowest outside of Africa.
(Unicef)
 Only 16 percent of rural Cambodians have access to toilets. (WB)
 Only 2 percent of the residents of Svay Rieng province have access to toilets. (WB)
 Most rural households do not have soap for washing hands. (Unicef)
 99 percent of households in CWS’s target area in Svay Rieng lacked latrines when the project began.
 Only 42 percent of the rural population has access to clean water. (Ministry of Rural Development)
 The Ministry of Rural Development has no funds for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation and is entirely
dependent on external aid for this. (WB)
 The annual budget for the Svey Rieng Provincial Department of Rural Development (PDRD) is about
$50,000. (Svey Rieng PDRD)
* Variance in estimates of deaths result from differing timeframes of surveys, and divergent samplings and methodologies. WB data published in
November 2008 is based on a survey conducted in 2005.

18 Developing in Sight Developing in Sight 19

 WATER AND SANITATION
 When CWS arrived in Chea Theach village almost
3 years ago its residents were quite shy about talking
about their personal hygiene practices, even one-on-
one. Now they giggle about them in group discussions.
“I don’t have to walk so far to go to the toilet,” quips
Mrs. Sok Pov, a mother of 4. “I don’t have to worry
about getting bitten by insects when my pants are down
and I use soap instead of leaves to clean myself.”
It took10 days to construct the latrine behind her
thatched hut and she, as well as other members of
the community, helped build it. “Latrines are especially
valued by women and girls in our village because they
provide privacy and allow them to bathe their entire
bodies,” she says. Before they had to walk to forests
to go to the toilet, and had to carry buckets of water
to wash.
Open-air defecation is customary in rural Cambodia
(and many other countries), but a rapidly rising
population and deforestation have made it a threat to
public health, especially in isolated villages like Chea
Theach. The nearest health center is 8 kilometers away
and during the rainy season the dirt road turns, for
long stretches, into ankle-deep mud.
The village now has 8 hand-pump wells, 40 water
filters and 11 latrines. Village chief Lon Sarat says
access to water is still the top need. Households are
spread out so it is difficult to place wells where they can
be shared. Seventy-five year old Sum Lay says it takes
half an hour each day to get water. Like many women
and children in the village, she lives with constantly
aching shoulders from this activity.
“Latrines are especially valued by
women and girls in our village because
they provide privacy.”
20 Developing in Sight
 There are 9 hand-pump wells for the 97
households in Muni Proeksa village, where households
are clustered in groups of 4 or 5 along a mile stretch
of a dirt road in Tras Commune. Families share the
wells at a ratio of 4 or 5 to 1, but those who reside far
from one continue to rely on hand-dug wells.
Besides being a source of illness, hand-dug wells often
require frequent maintenance, especially during the
dry season when they have to be deepened a few more
meters each year. They also pose a hazard to children,
who are usually responsible for collecting water. Some
children in the village have drowned after falling into
them. Livestock have also been lost.
Mrs. Poe Hun, a mother of 3, says she is relieved that
she no longer has to worry about her daughters falling
into their well. “It is also a lot easier to keep clean if
you and your family have access to a well. Before we
didn’t have enough water to wash,” she says.
She has planted flowers around the one CWS installed
a year ago and has also started a home garden.
Occasionally, there are problems with the pumps, but
these are easy to fix as the Well Users Group has had
training on maintaining wells. If there is a problem they
can’t fix they can get help from the CWS Community
Development Facilitator who visits them once a week.
Besides the wells, residents say the training on home
gardening has been the most helpful because it saves
them from having to spend money to buy vegetables.
Because rain was late this year there will be no harvest
in this rice-dependent village.
“It is a lot easier to keep clean if you
have access to a well. Before we didn’t
have enough water to wash.”
 Mrs. Moeung Phal is no longer reluctant to smile.
Her teeth are no longer discolored by the water from her
well because she now uses a bio-sand filter provided
by CWS. Before receiving the filter, as well as training
on hygiene and sanitation, her children were often sick
with diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever. The water
from her well contains bacteria and such a high level
of iron that it causes rust and has left a dark red stain
on the inside of the plastic bucket she uses to carry
water from her well to the filter.
Since receiving the filter 2 years ago, her 2 children no
longer suffer from fever, diarrhea or abdominal pain.
“The filter has changed our lives,” she says.
But not every household in Ta Suos village, located
just a few hundred meters from the Vietnamese border,
has received a water filter. Mrs. Yan Et, across the road
from Mrs. Measran, says her children constantly suffer
from fever and diarrhea. “As soon as one gets better
another one gets sick. It’s constant,” she explains.
Like her neighbor she has a well, but she does not have
a filter, and says she cannot always boil drinking water
because this requires collecting firewood for fuel. One
consequence of deforestation is that villagers have to
travel farther to find firewood. In an area of Cambodia
where most people live on less than 50 cents a day,
firewood has to be rationed.
Although CWS has distributed water filters to the most
vulnerable households in the target area, those who
are not classified as absolute poor are requesting them
too. “Not only poor people get sick.”
“My children no longer suffer from
fever, diarrhea or abdominal pain.
The filter has changed our lives.”
 WatSan’s Community Development Facilitators
are on a first-name basis with the villagers they work
with; these close relationships are vital to the program’s
success. Each facilitator lives in the commune where
he works 5 days a week visiting households and village
committees to offer education, training, assistance
and encouragement. They travel along the dirt roads
connecting one village to another by motorbike or
bicycle, even during the rainy season.
“People have a very high regard for CWS because we
visit every household even when the roads are bad,”
explains Kon Suman who works in Tras Commune,
where only 4 of 13 villages had enough water to
grow rice this year, according to Commune Chief Pov
Savong.
Mey Kaem (right) has been with WatSan since its
inception, working in Kokir Commune. “People did not
see the connection between bacteria and illness before
the program began,” he says. This is why he believes
that ongoing education – as well as training on how to
use and maintain water filters, hand-pump wells and
latrines – is as vital as the “tools” themselves.
In the villages where he works families share filters at a
ratio of 5:1. The wells provided to the poorest families
have reduced the time they spend searching for water,
especially during the dry season, and this has freed
time for productive work. The home gardens made
possible by the wells mean that the poorest households
no longer have to buy vegetables. (The poorest 20
percent of Cambodian households spend over 80 percent of
their income on food. Source: NGO Forum, 2008)
“Explaining that CWS cannot provide
filters to everyone who needs them is
the hardest part of our job.”
Developing in Sight 21
 WATER AND SANITATION

Testing the Water Interventions Impacts

 Thousands of home visits to discuss health
and sanitation issues
Experts from the Canada-based Center for Affordable Water and  406 hand-pump wells for 1,028 households
Sanitation Technology were brought in for a 3-day workshop last May  320 latrines for 320 households
that focused on testing the quality of household water. This is a critical  1,085 bio-sand filters for 1,085 families
component of WatSan. Water from all WatSan wells is tested for  5 hand-pump wells and 3 latrines (separate
arsenic and other contaminants, and must be certified as safe before stalls for boys and girls) for 5 schools (1,933
it can be used. students)
 131 bio-sand filters for schools throughout
CWS staff implementing WatSan as well as staff from relevant partners, districts (6,612 students)
including the PDRDs of Svay Rieng and Preah Vihear, received cutting-
 5 workshops on healthcare, dengue, malaria,
edge training on the fundamental link between water quality and public
health. Topics covered included: drinking water quality guidelines bird flu and nutrition at 5 primary schools
and minimum standards; types of contaminants and their indicators; (1,247 students) and 5 villages
physical, chemical and biological aspects of water testing; selection of  Ongoing training sessions for Village Health
appropriate testing methodology and equipment; developing a water Volunteers, Community Development
testing plan; record keeping, interpreting results and reporting; and Facilitators, Commune Councils, Health
options for developing countries like Cambodia. Center staff and village committees
 Ongoing health and sanitation training at
Additionally, CWS’s Monitoring and Evaluation officer received training. As soon as funding becomes village level; formation and strengthening of
available, a high-tech water testing tool will be purchased for enhanced testing during monitoring visits. user groups and committees
 Sharp drop in cases of diarrhea and illnesses
caused by waterborne parasites and bacteria
 Links between villages, Health Centers,
Commune Councils and provincial officials
created and/or enhanced
 Communities’ capacity to plan, implement,
manage and maintain improved water supply
and sanitation facilities strengthened
 Increased participation of women and
children in village committees and schools
 User Groups ensure sustainability and foster
knowledge-sharing and social solidarity
 Home gardens provide new income source
 Capacity of PDRD and CWS enhanced,
relationship deepened
 Peace-building and anti-corruption training
provided to village committees, commune
councils and provincial officials
 Peace component ensures distribution of
facilities to most vulnerable households
minimizes conflict in villages

Swift response, dramatic results: a Q&A

What is the impact of the WatSan project?
 There has been a very significant decline in illness
and at the same time widespread behavioral changes
that reduce the risk of disease and illness have occurred
in the target districts. Interviews with residents as well
as health clinic staff indicate that these improvements
are also occurring in households where water filters,
latrines and wells have not been installed. So, we can
say that the educational component of the project,
the software, is having as significant an impact as the
hardware. We can also see that the installation of wells
is leading to more home gardens and less reliance on
vegetables imported from Vietnam.
Do you have any hard data on this?
 We lack the capacity to compile comprehensive
and comparative data on the project’s impact, but we
do conduct field monitoring of households. We also
collect information from health volunteers, clinics and
referral hospitals. We can say with certainty that there
is a dramatic decline in diarrhea, typhoid and water-
borne illnesses. We can also say that school attendance
records show a decline in absenteeism as a result of
illness. This is very compelling evidence. The health
impacts are very easy to see.
How vital is CWS’s presence in Svay Rieng?
 CWS is far ahead of any other NGO working in
Svay Rieng. It is having the biggest impact. It inspires
people. Because CWS focuses on the absolute poor
these impacts are very visible, and because CWS
offers direct service it is very quick and accessible.
The response is fast and the process simple. CWS is
working at the village, commune, and district levels, as
well as at the provincial level.
There are very few NGOs in Svay Rieng. Some
international ones left because of funding constraints,
while the Cambodian NGOs lack the capacity and
funding to have the impact CWS does. Our capacity
is improving because we have staff working with CWS
in the field. We are constructing bio-sand filters that
are inexpensive, sturdy and easy to use. Our history
with CWS goes back to 1993. Before WatSan we
were partners in village development. We still see the
impact from this, especially with the Self Help Groups.
It was the provincial governor who requested CWS as
a partner in the WatSan project.
What are the biggest impediments to
improving water and sanitation in Svay
Rieng?
 We remain dependent on rain because we lack
irrigation systems. If you don’t have water how can you
keep clean? Drought is a cyclical crisis in some areas
and sometimes the rain arrives too early or too late
for rice growing. Other times it is too heavy during the
planting season and wipes out crops. So, hunger and
malnutrition are severe problems. How can you worry
about sanitation when you cannot feed your children?
To solve this we are encouraging farmers to raise
alternative crops and planning irrigation systems.
The other impediment is behavioral change. It “CWS is far ahead of any
is not easy to change people’s habits. It takes other NGO working in
a long time and careful work. This is where Svay Rieng. It is having the
CWS excels. They know how to explain the
link between clean water and good health in
biggest impact. It inspires
a way that sparks changes in behavior. The people.“
close links they form with communities create
the trust and partnership that is necessary to Mr. Mey Lun
bring about changes in attitudes and habits, Director
and because they work with the poorest Provincial Department of
households the results are very dramatic. Rural Development
These examples inspire others to make the same
changes.
What is the next step?
 After we phase out of the current
districts, we plan to duplicate
WatSan in 3 other districts. We
are aware that residents in the
current target area are anxious
about the phase out. Due to
funding constraints we can
only provide an example that
will inspire them to do more.
We will continue to monitor
and support them, but we have
to expand the project to districts
where residents don’t yet see the
link between unsafe water, poor
hygiene and illness. Of course, we
want to do more, but our options
are extremely limited.

22 Developing in Sight Developing in Sight 23

 DEVELOPING PARTNERS

Laying the foundation

A few days before the Kampuchea Christian Council (KCC) held its 3rd General Assembly in March, they made
an urgent appeal to CWS Cambodia for help organizing an event that would have an immense impact of the
council’s future. Previously, they had requested help from partners inside and outside Cambodia, but none had
responded.

Our partnership program manager and an operational

“The funding we have received [from
the Christian Conference of Asia]
would not have been helpful without
the foundation CWS helped us build.”
development officer immediately scheduled a meeting
with the assembly’s organizing committee (and KCC
council members) to ensure that the selection of a
new management team and the formation of a new
organizational structure were conducted in a way that
would strengthen the rapidly growing council.

Fifty new churches had registered for the 3-day assembly. “CWS played a vital role in organizing and monitoring
the assembly and the election [of a new board],” recalls Rev. Som Chanboth
(2nd lef), at the council’s office on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Because the
election process was transparent and democratic, conflicts were avoided and
a strong foundation was established, he explained.

One hurdle the council had faced was a structural flaw that hindered its

Lending a Hand
decision-making process since its inception in 2000. It had been run by an
11-member committee: all volunteers from all over Cambodia. Some could
not always afford to travel to Phnom Penh for meetings, so decisions were
postponed. CWS proposed that an 11-member general committee be elected,
and that they in turn select a 5-member working committee.

W
hen the only Cambodian NGO providing
support to indigenous people in the country’s
isolated northeast experienced a breakdown
in communications – one that could have impacted
the organization’s future – its newly appointed director
asked CWS to lend a hand.
“We had 70 staff from 9 cultures, a complex structure,
lots of misunderstanding and internal bickering,”
Mr. Sao Vansey, executive director of the Indigenous
Community Support Organization (ICSO), explained.
ICSO has been formed swiftly in 2006 to manage 3
separate projects (resource management, advocacy
and community organizing) in the Northeastern
province of Ratanak Kiri that had previously been run
by an international NGO.
It was a “spin-off” that had lost its bearings: the
3 projects were combined into 1 and Cambodian
management quickly recruited. Funding was not an
issue, but operations were. “We really needed help,”
Mr. Vansey said.
CWS conducted a comprehensive organizational
development assessment that pinpointed weaknesses
and identified solutions.
Our expertise in bridging cross-cultural issues, conflict
resolution and our people-centered approach – as
well as the fact that this assessment was free (“because
it was free we knew that CWS had no financial interest
that might bias the report,” an ICSO board member
noted) – helped the organization overcome its internal
disputes and simplify its structure so that it could focus
on its mission: providing assistance to disparate ethnic
minority groups whose cultures are misunderstood and
frequently – sometimes unintentionally – denigrated by
government agencies and international NGOs working
in the Northeast.
A simple change that occurred after the “spin off”
was the introduction of new accounting standards
that required sub offices in villages and the provincial
central office to provide receipts for all expenditures.
Indigenous staff (many of whom do not speak Khmer)
saw this as a slap in the face: they suspected that the
newly appointed management in Phnom Penh believed
they were dishonest. The reality was that ICSO was
implementing transparency guidelines required by its
donors.
Our assessment began with discussions with senior
staff in Phnom Penh (including board members),
then moved to the provincial central office and
finally the sub-offices in villages. This process itself
strengthened communications. “We learned new ways
of communicating,” Mr. Vansey noted.
“Now, our operations are going smoothly,” he
explained, pointing out that several of the staff members
who had quit have returned to ICSO.
CWS also provided ICSO with technical advice on the
formation of financial and personnel policies, as well
as strategic and budget planning.
“CWS helped us establish clear job descriptions and set up a committee with
clearly defined roles and responsibilities,” Rev. Chanboth explained. The
council developed a draft of its 1st strategic plan, which provided its funding
donors with a clear understanding of the council’s strategy and commitment.
CWS has also placed one Buddhist staff member at the council’s office to,
among other things, help identify potential partner NGOs to implement the
wide range of social services it plans to offer: from interfaith dialogue to silk
weaving enterprises in impoverished communities.
“The council’s goal is for every member church to be self-sustaining and to
help the poor become self-sufficient,” Rev. Chanboth said. “The funding we have received [from the Christian
Conference of Asia] would not have been helpful without the foundation CWS helped us build.”
Faith in action
CWS Cambodia is an ecumenical Christian organization with a predominantly Buddhist staff. We see this
as a strength rather than a division; we are united (along with our Muslim staff) by shared values and are
committed to act on them. We believe that people of all faiths (as well as those who are not religious)
are called to action by the suffering of others. Social, ethnic, religious and other man-made divisions can
become barriers to our common humanity. We strive to overcome them.
We duplicate our ability to unite people of different faiths in various ways. For example, in March 2008
we – along with other groups – helped organize the 4th Cambodia-Vietnam Dialogue in Sihanoukville and
Phnom Penh. This 10-day event brought together 25 Vietnamese and 25 Cambodian youths for a series
of workshops that, among other things, allowed them to discuss their histories and reflect on how these
histories have affected their perceptions of each other. Participants overcame deeply entrenched stereotypes
as well as mistrust and anger. Friendships that transcend borders were formed. This is our faith.

24 Developing in Sight Developing in Sight 25

 DEVELOPING PARTNERS

The Border
this village – where unsafe water, malaria and dengue
kill people every year – the poster is also failing to do
what it is intended to do: reduce the possibility of bird
flu spreading from poultry to people. Fieldworkers with
CWS partners working there say it has had no impact
on changing the behaviors that allow the virus to be
transmitted to people.
Humanitarian assistance that is disconnected from local
realities is often ineffective, can spark conflicts within
communities, and have tragic results. Cambodians
have experienced this for more than 30 years, and this
is nowhere more apparent than in the villages along
the Thai border.
From our office in Battambang, CWS’s 6 staff work
hand-in-hand with 4 deeply committed Cambodian
NGOs implementing integrated development in 59
villages where former Khmer Rouge soldiers and those
who fled them now live together – but not side by
side.
“Our partners work in very remote villages along the
Thai border. We go there first, and then encourage
them to follow. We sleep in the villages with them,” he
explains.
“We train them about community development, show
them how to build relationships, and help them see
the potential as well as the problems,” he continues.
The partnerships formed are tailored to the needs of
each NGO. What he looks for is commitment because
“knowledge can be acquired.”
“There are no roads to some of these villages. The
government can’t get teachers to go to them. People
have no access to water. There are landmines
everywhere.”
Two more constraints hinder his work: staff turnover at
Cambodian NGOs and sectoral funding. Training on
CWS’s integrated development model can be used as
a stepping stone: from poorly paid, highly demanding
work to better-paying and more pretigious positions at
international humanitarian agencies.

“There are no roads to some of these
villages. The government can’t get
teachers to go to them. People have no
access to water. There are landmines
everywhere.”
To cope with this, Mr. Bun Kun ensures that all staff
at CWS partners (including accountants) are trained
in integrated development so that they can be swiftly
shifted into suddenly vacant positions.
He is also doing his utmost to help partner NGOs apply
for the sort of funding that allows them to channel their
limited resources, time and energy to needs that they
can see with their own eyes are the most urgent ones.

“There has been an extreme breakdown in social

solidarity,” explains Mr. Lee Bun Kun, the project
manager of the partnership program here. “When
we started working in Bavel District, parents who went
to Thailand to find work would leave their children
unattended, sometimes for months at a time. They
wouldn’t ask their neighbor’s to care for them.”

Mr. Bun Kun has been with CWS since it arrived in

Battambang in 1991 to enhance the capacity of
veterinarian services offered by the government, which

T
he primary school in Tbaeng Thmei village (Ampil
Commune, Oddar Meanchey province) is like
many along the Thai border. It has everything
except teachers, books, study materials, toilets and
safe water. But here there is a difference: parents are
afraid to send their children to school because the roof
of 1 of its 3 buildings has collapsed and the flimsy
structures of the other 2 have not been renovated
since they were built more than a decade ago, after
Vietnamese forces had driven the Khmer Rouge into
Thailand where they mingled with and often exploited
refugees in the camps they, in some cases, took over.
In communities along the Thai border it is no secret
that the Khmer Rouge used these camps – as well as
international assistance – to regroup, recruit and re-
arm.
The international aid that has arrived at the school in
Tbaeng Thmei village consists of a single, laminated
poster warning about the risk of bird flu. It has been
placed on the outer wall of 1 of the buildings that is
too dangerous for children to enter.
Besides being blind to the needs of the residents of
are vital in an area where lives depend on livestock.
After bringing in international experts to train officials,
CWS then trained the officials on effective ways of
passing on their expertise to farmers.
After 10 years, when Village Livestock Associations
had been formed in each commune, this program
was phased out. CWS then switched its focus to local
NGOs.
The phrase “capacity building” does not quite fit Mr.
Bun Kun’s approach. “Mentoring” is more accurate.

26 Developing in Sight Developing in Sight 27

 DEVELOPING PARTNERS
Making Connections
CWS Cambodia has 3 forms of partnerships with
Cambodian NGOs – local institional development
(non-funding), small grants, and holistic – all of which
are clearly detailed in protocols developed here. The
partnerships are monitored and evaluated; corruption
is not tolerated.
Holistic partners receive institutional funding (i.e.
overhead costs) and funding for implementing village-
led community development, as well as intensive
training. The offices of the 4 holistic partners working
along the Thai border are located in the districts where
they work, their staff recruited from the villages. They
include the daughter of a former assistant to Khmer
Rouge leader Pol Pot.
Working in villages whose residents are predominantly
former Khmer Rouge poses unique challenges. For
example, in the 9 villages where Khmer Community
Development Association (KCDA) works in Samlout
District Battambang about 25 percent of the families
are female-headed. Many are widows whose husbands
were killed either by government forces or during the
factional fighting within the Khmer Rouge after it split
into 2 camps in the late 90s. The district is also heavily
mined, crop production is low and absolute poverty
the norm.
The forested area is now “protected”, and as a result
residents of villages that had depended on the forests
for a living no longer have that option.
The only NGO working in this mountainous region,
where Malaria is endemic, is KCDA. Its field staff
are also concerned that there may be a high rate of
HIV infection. There have been no sentinel surveys to
determine the extent of HIV/Aids prevalence in the
area, but fieldworkers are alarmed by the number of
cases they have come across. The low literacy rate,
lack of HIV/Aids education, and high rate of migrant
workers add urgency to this potential health crisis.
The Association for Development and Our Villagers’
Rights (ADOVIR) works in 14 villages in Bavel District,
some of which are not even on the map (their names
have yet to be registered with the government). Besides
strengthening each village, ADOVIR is linking them to
the Commune Council, school system and the 1 Health
Center in the commune (Ampil Pram Daeum).
There have been no sentinel surveys to determine the extent of HIV/Aids
prevalence in the area, but fieldworkers are alarmed by the number of cases
they have come across. The low literacy rate, lack of HIV/Aids education, and
high rate of migrant workers add urgency to this potential health crisis.
28 Developing in Sight
EMERGENCY APPEAL
Mr. Seng Seoun and his
wife had left their children
at home while they went
to work. The children tried
to cook food (outside
Villages with Self Help Groups are their thatched hut). Sparks
developing faster than those that set their home afire.
lack them. Commune Councils can When Mr. Seng and his
wife returned, there was
see this and they are asking CFEDA nothing left but ashes.
to expand to more villages.
The family received
immediate assistance
from a Self Help Group
Before it arrived children did not receive tetanus set up in the village by
vaccinations. There has been a 50 percent decline in CFEDA. It then alerted
the number of cases of infectious diseases from 2007 CWS and within 1 week
to 2008, according to the Health Centre. the family received food,
a tent, mosquito nets,
Kumnit Thmey Organization (KNTO) works in 15 blankets, mats, and
cooking utensils, among
villages spread across 3 districts of 2 provinces: Banteay other necessities.
Meanchey and Oddar Meanchey. Since it arrived in
Tbaeng Thmei village in mid-2007 it has – among The family of 6 live in
other things – distributed mosquito nets, water filters, Banteay Ti Muoy village,
cattle, and seeds to the most vulnerable families and Malai District, Banteay
enhanced the link with the Health Centre (staff from the Meanchey province. The
center now visit the village to provide vaccinations for village cannot be reached
children). In February, KNTO began helping residents by road.
set up 3 Self Help Groups: the Advocacy, Goodwill
and Success groups.
These groups, which pool money among members,
are at the core of CWS’s development model. Besides
First responders
creating solidarity and capital for investment, they free
families from money lenders (from outside the village) Our Emergency Response unit is embedded with values and know-how that ensures that aid reaches those who
who charge a crippling rate of interest. need it most, that they get exactly what they need, and that it is distributed in a way that does not cause conflict
among recipients or diminish their sense of self worth. At the same time, we are working with communities,
The Cambodian Family Economic Development and individual families, and all levels of government to develop community-based disaster management. In
Cambodia, this is especially vital in flood or drought-prone areas.
Association (CFEDA) has helped set up 28 Self Help
Groups in the 17 villages it works in 2 districts of Banteay For example, in late 2007 flooding destroyed rice paddies in 4 villages of Bavel District, Battambang. By April
Meanchey. Combined, they link 300 households, who 2008, 45 families (240 people, 102 of whom were children) in these villages had no food and 9 were without
have so far accumulated over $3,000 of their own shelter because their homes had burnt down. Direct aid was made possible by a $1,860 grant from CWS New
money. Twenty of the groups have completed the York, after Village Disaster Volunteers alerted our development partner working in the villages (the Association
6-step process towards self-sufficiency and no longer for Development and Our Villagers’ Rights), which then requested assistance from CWS Cambodia. Each family
need to be closely monitored by CFEDA field staff. received enough food to last 1 month, and the families who lost their homes to fire received temporary shelters,
cooking utensils, water filters, blankets, and other basic necessities. This disaster, which could have had long-term
Members can borrow money to buy seeds, livestock and repercussions, was alleviated for just $7.75 per person.
poultry, as well as school materials for their children.
Villages with Self Help Groups are developing faster Importantly, CWS’s pioneering Community Based Disaster Risk
Management model has caught the government’s eye. The award
than those that lack them. Commune Councils can see presented (a gold medal) from the vice-director of the National Centre
this and they are asking CFEDA to expand to more for Disaster Management (H.E. Nhem Vannda, left) to our Director of
villages. Programming (Mr. Chhouk Chantha) is, of course, encouraging and
welcome; but what is most significant is that this infrastructure (embedded
with humanitarian values) is being developed in tandem with the Royal
Government of Cambodia They recognize the effectiveness of this made-
in-Cambodia model, as well as the fact that is inexpensive.
However, our Emergency Response unit faces a significant restraint, one
that is heartrending in the field. There are occasions when they lack the
supplies, due to funding constraints, to provide emergency assistance
to all households affected by natural disaster. Sometimes it is difficult to
identify the most vulnerable. How far can the standard be lowered?
Developing in Sight 29
 OUR FOCUS

C
ambodia remains one of the world’s least developed nations, despite the epic strides its people
have taken. The level of absolute poverty, especially in rural areas, remains intolerable. We will
not lose sight of this.

However, we intend to redouble our efforts to ensure that our partners – internationally and here
(including the Royal Cambodian Government) – do not avert their attention from those who need it
most. We will do this without increasing our minimal communications budget.*

During the next 4 years of our 7-year strategic plan we will:

 Enhance food security and health in the villages where we work, and urge the government and
other humanitarian agencies to make this their utmost priority

 Continue mentoring and learning from Cambodian NGOs, especially those alleviating poverty
and enhancing peace

 Shift resources for de-mining to Malai District, Banteay Meanchey

 Expand our Village-Based Disaster Management project

 Increase skills in Local Capacity for Peace at district, commune and village levels
 Expand training on Restorative Justice

 Strengthen our Village-Based Development model CWS Cambodia is deeply grateful for the ongoing moral, financial and technical
 Expand WatSan in Svay Rieng and share our expertise with government agencies and NGOs commitment of the many donors who sustain and encourage our work.
improving access to safe water and sanitation nationwide

 Conduct a country-wide program evaluation

 Develop a more coherent set of documents that explains our planning process and strategies, how reduce poverty protect refugees
we implement them and what the results are. prevent conflicts empower communities

* This annual report was researched, written, edited and designed for $2,500.

adpc
Funding (fiscal year)

$2,000,000
CWS Cambodia
$1,500,000
Phnom Penh
#69Z, Street 450, Tel: (+855)23 217 786 Email: info@cwscambodia.org
Sangkat Tuol Tumpun Pir, (+855)23 213 438 Website: www.cwscambodia.org
Khan Chamkar Mon Fax: (+855)23 216 014
$1,000,000

$500,000 Banteay Meanchey Battambang Kompong Thom Preah Vihear Svay Rieng
#517 St. 2, Group 20, #294, Grade 4, #69 Damrei Choan Tuek Kraham village, Street 208,
Souphi village, Kampong Rumchek Buon village, Khla St., Stueng Saen Tuek Kraham Commune, Roung Banlae village,
$- Svay Commune, Rotanak Commune, District, Kompong Choam Khsant District Svay Rieng District,
Serei Saophoan District Battambang town Thom town Cell Phone: Svay Rieng town
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Tel: (+855)54 958 660 Tel: (+855)53 952 468 Tel: (+855)62 961 262 (+855)99 720 029 Tel: (+855)44 945 823

Grant

30 Developing in Sight
 CWS Cambodia
2008

Developing
in Sight

Made-in-Cambodia Solutions
Since 1979