Quaker Service Australia
Cambodia
For many of the overseas projects, additional funds have been sourced from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, or DFAT under the Australian NGO Cooperation Program funding.Department of Women’s Affairs, Kampong Thom.
Funded by QSA and DFAT, $44,666
Enhanced food and water security for three rural communities.
Project results
60 trainees (49 women) have received extensive training and established home food gardens, growing a range of 5-10 vegetables, herbs and fruit trees. This has enabled increased food security but limited experience to date has given 7 months food security in first year of a two year training program. 87% farmers in the second year of their training have greatly benefitted from refresher training and 100% were able to increase home grown food security to year-round. In addition, 90% of participants report an increase in income of around $60 per month, with greater income during the dry season when vegetable prices are higher. This has enabled families to improve living conditions with household repairs, and supply basic needs and clothes. However knowing what crops to grow for enhanced nutrition is also important, and 60 pregnant women and mothers of children under 2 years of age have been trained in nutrition and basic health as a means of enhancing maternal and child wellbeing.
Kampong Thom Province – secure water wells and household toilet provided by the project.
Photo credit: Department of Women’s Affairs, Kampong Thom.
Water security is also a significant issue in this region. 15 wells have been constructed for 15 families and their near neighbours to safely access water for domestic use and irrigation for 10 months of the year. 15 additional families have had a toilet constructed near their house, and related training in hygiene and sanitation has been provided to 120 villagers in attempts to reduce open defecation.
Challenges
During the past year there has been considerably less flooding in comparison to earlier years so that agricultural activities have not been so adversely affected. However access to water for irrigation by hand or drip system does make a significant difference to crop yield, quality and nutritional value, as has been noted in regular monitoring reports. Easy access to local markets is a further factor in income opportunities.
Funding allocated has not enabled every family in the selected villages to become involved in the project at the same time, requiring prioritisation via implementation of the community determined selection criteria. Some community members may be particularly keen to learn but have limited time available to devote to their home food gardens as they need to continue paid employment elsewhere or extensive home duties take up their time. These families may only benefit from dietary enhancement from consuming their produce and have insufficient to sell.
Training course in permaculture, Kampong Thom. Photo credit: Department of Women’s affairs, Kampong Thom.
Khmer Community Development.
Funded by QSA and DFAT, $62,923
Inter-ethnic development in the border area of Kandal Province
Project results
This project is part of a larger and more long term program funded by other donors and is working overall towards enhancing community cohesion among the Khmer, Vietnamese and Khmer-Vietnamese people living in a rural area in Kandal Province, close to the border with Vietnam.
As a means of increasing livelihood opportunities, training has been given in organic farming techniques. In the past year, 39 farmers have gained confidence as they transition to growing crops organically as a result of the workshops provided. Agriculturally based enterprises involving 91 families reported a 30% increase in income. Micro finance schemes have increased in popularity, with a 31% increase in membership and 56% of all borrowers have taken loans for small businesses such as increasing the number of livestock or poultry, buying seeds, fishing nets and increasing business stock. All ethnic groups have membership of savings and credit groups.
Chart from KCD shows the increase in number of savers and borrowers There were 125 savers (w=92) in year 2015 and 141 savers (w=103) in year 2016. There were 51 borrowers (w=44) in year 2015 and 53 borrowers (w=49) in year 2016. Credit: Khmer Community Development.
This project also provided workshops to raise awareness of issues such as domestic violence, attended by 142 people, community leadership team building workshops to 75 people and in particular to empowering women to stand as candidates for elected leader positions. Eight women stood as candidates and five were elected.
Challenges
Ferry access to nearby Vietnam and its markets was closed for several months during the year. It was reopened after the commune elections which caused disruption to regular sales of home-grown produce. This resulted in the new idea of a local market being formed.
For parents there is a reluctance for their children to travel to school via the major road due to the high traffic volume now that it is completed. There has also been a need to provide road safety training within the community and school classes as this is such a new feature in this remote region.
The efficiency of growing organically needs to be demonstrated to farmers in order that they can see for themselves that the system works and is cost effective. This then encourages them to transition from their familiar farming techniques.
How to share the profits derived from the community-based micro-enterprises can be a difficult decision. The project partner encourages collective decision-making about the profit margin to be shared, and encourages a percentage to be allocated to support the extreme poor within the community.
Khmer Community Development – workshop on health and hygiene, and key staff members.
Photo credit: Khmer Community Development.
The lack of capacity to speak both Khmer and Vietnamese amongst the majority of people and in particular the staff has been recognised as another potential constraint to reducing inter-ethnic tensions. KCD has built relationships with people able to speak both languages and staff are undergoing training to facilitate greater communication and joint training workshops.
Ms. Sreang Sopheap in Prek Chrey explaining her experiences of organic farming to community members; QSA’s Jackie Perkins meeting members of the Peace Club in Prek Chrey. Photo credit: Khmer Community Development.
Department of Women’s Affairs, Pursat.
Funded by QSA and DFAT, $72,515
Poverty alleviation and development of business capacity in Pursat Province
Project results
The Department of Women’s Affairs in Pursat has worked with 100 women village leaders, providing training about the role of women, child protection issues, inclusiveness especially for people with disabilities, and how to work with village leaders to achieve greater results and to encourage more inclusive decision-making. This training gave them greater confidence in their role as elected leaders, and they then went on to share the information with over 7,800 community members.
100 farmers have increased their skills and confidence through training in permaculture, enabling them to create home food gardens, growing 5-10 vegetable varieties, nutritious herbs and fruit trees. Successful and productive food gardens become a great motivator for the trainees, leading to continued application of knowledge with many neighbours learning from their example.
Project participants displaying their home food gardens. Photo credit: QSA
The addition of training in seed saving and fruit tree grafting techniques reduces financial outlays in future years, and the knowledge of the nutritional value of the crops grown adds to enhanced health and wellbeing. Each trainee received training over two years, ensuring their good understanding and application, despite differing learning abilities.
The produce grown, aside from improving health and wellbeing for the family, enabled the sale of surplus, generating $65 - $165 per month for participants depending on their skills and size of land available for use. 56% of the project participants achieved year round food security and anecdotal evidence from them suggests a reduction in illness by the participants and their families.
All staff attended a training workshop on the special needs of people with disabilities and child protection issues. This has helped marginalised groups become more involved in the project and the staff to have a better understanding of their needs.
Challenges
The challenge from the previous project and its permaculture trainees who have insufficient time to establish home food gardens has been addressed in this current project by strengthening selection criteria and 100% achievement rate has now been achieved. However, access to water for most of the year and the size of land available for agricultural use are key factors affecting the degree of success in the food gardens.
Access to local markets for sales of produce is important, though transportation is often an issue if greater distances are involved. A way around this for the more remote trainees, is that neighbours now willingly purchase from them directly.
For some women village leaders, they may have poor comprehension of the role, therefore requiring additional training. They may also have extensive home duties or need paid employment to support their families, which reduces their time available for the role, and makes the additional training all the more valuable.
Discussing child protection issues can be a challenge when so many poor families rely on their children as labourers to help with peak season tasks on the land such as planting or harvesting or to care for younger siblings. This means they potentially miss school for weeks at a time.
Some very poor families do not have access to water from a well or river, or to water storage vessels, inhibiting their food garden success. This project has purchased water storage pots and lids for each family to assist in this regard. It also means that during a drought when the government distributes water by tanker, everyone can benefit.
Concrete water pots and storage containers distributed by the project.
Photo credit: QSA
Bunrany Hun Sen Development Centre and the Production and Marketing Services Association, Pursat.
Funded by QSA and DFAT, $95,858
Poverty alleviation and development of business capacity in Pursat Province
Project results
During the past year this vocational training centre’s staff have worked hard to change its focus to become a production centre. Products sold include woven grass and bamboo floor mats; scarves made from cotton and silk with some dyed with natural dyes; bags and household items; woven baskets and sewn clothing. Sales occur at the Centre’s showroom, via the website and to traders who place large quantity orders. A recent initiative has involved a mobile shop touring to the more remote villages in the province.
90% of the handicraft trainees and producers at the Centre derive an increased income of $130 per month from the sale of the completed items. 60 women completed a comprehensive six month training course in vocational handicraft skills, and 80% of them have since opened up individual micro enterprises with the rest have secured employment elsewhere.
The consistency of the production quality of the completed handicraft items needs to be maintained for repeat sales. Stock handling and storage methods in use now ensure the quality of the finished product is maintained, and accurate stock records ensure orders to traders can be fulfilled on time.
Finishing the edges to floor mats; range of bags on display in the showroom. Photo credit: QSA
Rural communities in the province have gained an increased awareness of their legal rights, ways of reducing domestic violence and enhancing child protection. Staff also completed training to raise their awareness of the needs of people with disabilities, and at the centre two disability access toilets have been constructed to accomodate people with disabilities.
Disability access toilet signs at the centre. Photo credit: QSA
Challenges
For handicraft production, the fashionable shade of a colour is very important and varies each season. This is particularly onerous when selling to a commercial outlet with precise requirements that are difficult to achieve, such as repeat colour shades when using natural dyes - which the Centre tries to use when possible for environmental purposes and greater worker safety.
The proximity to the Pursat garment factory employing many thousands of young people in cramped and difficult conditions but with regular salaries has meant that many trainees prefer to obtain work there rather than establishing their own micro-enterprise with varying income. This also had the effect of reducing the number of trained producers for the Centre.
Staff at Bunrany Hun Sen Development Centre with Production and Marketing Services Association. Photo credit: QSA.
The opportunity to acquire the raw materials (grass, cane, and bamboo) is not always easy due to climate affecting the growth and quality of the products which impacts on the cost. These additional costs have to be factored in to the finished item, which could mean that the retail price is less competitive with other producers, reducing sales.
Staff at Bunrany Hun Sen Development Centre with Production and Marketing Services Association. Photo credit: QSA
The opportunity to acquire the raw materials (grass, cane, and bamboo) is not always easy due to climate affecting the growth and quality of the products which impacts on the cost. These additional costs have to be factored in to the finished item, which could mean that the retail price is less competitive with other producers, reducing sales.
Bunrany Hun Sen Development Centre and the Production and Marketing Services Association, Pursat.
Funded by QSA and DFAT, $95,858
Poverty alleviation and development of business capacity in Pursat Province
Project results
During the past year this vocational training centre’s staff have worked hard to change its focus to become a production centre. Products sold include woven grass and bamboo floor mats; scarves made from cotton and silk with some dyed with natural dyes; bags and household items; woven baskets and sewn clothing. Sales occur at the Centre’s showroom, via the website and to traders who place large quantity orders. A recent initiative has involved a mobile shop touring to the more remote villages in the province.
90% of the handicraft trainees and producers at the Centre derive an increased income of $130 per month from the sale of the completed items. 60 women completed a comprehensive six month training course in vocational handicraft skills, and 80% of them have since opened up individual micro enterprises with the rest have secured employment elsewhere.
The consistency of the production quality of the completed handicraft items needs to be maintained for repeat sales. Stock handling and storage methods in use now ensure the quality of the finished product is maintained, and accurate stock records ensure orders to traders can be fulfilled on time.
Finishing the edges to floor mats; range of bags on display in the showroom. Photo credit: QSA
Rural communities in the province have gained an increased awareness of their legal rights, ways of reducing domestic violence and enhancing child protection. Staff also completed training to raise their awareness of the needs of people with disabilities, and at the centre two disability access toilets have been constructed to accomodate people with disabilities.
Disability access toilet signs at the centre. Photo credit: QSA
Challenges
For handicraft production, the fashionable shade of a colour is very important and varies each season. This is particularly onerous when selling to a commercial outlet with precise requirements that are difficult to achieve, such as repeat colour shades when using natural dyes - which the Centre tries to use when possible for environmental purposes and greater worker safety.
The proximity to the Pursat garment factory employing many thousands of young people in cramped and difficult conditions but with regular salaries has meant that many trainees prefer to obtain work there rather than establishing their own micro-enterprise with varying income. This also had the effect of reducing the number of trained producers for the Centre.
Staff at Bunrany Hun Sen Development Centre with Production and Marketing Services Association. Photo credit: QSA.
The opportunity to acquire the raw materials (grass, cane, and bamboo) is not always easy due to climate affecting the growth and quality of the products which impacts on the cost. These additional costs have to be factored in to the finished item, which could mean that the retail price is less competitive with other producers, reducing sales.
Staff at Bunrany Hun Sen Development Centre with Production and Marketing Services Association. Photo credit: QSA
The opportunity to acquire the raw materials (grass, cane, and bamboo) is not always easy due to climate affecting the growth and quality of the products which impacts on the cost. These additional costs have to be factored in to the finished item, which could mean that the retail price is less competitive with other producers, reducing sales.
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