Last Blog in Cambodia

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About our Work

Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development was established in 1992, by a group of local Khmer students who, at the time, were studying English behind the Royal Place. Peter Pond, an American and his foster Khmer-American son, supported these local youth in establishing an organization that would educate and empower poor people while encouraging them to become active volunteers in their communities. They named the organization “Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development”.

Initial funding for the start up of CVCD was given by generous individuals and by the King of Cambodia who donated $ 2000 USD. Today, CVCD has a budget of about $250,000 to support its projects and administrative costs. Currently, CVCD has 4 major programs to train and support Cambodia’s poor.

We described the Primary School Program in our first blog. This program, which is referred to as the Non- Formal Education program at CVCD, operates 5 Khmer literacy schools in communities on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. The program targets the poorest students, based on household assessments and family interviews. These schools offer primary level education (grades 1- 6) and operate five days a week. Each student spends two to three hours per day in class, so that there will also be time to support their family’s need to earn a living in downtown Phnom Penh.

CVCD also provides English, Japanese and Computer training classes to older children and adults at its English and Computer Training Center in Phnom Penh. Students attend class for an hour each day, five days a week. Classes range from beginner to advanced and are supplemented with conversation sessions. Fifty percent of students are able to contribute $3 per month for their course of study. This is the only project which doesn’t receive donor funding. Many visitors to Cambodia find their way to the school and offer their time teaching classes and volunteering to speak with the students to help them practice their English.

CVCD’s Sewing Out Poverty Program was developed to teach women how to use sewing machines, measure material, cut patterns and darn. The trainees also gain experience during the course working in a tailoring shop located near the center to practice making products for local clients. CVCD assists graduating students in establishing their own small tailoring business. To be eligible for loans, students must successfully complete all disciplines of the course and hold a satisfactory attendance level. The loan (valued at $100) consists of a sewing machine and materials (cloths, needles, cottons, and fibers). A course in business and marketing is also offered to students while they are studying at the center.

Participants in the sewing project must meet the following criteria:
• Live in close proximity to the training center
• Hold an established savings account in the community
• Have been through some sort of crisis (former prostitute, single mother, orphan)
• Possess basic Khmer literacy and mathematical skills
• Be from a large family (between 5-10 immediate members) whose daily income is below 5000 Riel ($1.25USD)
• Display a willingness and motivation to complete the course and improve their current living and financial situation

Judy was fortunate to visit the minifactory established by one of CVCD’s graduates, a 25 year old woman who opened her shop with the participation of relatives and friends from her family’s village and a loan from CVCD. This type of entrepreneurial operation is preferred by most garment workers to the large factories which ring Phenm Penh’s outskirts. These minifactories provide their workers with flexible work schedules and a share of the profits.

Finally, CVCD is preparing to open it’s Rice Mill Training Center in Battambang. Next week the Center will begin to train community representatives in a 3 month agriculture and farming program. The participants in this program will go back to their villages and serve as trainers and advisors to the people of the village to improve their farming skills and profitability from their rice production.

CVCD is also building its own rice mill which will serve as a training opportunity for impoverished and disabled Cambodians to acquire the skills needed to produce polished rice. CVCD Plans to sell the rice on a discounted basis to the residents of the communities where the Primary Schools are located. CVCD will make a small profit on its rice sales and the community members will pay less for their most important food.

Since David and I have arrived in Phnom Penh, we’ve been working to improve the financial management of CVCD’s projects. For several years, the organization has been unable to produce accurate and clear reports for its funders. When we arrived things had gotten so bad that most funders were withholding their donations until they were assured that reports would be forthcoming. A number of things contributed to the inability to track and monitor expenses. First, the organization did a terrible job of getting and recording receipts. In addition, they had almost no systems for generating either project or organization-wide financial reports. Expenses were not properly matched to donations, and the Head Office did not have enough money to pay for its staff and expenses.

Since we got here we’ve been able to facilitate the hiring of a dynamic young woman who has functioned as the Accountant at another NGO. In the 3 weeks since she’s arrived, she’s already made a difference. She’s worked on creating the financial systems and processes, while David and I have looked at the expenses of the specific programs to test the accuracy of the data she will load into her program. There is still much to do but the organization is on its way to fixing its financial problems.

We’ve worked on many other things as well (organizational structure, position descriptions, selecting an auditing firm, and creating numerous budgets and spreadsheets of expenses and projections). It’s been at times tedious work and we may not know for at least a year whether our efforts have paid off with either the donors or the organization. We can only hope.

The most inspiring and rewarding aspect of our assignment has been the time we’ve spent with some of the young people with whom we’ve worked. They are struggling to go to school to get degrees and to learn English. And they make so little money that it is difficult to afford their schooling. They recognize how important it is for them and for Cambodia to build the capacity of its young workers. We’ve been inspired by them.

Today was our last day at the office. We’ve made and distributed our to-do lists for select staff (including the Executive Director) and we said our good byes. We’ve promised to stay in touch and even review some of the reports they will begin to produce. It willl be our pleasure to continue to support these wonderful programs.

In two days we meet our son and daughter-in-law and granddaughter in Thailand. We can’t wait.

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Comments

[Sam]

I am inspired by the CVCD. The Sewing Project is wonderful. I want to hear more about the community leaders, the students and your adventures.