Listening, observing, and reflecting during the monitoring visit

March 29, 2022

By: Saophorn Phoeng, Learning, Linking and Amplifier Officer

Excitedly, the Voice in Cambodia team made trips to the west and northeast of Cambodia for the first time since the Covid19 pandemic. At the moment, normality seems to be returning even though measures and social distance are still maintained and we prioritised precautions during the physical meeting.

The visit sought to dive deeper into our grantees work. We listened, observed, and reflected on five grantees’ insightful progress and challenges they have faced so far. We identified the team’s support needs. During a week’s visit, the Voice team visited several grantees, discussed activities, and saw the field site; we talked to the locals, and synergies with the project team. Along with the capacity strengthened, a refresher to fill the gap, and advice pouring. The debrief of monitoring visits agreed upon the action with continued support.

The first stop was at SAORI Organization located in Kompong Chhnang province. The team kicked off project activities started by engaging with a group of women with disabilities that are working towards a growing community. The team talked about what’s working well or not in a project and why/how. What practices contributed to fostering the project to a complete loop and a sharing linked to achieving visioning equality.

Even though the next next destination was long and far, we were excited to meeti with with the four grantees-partners in Battambang, a province in the northeast. The northeast has rich culture, natural resources. The voice team visited SafeSpaceBTB at Phare Ponleu Selpak campus at their environmentally-friendly office with rainbow color accessories and a rainbow flag waving at the side corner office at ease identifying. For a couple of months, the SafeSpaceBTB team conducted a peer to peer learning on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) and a mutual sharing with Lakhon Komnit Organization with support from Love Is Diversity (LID), an LBT network that is working on SOGIESC awareness-raising on specially advocate for equal rights. SafeSpaceBTB keeps up high energy driven in their activities deep down the LGBTI which is soon to come as a surprise and recreative video for amplification.

The upcoming official trailer video will be soon released. This is captured with the diverse participation of LGBTQIA+ with the combination of traditional and contemporary arts to promote the existence of the informal LGBTQIA+ in Battambang. The creative content is amazing so stay tuned!

Team catch up on project activities and coming content on Pride week and IDHOT

“The Voice team doesn’t not only share their resources, time, knowledge but also their commitment and passion with us! Bring beautiful support with networking and advice, and keep us under the wings! It means a lot to our community and us. We always need someone to support us while growing up and getting stronger. In exchange, we are giving all our passion and commitment for you to be proud of as the family and the kids.” _SafeSpaceBTB team

Lakhon Komnit Organization were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic but yet it isn’t a factor in stopping the project on community engagement and recruitment of a community member to form the key actors for performance. Chhum, a previous participant in the community theatre project, become the community outreach for the project in searching for particular women facing discrimination and violence, LGBTQIA+ and people with disability. The performance to celebrate inclusive and diverse voices is soon to come.

This paused a concern of Covid19 with a distance physical meeting.

HelpAge Cambodia has implemented an activity to promote the elderly voice by engaging CAN and OPA. The project seems to have a more significant impact on empowering, influencing, and strengthening capacity. As well as a policy level in engaging the government representative. A quarterly meeting is conducted to prepare for world health day on April 7, 2022, with the participation of 40 CAN and OPA, representatives from 5 provinces, and the capitals of HAC coverage. Critical priories on action taken are identified to celebrate world health day, particularly from each CAN and OPA, to continue the pathway journey.

CAN and OPA quarterly meeting

Men’s Health Social Service team visits the commune office where MHSS is trying to engage and empower the voice of LGBTQI to become a member of commune council development.

Team meeting with chef commune in Toul Ta Ek commune

The physical field monitoring visit hopefully sparked the energy of grantees as they continue to build pathways of change and create close collaboration.