Eliminating Violence Against Women and Children

Dear Friends,

I believe that even though the world seems like a scary place right now, we are indeed advancing towards Women's rights and equality. In fact, the chaos of things right now may just be more light in the world pointing out what needs improvement. 

For example, people like you have been helping us decrease violence against women and girls in Siem Reap - or at least, this is what we try to do every single day. To do that, we carry out a multi-dimensional approach, and here are the wins we've had in every one of those:

Wellness Center Project: The Wellness Centre aims to welcome clients who need relief from stress and emotional support.

It also provides soft skills training on positive parenting tools and men's coffee talk to the parents from the communities. During this reporting period, the project team provided comprehensive counseling and referral services to 19 clients, offering

indirect counseling in 3 cases, legal support referrals in 5 cases, vocational training referrals in 1 case. The team also delivered critical food assistance and shelter renovation to 16 families facing extreme hardship and conducted home visits and assessments with 29 households to identify their unique needs and challenges. In total, 42 case management files, with 2 new cases opened during this timeframe. To strengthen family dynamics and promote gender equity, we conducted two sessions of the Women’s Empowerment Group attended by 17 women, focusing on self-care. Building on these sessions. Finally, our team took part in a multi-partner network meeting to promote project services and secure additional support for ongoing implementation. 

House of Families Project: The House of Families (HoF) project continues to create a safe and interactive space for families to connect, learn, and grow together. This quarter, the project team successfully engaged families through a variety of programs and activities designed to strengthen relationships, build skills, and foster community resilience.

The project team organized 8 indoor activities, engaging 148 participants (89 females, 18 males, 24 girls, and 17 boys). These activities, which included playful, artistic, educational, sporting, cooking, gardening, meditation, yoga, and salon events, aimed to strengthen family bonds, build self-confidence, and encourage leadership skills among participants. Additionally, the team conducted Men’s Coffee Talks and Parent Support Group with 2 sessions for 37 participants (17 females and 14 males, including 3 girls and 3 boys), focusing on critical topics such as men’s coffee talks, stress management, motivation, anger management, public speaking, financial literacy, and positive parenting. These workshops also addressed child development and parent well-being, equipping participants with the knowledge and tools to better support their families. To further understand the needs of families, the project team conducted 8 family visits, assessing the impact of the project and ensuring the program remains responsive to evolving community needs. In support of mental health, the team provided counseling support to 8 parents (8 females) from families actively engaged in the project. For families facing significant challenges, such as severe illness or financial hardship, the team delivered 6 emergency support packages, including health fees, food supplies, and legal aid, to help them sustain themselves and protect their children. Additionally, the project facilitated family exchange visits for 14 families (14 females, 4 male, 8 girls, and 4 boys), allowing them to learn from experienced families in their communities. This initiative aimed to share best practices, enhance project management skills, empower families, strengthen community networks, and foster ongoing collaboration. These efforts collectively contributed to building stronger, more resilient families and communities.

Safer City for Girls: The Safer Cities for Girls (SCG) project aims to build safe, inclusive cities for girls by raising awareness among young boys, girls, and the general population about creating safer urban environments. The project also seeks to amplify adolescent girls’ voices in the planning and development of Siem Reap. This quarter, the project achieved significant milestones through the following activities: The project significantly enhanced knowledge and skills in Gender Equality, Sexual Harrassment and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). A Training of Trainers (ToT) for 38 youth "Hero Ambassadors" (25 girls, 19 boys, 4 other genders) from 4 schools used participatory methods (debates, role-plays, etc.) and resulted in a 50.18% increase in SRHR knowledge and confidence. Youth Ambassadors (YA) organized a community dialogue at Krous Secondary School with 75 participants (59 youths, 1 health center staff, 5 teachers, 2 police, 4 authority leaders and 4 project team), discussing the HIV/AIDS pandemic and prevention mechanisms among youths after COVID-19. YA shared the relevant issues related to the topic of prevention mechanisms with the participants and also discussed the sexual harassment issues, which mostly happened in the communities. Additionally, the forum welcomed the questions from the participants who were involved in the event and the answers were provided by the chairpersons (health center staff, police, authority and teacher). Finally, the event was effectively understood and provided friendly negotiation between youths, teachers, and authority leaders in the HIV/AIDS and sexual harassment prevention mechanisms, by distributing the educational materials (calendars, leaflets on MHM, STIs/HIV, contraception) to provide accessible SRHR information. By this quarter, the project team has made significant progress in activities that empowered youth and community ambassadors with knowledge and skills, challenged harmful norms (especially around menstruation), disseminated crucial information through multiple channels, strengthened stakeholder collaboration, and positioned youth as confident leaders in driving SRHR awareness and access within their schools and communities.

The Young Women’s Entrepreneurship (YWE) project, part of the Women’s Resource Center (WRC), operates in Siem Reap province. The project aims to address the needs and challenges faced by women in urban Siem Reap by: 1. Developing entrepreneurial skills and essential competencies, and 2. Enhancing civic engagement through platforms and partnerships. The project empowers businesswomen aged 18–45 by providing them with knowledge, skills, and access to networks and resources. This enables them to establish and maintain sustainable businesses, amplify their voices, and contribute to broader societal platforms. A Women's Support Group (21 participants) received a platform for YWEs to share challenges (e.g., limited capital, market competition, time constraints) and solutions, fostering peer learning. The project facilitated significant networking, referring 31 women to partner workshops (IDE Cambodia, This Life Cambodia, WRC projects) on diverse topics. Business Visits and Follow-ups were conducted with 9 YWEs to observe the application of skills. Business Grant Support 9 YWEs ($3,600) was announced for YWEs who completed training and interviews, featuring a repayment plan over 8 months (3-month grace period). YWEs conducted the digital awareness sessions via a Facebook Live session on women's entrepreneurship, reaching 409 people and garnering 1.5K views, featuring YWEs as guest 4 | 5 Page speakers. Conducted the reflection workshop with 57 women on financial and business management for all women who were involved in the project implementation. By this quarter, the project team has made significant progress in activities that empower women entrepreneurs through enhanced financial literacy, practical business skills, peer support networks, access to grants, and expanded networking opportunities. Staff development and strategic partnerships strengthened project delivery and community reach.