The overall goal and objectives of the project is to promote transformative leadership for good governance and human rights in Cambodia through capacity building and strengthening the network of the female commune councilors. The forum provides opportunity to female commune councilors, from across party, for self-learning and self organization in which they can identify their own issues for discussion and for development of strategies for solution. A 3 years exit strategy was designed with an objective to sustain the forum. Through the 3 years exit strategy, additional effort was made for the female commune councilors to be able to assume the responsibility as forum’s facilitator and organizer, and advocate for financial support to sustain the forum.
TARGET GROUP/AREAS
297 Female Commune Councilors from across party, 265 communes, 75 districts.
9 provinces (Preah Vihear, Battambang, Kg. Thom, Kg. Cham, Pursat, Siem Reap, Kandal, Takeo, Svay Reang)
DONORS
There are several donors contributed to the outcome of the project: USAID/TAF/PACT, Oxfam GB, GTZ, French-Embassy (FSD), Forum Syd, NLCS, UNFPA/MoWA, Provincial and District authorities, and a number of NGOs.
ACTIVITIES
1- Provincial Round Table Discussion
The goal of the provincial round table discussion is to integrate Forum for Female Commune Councilors into the decentralization system and to generate recognition and support from all decentralization stakeholders, for its sustainability.
2- Forum for Female Commune Councilor’s Network A total of 33 female commune councilors (FCCs) from each province meet three times per year in a two-days forum for self learning and self organization. The 33 FCCs elected 6 FCCs, from across party, to assume the responsibility from Women for Prosperity as forum’s facilitator and organizer for its sustainability. WfP meet with FCFs one day before forum to prepare and provide necessary skills that equip them to become
forum’s facilitator and organizer. Then the FCFs practices facilitation skills during the two-days forum.
Skills and Information provided during forum includes:
- Role and responsibilities of CCs,
- Good governance,
- Gender and decentralization,
- Facilitation skills,
- CMDGs and CCWC,
- Problem solving,
- Transparency & Accountability,
- Advocacy, lobby,
- Leadership skills,
- Action plan
- Public speaking,
- Communication skills,
- Good listening skills,
- Partnership building,
- People mobilization,
- Writing concept paper,
- Report writing,
- Minute taking,
- Feedback
3- Production of Video Spots To project good role model of women leading commune/sangkat affairs, and to encourage more women’s desire to involve in politics, a set of criteria was designed to select female commune councilors from different political parties who have demonstrate outstanding achievement in their work, to share their stories with the public through media spots.
4- Study Tour The objectives of the study tour is to provide opportunity for the Female Commune Facilitator (FCFs) from each province to visit model communes that lead by women, and to learn of projects and activities that initiated by female commune councilors.
5- Directory WFP’s media team was able to collect data information from 684 female commune/sangkat councilors or 64%, who from 603 commune within 193 districts of a total 18 provinces and municipalities. This directory servers as a historical resource document as it provided information related to the basic profile information of the female commune/sangkat councilors, including their motivation to run as councilors, their challenges in performing their work as well as on how they overcome those challenges and future outlook. A total of 300 copies were published.
6- Coaching/Mentoring The objectives of coaching/mentoring is to provide support to the female commune councilors who have been identified as having difficulty or challenges in advocating with commune chief or the commune council to get their messages across. Comparing from the first visit to the second, it showed that the Commune Councils (CCs) know very little about the forum, and that the female councilors were not able to fully advocate or inform the CC of what they have learnt during forums. However, during the second visit, every one knows well about the forum and seems to appreciate the FCC’s contribution as well as the visit from WfP’s team. The CCs admitted that previously the FCCs were lack of confidence in attending the CC monthly meeting, even they are there, they hardly mention or raise any issue. But now, they seem to gain confidence and raise a lot of issue related to women and children, and involve in different activities especially in conflict resolution using experience learn from the forum. The communication between FCCs and commune chiefs as well as with other commune council’s members and clerks were improved.
7- National Round Table Discussion
Toward the end of each year, a National Round Table Discussion was jointly organized by MoI and WfP, with a goal to report on the outcome of the implementation of the 3 Years Exit Strategy. The last event took place on March 27, 2009 at MoI meeting hall, received a total of 151 participants (99 female, 52 male) who came from MoI, MoWA, DoLA, Provincial governor, PLAU, Commune Council Association, Department of Women’s Affairs,Female Councilors Facilitators (FCFs), Donors, NGOs, Media and WfP’s staffs. Several positive achievements were made due to full cooperation and support from MoI,
DoLA, PLAU, the provincial authorities, Women for Prosperity, and especially the financial support from donors. At the closing ceremony, a total of 18 Bicycles forDemocracy were given to the female commune facilitators, which came from strong effort and generous contribution of Mrs. Kate Hamilton, director Australian Programs IFSA-Butler University, and UNIFEM Australia. H.E Ms Chou Bun Eng, Secretary of State, Ministry of Interior thanks WfP as well as the provincial authorities, for good cooperation and effort to sustain the forum. She encouraged the provincial authorities to continue this effort to show that women and children issues are on the provincial’s agenda for discussion every month and that the female commune councilors network is sustain.
