Cufa, with support from the British Embassy in Phnom Penh, has been running a project with the specific focus of strengthening Cambodian women’s voices and encouraging participation within communities.
The project, Women Empowerment and Engagement in Democracy, has been formed through our Credit Union Development project and extensive experience working in rural Cambodia has assisted us in the project’s implementation. It has been delivered across 21 villages in four provinces and measures the participation rates of women in organisations such as credit unions and village committees. The results have seen a higher participation rate and deeper engagement for women within communities. This will enable women to gain skills in areas such as public speaking and create a platform for networking, both within and across rural communities.
The project covers four key topic areas:
- Benefits of community engagement
- Confidence building
- Public speaking
- Women’s networking forums
Romam Ki (pictured right) is a 25-year-old farmer living in the Ratanakiri Province in rural Cambodia with her husband and three children. Cufa spoke with her recently about her experiences in the project so far!
“I was incredibly excited upon hearing that this project was being implemented in my community! I am very appreciative of this female empowerment project and I have been able to learn, along with others in my community, how women’s rights work in a democracy.”
Initially, Romam was extremely scared of public speaking and even writing in a public meeting. She did not feel comfortable in environments of more than 10 people. However, after participating in the project she had an unexpected change in attitude.
Her family told her, “You are a woman, you should stay at home to take care of your family.” Additionally, her husband also asked, “What benefit did you get from the project? How much money will you make? Why are you participating?”
Romam continued to tell people “I want to change my life and build my confidence. From this project, I can learn about the realities of life and develop my opinions and attitudes.”
After participating in various meetings and training with Cufa she began to learn and she highlighted capacity development as an area that she enjoyed, helping her increase her ability, be brave, confident and build experience. She was able to share her knowledge and experience as well. She began to understand more about the problems of women in her community and how to solve them.
One day Romam was selected by the local authority to be a female activist in her community.
“This made me very happy as I was selected for such a position and the project has helped me empower my life.”
She had to say of her involvement, “I would like to thank Cufa Cambodia and the UK Embassy in Phnom Penh for starting this project in my community. I am extremely happy to be increasing my confidence and ability to share knowledge within the community. I hope Cufa will continue to support the community and other women who have not participated in the project.”
