Gender Equality Cambodia Project #7034

Empower HIV+ Women in Cambodia to Start a Business

by Salvation Centre Cambodia

Project Report | Jan 12, 2012
A New Road Out of Poverty

By Kristy Becerra and Mitchell Farrar | Advisor and Volunteer

S'rei Mom showcases the work of SCC students

Salvation Centre Cambodia continues to be amazed at the generosity of individuals like you. Your donations have enabled us to continue to provide vocational training and interest free microloans to the poorest of the poor, many of whom are women with HIV/AIDS.

Yup S’rei Mom is just one of those women who receives support from Salvation Centre Cambodia. Yup S’rei Mom is 22 years old and lives in a rural village near Battambang with her elderly parents, her brother and her sister. Mom was lucky enough to have reached grade 12 in school, however, because so much of her home time was dedicated to caring for her frail mother and father, she did not have enough time to study and subsequently failed her final year exams. Because of her exam results and her family’s low income of only $5.50 per day, there was no way her education could continue any further.

Instead Mom went to live and work with neighbours in her community in the city of Poipet, at the border of Thailand. Rather than receiving pay, she was given servings of rice and accommodations in return for making alterations to clothes produced in Poipet. Feeling isolated from her family and with no prospects to a better future, Mom was in a vulnerable situation.

After being informed by a friend that there was a vacant position in the sewing class at Salvation Centre Cambodia, she embraced the opportunity. After nearly a year of training, Mom is headed for a brighter future; a future that will enable her to support herself and her family. The ability to create her own clothing and accessories has given Mom a new sense of pride and self esteem. She is able to share her experiences and teach others in her village, creating a ripple effect of skilled local talent.

Mom’s dream is to work with all styles of clothing so that she will be able to open her own shop and contribute to supporting her family.

To all Global Giving donors, Mom says “Thank you so much for supporting poor families like mine. Now I can learn sewing skills and have fun at the same time with my new friends. But please continue to donate money to SCC. Sometimes material and equipment is damaged or is of a poor quality and we cannot use it. We need money to pay for repairs or to buy new and better quality materials. I wish good blessings, good luck and good fortune for you and your families. Thank you again”.

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Jun 16, 2011
Hope and Pride in Sewing Training Program

By Mitchell Farrar | Volunteer

Pou Somphors learning to sew

Thanks to your generous donations through GlobalGiving, Salvation Centre Cambodia in Battambang has been able to make additional interest-free loans to impoverished women, many living with HIV/AIDS. We have also applied the donations to our vocational sewing program, purchasing fabric and sewing materials, as well as providing lunch for its participants. This training program offered by SCC gives young women from poor families, often living with HIV/AIDS the chance to develop new skills for themselves such that after graduating they will be able to generate their own income and provide a better future for their families.

Pou Somphors is one of these young women. Somphors’ mother died when she was just a teenager and she was left as the figurehead of the family, caring for her much younger sister and older grandmother. Somphors learned about the sewing training program through a family member that attended an HIV/AIDS self help group, another one of the many programs offered by SCC to support people living with HIV/AIDS. With an opportunity to gain skills and independently generate income, Somphors jumped at the chance. Somphors lives 16km from the training center and, although this initially posed a problem, generation donations enabled SCC to buy a bicycle for Somphors so that she could ride to and from class.

Now, at the age of 21, Somphors has been in the training full-time for one year. Her dream, she says, is to become sufficient in all styles of sewing and satisfy all types of customers while she is running her own business.

“Thank you so much for supporting everything offered to us in the class, and especially for the bicycle”, said Somphors. “It would not be possible for me or other girls from poor families to go to sewing classes were it not for the donations that paid for our bicycles. I would also like to thank SCC for the food we are given in the afternoon, easing the burden on my family’s living costs.”

The SCC-Battambang vocational sewing program gives young women from poor families both pride in their own work as well as hope for a more prosperous future.

Thank you for being part of the SCC family and supporting our work to combat the economic hardships that HIV imposes on women and their families in rural Cambodia.

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Mar 15, 2011
Awarding Best practice NGO & Individual

By Rotha, Sina | Program Manager, Media Advisor

Salvation Centre Cambodia (SCC) was awarded for the best performance as an organization and for funding management, particularly in building organizational leadership and programmatic management for contributing to the success of KHANA's* three year Strategic Plan 2008-2010. SCC was selected through a technically comprehensive screening and process of evaluation including a short listing for KHANA's partners for program implements (PHDs) and by KHANA's Awarding Selection Committee. SCC received the award for best practice institution of the year in the community HIV/AIDS response for contributing the success of KHANA's three year Strategic Plan.

The general annual ceremony for KHANA's partners was organized by KHANA in the afternoon of 26th January 2011 at the Imperial Hotel. The aim of the ceremony was to review the achievements, challenges and lessons learnt from the program implementation for KHANA and the implementing partners. Additionally KHANA and, its partners for implementation wanted to harmonize the plan for the coming year and share KHANA's strategic plan for 2011-2015 (KSP15) with relevant stakeholder.

Besides providing to the organization, individuals were awarded for the best persons in practical activists to fighting against HIV/AIDS in communities for contributing to the success of KHANA's three year strategic plan.

Mr. Tep Monyrotha, SCC Program Manager, was selected by KHANA' awarding selection committee to be awarded the champion of year for best practice person as practical activist for the long and outstanding contribution in HIV/AIDS responses at the community levels.

*KHANA is a linking organization and local partner of SCC in Cambodia. Further information are available on http://www.khana.org.kh/.

Links:

News on the SCC homepage

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