Tag Archives: Heifer Cambodia

Community Organizer for Heifer Cambodia Project Wins Award

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It’s exciting when Heifer is able to make connections between people and groups that might never have otherwise happened. Heifer International recently helped nominate a talented young Cambodian women for recognition from Students Rebuild and Half the Sky Movement, and now we’ve learned that she was selected as one of the five award winners. This means a cash prize of $10,000 for her to spend on her community project of choice.

Lay Savorn is one of the community organizers who helps implement a Heifer project in Cambodia. She plans to use the prize money to open an agricultural supply shop to sell goods to farmers in her community at reduced prices, with proceeds benefiting local elderly, women and children.

Young women in Cambodia wins award from Half the Sky, Students Rebuild

Ley Savorn of Cambodia

To create the award, Half the Sky Movement – created by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, authors of The New York Times bestseller “Half the Sky” – partnered with Students Rebuild, an initiative of the Bezos Family Foundation that mobilizes young people worldwide to connect, learn and take collective action on critical global issues. Winners of the awards were selected by a panel of judges and a public vote.

The daughter of a traditional musician and a farmer in the Battambang district of Cambodia, Ley became a community facilitator in Dak Sor Sor village, organizing 597 families into self-help groups for a Heifer International project. The shop she plans to open will supply fertilizer, agriculture materials and groceries to area communities at reasonable prices, cutting out the middlemen. Profits will go to assist elderly people and vulnerable women and children in her community. Ley wants to see every child in the village go to school.

Ley currently leads a new cooperative of 120 families named “Poleu Strey,” which means “Women’s Light” in English. It became a formal cooperative in 2012 and has pooled $3,000 as a revolving credit fund. “What I want to see from my work is people in my community live harmoniously with dignity, have food security for the whole year, share their own resources to support lonely elders, liberate victimized women from domestic violence and assist women and children to live in dignity and prosperity,” she says.

From the Field: Training and Education Empowers Women Worldwide

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This weekly post shines a light on a handful of stories from Heifer.org’s “From the Field”From the Field section.

Using available resources is not always simple. Training and education is needed for many people to effectively improve their lives. For women around the world, Heifer International and its partners are providing that knowledge. When South Africa’s government provided water tanks to Mabheleni Village, many residents lacked the skills to use the new resource. Participation in Heifer’s Sukuma Poultry Project helped village woman Ntombizethu gain knowledge to manage and improve her two and half acre garden. Ntombizethu said Heifer’s training has brought positive change to her family.

Cusco woman learns to spin alpaca fiber into thread.

Photo by Bryan Clifton, courtesy of Heifer International

Heifer Research Assistant Jessica Ford recently experienced firsthand the philosophy of Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development. Ford met with eight southern Peru women’s groups as they learned how to spin alpaca fiber into thread. After the workshop, Heifer presented each group with a new spinning machine. This training in the Cusco community empowers women and their families, moving them toward a more sustainable future.

In Cambodia’s Ampao Prey village, Ouk Sam On lives with her husband and two children. When their rice yield did not supply enough food for the year, she and her husband had to leave their village to labor for a small income in Phnom Penh City. After partnering with Heifer-funded Cambodia Farmer Economic Development (CFED), Sam On attended workshops and trainings for leadership and project management. Because of her education, Sam On was able to enhance her farm’s productivity and authorities selected her as a Community Facilitator in charge of children and women’s affairs.

Golden Talent in Cambodia

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Editor’s note: The story and photos below were submitted by Nou Samnang, a program officer for Heifer Cambodia.

Son Sinath holds her Golden Talent Award certificate.

Son Sinath holds her Golden Talent Award certificate.

Son Sinath and her family received the 2012 Golden Talent Award in Cambodia in a ceremony on December 28, 2012, in Dak Sorsor village, O’Mal commune, Battambang city, Battambang province. The joyful event was attended by self-help group (SHG) members, the commune chief, the village chief, project management committee members, Heifer Cambodia staff, Akphiwat Strey (AS) representatives, and the Agricultural Development Cooperative (ADC) advisory board. Through Heifer’s Women Empowerment and Holistic Community Development project, Sinath’s family received ducks, seeds and fruit trees to develop their homestead garden. They have used the knowledge, skills and experiences from Heifer’s trainings to propel them forward, transforming their gifts into sustainable sources of income. Heifer International Foundation provided the $1,000 cash award, $200 of which was given to Sinath. The remaining $800 went to the SHG for a community benefit project.

“Our community has reached great achievements over the past three years, after joining the Heifer project, working together to reach our goal and improve our families’ standard of living,” said Lai Savorn, a community facilitator for the project and ADC leader. “Our community members are very proud of receiving the GTA in the name of Sinath, who is also a part of the ADC. The award is an impetus for our community to work harder to develop our community resources. We will use this award to expand businesses in our cooperative.”

Participants at the ceremony

Courtesy of Heifer International

“This great award is an honor, not only for Sinath, but also for AS, the whole community and the local authorities of all levels who sacrifice for and support the Heifer-funded project implementation to be successful,” said Thaong Thavrin, executive director of AS, to ceremony participants. “I would like to express my deep thanks to Heifer for its partnership and support.”

Chhem Ty, the community chief, gave a speech at the award ceremony. He said he was very inspired by the development, harmony and solidarity that the people in his community have achieved with assistance from Heifer in partnership with AS. Chhem Ty said that the ceremony was a testimony of the endeavors of the SHG members and women’s empowerment, as well as the strong collaboration between local authorities and civil society organizations. He encouraged community members to work harder to receive even more successes.

“My family is very happy to receive the award that we had never dreamed before,” said Sinath. “We always regard Heifer and the AS as our second parents. They help us to help ourselves through providing both material and mental support. My family will use this award to enhance our swine production and dry-season rice to get more income.”

Son Sinath accepts her award.

Son Sinath accepts her award.

In July 2009, Sinath’s family joined the Heifer-funded Women Empowerment and Holistic Community Development project. They received 10 ducks (nine female and one male), and a month later they were given seeds (string beans, morning glory, and eggplant) and fruit trees (mango and grapefruit). In June 2011, Sinath sold some of her ducks and chickens to buy two pregnant sows. One of her sows is still pregnant, and the other has produced 10 piglets. She found the animal management training helpful, especially in swine production, as she expanded her farm. In November and December of 2012 she earned 3,750,000 Riels, or about $940, from selling pigs and 200,000 Riels, or about $50, from selling poultry.

Sinath has completed her Passing on the Gift® (POG) obligation. In addition to animals and resources, she passed on valuable training, care and love to families in need. Beyond the POG, Sinath donated vegetable seeds and 10 chickens to her neighbors and contributed to a fund to help build a road and school in her village. “I think POG was the best activity in my life,” she said. “I was so excited and happy to pass on (the gift) that I cried.”

Heifer International Helps Empower Women in Cambodia

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Heifer project members are all smiles during a group discussion.

Heifer project members are all smiles during a group discussion.

Many women in Cambodia cannot read or write. Their illiteracy is rooted in the belief of many Cambodians that women should not be educated because they will become housewives and not be involved in decision-making inside or outside the home. Heifer Cambodia is working to empower women through literacy and group-savings community programs. Heifer Cambodia Country Director Keang Keo shares how Heifer is transforming lives in her country.

Why Water Buffalo?

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It is truly astounding how each gift of livestock can change the lives of Heifer participants all around the world. I’ve seen it each time I’ve traveled for work. But I’ve never been more impressed than when I saw some water buffalo projects on my trip to Cambodia in 2010.

San Pheap, 12, Sok Phong, 7, and Sieng Hai, 6, on a water buffalo in Chrey Krem, Cambodia.

Imposing creatures to be sure, water buffalo are actually quite gentle and patient (as you can see from the photo above as this animal allowed three little boys to ride on her back).  It was really fun to watch Seng Ouy bathe his family’s water buffalo. The animal’s reaction to the bath reminded me a lot of what my basset hound looks like when I put him in the tub to wash him down.

Water buffalo are prized in Cambodia. Often too expensive for smallholder farmers to purchase on their own, water buffalo often serve as “living tractors” for farming families in Southeast Asia. The draft animals can help families plant up to five times more crops than they would be able to plant by hand.  And rice planting is backbreaking work.

water buffalo bath

Seng Ouy, 19, washes the family's water buffalo.

The gentle giants also provide families with milk rich in calcium and protein that can transform malnourished children. Plus, the fats in buffalo milk make it ideal for processing into cheeses that also help build strong bones.

Another benefit families see from water buffalo is manure. Adult water buffalo produce about six tons of manure a year, and for families that have biogas digesters, that manure provides precious methane to power cook stoves and lamps.

Give the gift of a water buffalo today. You’ll be providing a family with a valuable tool that will give them plenty in return.

This post is part of our What to Give series, where we’re helping you choose the best Heifer gift for your loved ones. Read previous What to Give posts here, and subscribe to the What to Give series here.

Still don’t know what to give? Check out our entire online Gift Catalog.

From the Field: Heifer’s Work Around the World

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This weekly post shines a light on a handful of stories from Heifer.org’s “From the Field”From the Field section.

One of Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development is Gender and Family Focus. This element is present in a variety of ways in Heifer’s projects. Women often represent their families in self-help groups (SHGs) and become models for their families and even communities.

The values-based literacy program teaches Youern Sopheak, 18, more than just reading and writing.

The values-based literacy program teaches Youern Sopheak, 18, more than just reading and writing.

The Strey Tbong Pich women’s group in Cambodia is now in its second year of a values-based literacy progam. Participants of all ages worked very hard, despite challenges such as last year’s flooding, and recently successfully completed their final exams.

Female agricultural service cooperative (ASC) representatives, including Heifer project leaders, recently visited Ukraine’s Parliament on Human Rights to share about gender-equity isses rural women face. This is an important step in improving gender equity throughout the country.  

Finally, meet Rose Were, a farmer in Kenya and former Heifer project participant, who hosted more than 400 farmers at her four-acre farm for a World Food Day celebration on October 16.

Sustainability Summit Connects Atlanta to Heifer’s Work

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This weekend in Atlanta, Heifer and Oglethorpe University will host our first “Sustainability Summit.” I am excited to take part in this event, which I know will be a meaningful and impactful program, connecting Heifer’s important work with donors, volunteers, students and others in the Atlanta community.

I will be speaking about our efforts to scale up our work and how this will help us achieve our mission of ending hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Other speakers will include Betty Londergan, Heifer 12×12 blogger and Oglethorpe First Lady; Keo Keang, Heifer Cambodia Country Director, and Jeffrey Scott, Heifer USA’s Director of Social Enterprise Development.

Sustainability Summit: Sok Pheary Feeds Her Pigs

Sok Pheary of Cambodia, gives her pigs fodder from her field. Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

I look forward to sharing with the Atlanta community Heifer’s incredible story and showing how our work can increase in reach and impact yet remain true to our roots in sustainability.

I know “sustainability” may seem like an overused term, to the point that it’s becoming watered down. But at Heifer International, it’s always been at the core of our mission and work. In fact, our work can be viewed as sustainable from three different but integrated lenses:

  1. Improvements in participants’ lives are maintained after projects are completed
  2. Donations have the capacity to endure beyond the original gift through our Passing on the Gift model
  3. Projects are always designed and implemented with environmental sustainability and improvement in mind

This weekend, in addition to sharing our work with Atlanta, I’ll host a three-part blog series covering these facets of sustainability and how Heifer applies them. I hope you’ll follow along and contribute your own thoughts about how genuine sustainability must not be allowed to become obsolete.

If you’re in the Atlanta area and want to attend the Sustainability Summit, there’s still time to register for some of the events. Go register now.

From the Field: Heifer’s Work Around the World

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This weekly post shines a light on a handful of stories from Heifer.org’s “From the Field” section.

There is much to be learned from a friendly exchange. With no preference for age, gender or national origin, it’s available to everyone everywhere. The latest field stories are all about information sharing. These exciting collaborations aren’t just casual conversations. They’re creating roadmaps for the future. 

Area Vice President Oscar Castañeda shares the six steps of implementation for Heifer USA’s Seeds of Change project in a short video.

Talking Business in Cambodia

Members of an agricultural cooperative in Cambodia know that when useful information is shared widely, the benefits begin to multiply. Agricultural Cooperative Helps Start-up Businesses in Cambodian Village tells how the entrepreneurial spirit is thriving in Battambang City.

Youth in Armenia are learning the value of networking, too. Read Exchange Visit Brings Together Youth from Surrounding Communities to learn how these young leaders aren’t waiting to grow up to make a difference in the world. 

Ending hunger and poverty is a universal mission that is important to us all. That’s why Heifer Georgia and the Japanese Embassy signed a grassroots grant agreement that will extend its current partnership and help ensure economical sustainability for many residents of Georgia’s Kvareli region.

Self-Help Group Leaders Learn from Successful Farmer Cooperatives in Cambodia

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Editor’s note: story by Chheang Sokmao | Program Officer – Northwest Region | Cambodia

Mr. Oun Sophal shares experiences from Rattanak Pol Rort Samai Cooperative

From August 13-15, 2012, Heifer Cambodia and two project partner organizations from the northwest region conducted an exchange visit to two successful farmer cooperatives. The exchange facilitated by Heifer Cambodia staff and executive directors from Cambodian Human Resource Development Organization (CHRD) in Banteay Meanchey province and Farmer Organic for Development Association (FODA) in Siem Reap province entailed visits to two successful farmer cooperatives in Kampot province: Rattanak Pol Rort Samaki and Samaki Sang Kroh. In attendance were 11 key community leaders and project management committee representatives, two community facilitators, one project coordinator and one commune council member.

Exchange Visitors at Kraing Snai Commune Cooperative

During the visit, participants learned about cooperative businesses, including credit, rice bank and rice business cooperatives, and the provision of other services for self-financing. The visitors enjoyed a firsthand look at the cooperation among community members on activities such as mobilizing social capital for local infrastructure, education, food security, sanitation and healthy hygiene, as well as strategies to reduce poverty for sustainable community development. The day-long sharing allowed the exchange of experiences and best practices between key community leaders and host cooperatives in Dong Tung and Chhouk district, Kampot province.

“Their cooperatives have been established for a long time, and they have good experience in leading the communities and their business development,” said Ms. Krouch Suk, a community facilitator from CHRD. “My team and I will bring experiences and best practices on business credit cooperatives, rice cooperatives, development themes and their leadership to improve my community.” Suk’s community group was organized two years ago, and she is proud of its achievements and looks forward to a future of close cooperation and continuing progress. She hopes that over the next few years it will grow even stronger.

Exchange Visitors at Damnak Dokrom Commune Cooperative

“At my community, the rice interest rate set by private lenders is very high, 50 percent per season, and this is a challenge for us,” said Ms. Rean Sokhom, a commune council member from FODA. “I want to have a community rice bank in my village where it will help the community during rice shortages.” The topic of business credit cooperatives was also a point of interest for Sokhom. She wants each self-help group to work together to have a larger savings fund at the commune level, as demonstrated by their hosts. She will propose these ideas at the next commune council meeting.

After the exchange visit, project partner representatives made a stop at Bokor Mountain Resort, where they took many photos. On the way back to their respective provinces, they shared experiences, built relationships and showed a strong commitment to use everything they learned to propel their communities toward prosperous business communities in the coming year.

Heifer CEO Travels: An Update from Cambodia

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Heifer CEO Pierre Ferrari in Cambodia with Asia South Pacific Vice President Mahendra Lohani and Country Director Keo Keang. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

Heifer CEO Pierre Ferrari in Cambodia with Asia South Pacific Vice President Mahendra Lohani and Country Director Keo Keang. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

My last stop – Cambodia! Country Directory Keo Keang (or KK as she prefers to be called) and her team are very passionate about Heifer’s work in Cambodia, and it shows in their interactions with the communities.

My first stop was to Siem Reap, where we attended a Passing on the Gift ceremony with over 700 people – including local and provincial officials. It is encouraging to have them attend, as it shows their desire to collaborate more closely with Heifer.

Following the ceremony we went to visit a self-help group. The villagers were delightful, full of energy and gratitude. They have a lot going on! They received pigs, chickens and ducks. They have been trained in backyard gardens and are involved in handicrafts. As if that weren’t enough, they are building a rice bank. The villagers are forming a cooperative, and they certainly have big dreams. There is a great deal of hope and energy.

My next stop was to Phnom Penh to meet with the Heifer Cambodia team to discuss their new project Improving Income and Nutrition through Community Empowerment (INCOME). This project is part of Heifer’s new programmatic approach of increasing impact. This project will integrate production systems, core market actors and an enabling environment through the values-based Heifer development model. The project is still in its early stages; I look forward to returning in the future to see the progress that will be accomplished.

KK arranged for us to have several meetings. We first met with Dr. Kim Lucas, acting director of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Cambodia. Dr. Lucas was familiar with Heifer; we shared more details of our work, including our strategic priorities and our Theory of Change. I think there is an opportunity for Heifer and USAID to collaborate to build the capacities and increase the impact in the communities. Our next visit was to the Minister of Agriculture, who had also attended the Passing on the Gift ceremony; and with the team lead and acting Country Director, Natharoun Ngo, of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Cambodia. It will be very interesting to work with UNDP, as our missions and practices are very much aligned. They are focused on rural poverty and agriculture, believe in women’s empowerment and would like to work with partners scaling up their impact. Combining their knowledge of governance and capacity building at the regional and national level with our focus on grassroots efforts has the potential to produce a lasting impact to the families with whom we work.

KK and her team will continue developing these connections and will even participate in a study group with other non-governmental organizations to review and recommend a governance structure that will avoid duplication of work and support the rural development efforts we are striving to achieve.

Heifer CEO Pierre Ferrari in Preah Netr Preah, Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia.

Heifer CEO Pierre Ferrari meets with Kann Naiky (in orange) and other Heifer participants in Preah Netr Preah, Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia. The group was formed about six months ago and is making quick progress. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

Our next stop was to Svay Rie to visit two projects. The first community will be working as a component of the INCOME project and has just begun to receive training.  We met the villagers and talked for a couple of hours about their first impressions, needs and hopes.   They are willing and very eager to learn.  Local government officials were in attendance and seemed inclined to help. The second community we visited has been part of a Heifer project for just over two years and has made astonishing progress. The project is made up of four groups of women, and their pride in what has been accomplished and confidence in what they will do was wonderful. These women will be key in co-developing the larger cooperative to take full advantage of the various value chains these farmers can access for project INCOME. We shared lunch with the community and danced and celebrated their success.

Heifer project participants' image of what their village will look like in a couple of years.Photo by Pierre Ferrari, courtesy of Heifer International.

Heifer project participants' image of what their village will look like in a couple of years.Photo by Pierre Ferrari, courtesy of Heifer International.

Overall I am very pleased to see the persistent, strategic progress Heifer Cambodia is making. I know more great things are soon to come!

This has been an incredible trip. Vice President of Asia/South Pacific program Dr. Mahendra Lohani and his team planned well – and for that I offer my gratitude. There is much to reflect on, work to be done and to support. The opportunities ahead are exciting!