“The healing power of economic opportunity is transformative,” says the program manager of an entrepreneurial training program out of Syracuse, New York.
Cambodian HIV/AIDS Education and Care (CHEC) has witnessed this transformation first hand through their livelihood program that ran for 2 years starting in 2010. Throughout the duration of this program, CHEC assisted women with HIV/AIDS
in improving their livelihood through starting their own small businesses. By the conclusion of the program, CHEC saw a 2% increase in income among the program beneficiaries. The women who participated in the program went from earning less than 1 dollar a
day to 5 dollars a day. Seeing the significant impact of this program, CHEC decided that this program was equally needed for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), most of whom experience economic dependence on their abusive partners and have no source
of livelihood. It is CHEC’s dream to create this opportunity for survivors of GBV in the Sa Ang district of Phnom Penh, mainly women, to get training in entrepreneurship and financial literacy. CHEC believes that this could be a vital step for survivors to
escape the cycle of violence, and live self-sufficient and fulfilling lives.
Our Project and Why It Matters
Currently CHEC’s vision is to focus on entrepreneurship and financial management training for GBV survivors in order for them to obtain economic independence and a sense of livelihood. With this training it is believed that survivors of domestic abuse will
be able to make a living for themselves to support their families by having a source of income. This will open doors for them and allow them to not have to rely on their partners for money, food, and other necessities.
Small business opportunities for women in Cambodia would include learning how to trade at local markets, and start up clothing resale businesses. CHEC has office space that they will use for survivors to come and learn business skills. To start this program,
CHEC would like to hire a business consultant to come to the office to train the GBV project manager on entrepreneurship. The GBV program manager would then be able to train GBV survivors who come to the center in small business sustainability. The business
consultant will stay in contact with CHEC staff as a long-term mentor. In addition, CHEC will network with other local organizations to provide survivors with helpful resources to start their own businesses and learn how to manage money.
This project would provide survivors with an opportunity to empower themselves with knowledge and skills to be able to create and sustain their own livelihood. With these newly acquired practical skills survivors can stop the cycle of violence in their families
and encourage others to do the same.
Who We Are
Since 1994, Cambodian HIV/AIDS Education and Care (CHEC), formerly Quaker Services Australia, has been reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS and helping Cambodians cope with the epidemic. Training people is its core service. And since inception,
more than 10,000 people have received CHEC’s HIV/AIDS training.
Mobilising community resources and supporting people already affected has proven the most sustainable way of dealing with TB/HIV/AIDS and STIs. It is the hallmark of CHEC’s work and it is achieved in partnership with the Provincial Health Department and the
National AIDS Office. The organisations work together planning and implementing programs with local communities. CHEC also works with local and international NGOs exchanging information and experience and creating complementary services.
For the first time ever, in 2004 CHEC began working with the national media to raise general awareness among young people about HIV/AIDS. Monthly TV forums, video and drama, and radio talkback are the main parts of the mass media campaign designed to warn
young people about HIV/AIDS, reduce stigma and discrimination and discourage unsafe behaviour.
Each month TV campaigns are implemented using communications professionals in order to answer all concerned questions from young people. Professionals from government departments, NGOs, civil society, community workers, and people living with HIV/AIDS discussed
HIV/AIDS and other relevant issues on TV.
Since its inception, CHEC has also received funding to implement an out of school youth programme in which HIV/STI community education efforts reached over 7,000 out-of school youth. Among its other projects, CHEC has established 12 Home Based Care teams
for PLHIVs as well as successfully established 42 Self Help Groups of PLHIV. In addition CHEC runs a nutrition programme which focuses on reducing stunting in children aged 6-24 months. This programme uses Peer Education to teach rural families the importance
of using healthy ingredients to make porridge for children. There have been 315 demonstration sessions in 385 villages with over 9,000 participants in total.
CHEC’s gender-based violence programme supports the prevention of GBV and protection for victims. Through education efforts, including tradition, peer-to-peer, and media education, CHEC helps people become more aware of GBV and gender rights, and enable
them to be agents of change by not committing GBV themselves and by being leaders among their peers and within their communities.
What you can do to help
CHEC is asking for your help by supporting this project in any way you can. You can make a donation (no amount is too small!), and spread the word to everyone you know through social media and word of mouth.
1) Please share what you know about our organization, and its cause with anyone you think will be interested.
2) If you have any further questions or ideas please reach out to us anytime through our Facebook page (CHEC Facebook) or via our website:
www.checcambodia.org - we would love to hear from you!
3) If you are interested in learning more about domestic abuse as a world-wide public health issue, please consider researching it online or reaching out to your local crisis center to see what efforts they are conducting in your community. Through connecting
with each other and networking, we can build a solid foundation for global change of attitudes and social norms, and in doing so make this world a healthier and safer place for all of us.
Rewards
Please take a look at our rewards on this page as a token of our appreciation. Below are a sample of some of Cambodian crafts that are on offer as rewards:
