Our work in Cambodia

Cambodia was one of the first Asian countries where Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada began working. In 1980, following the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge regime, a consortium of CIDSE members from Australia, Canada, Europe and New Zealand established a Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam-Indochina Program (CIDSE-CLV) with an office in Phnom Penh. By 2005, that office was no longer needed because a local Cambodian organization had taken over the country’s programming.

Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada currently partners with various Cambodian organizations, with a programmatic focus on democracy and citizen participation. Our partners support the mobilization of youths, women, and communities, mainly from minority groups including peasant and Indigenous communities and persons with disabilities.

Examples of our partners’ activities include:

• Mobilizing communities to become involved in and take ownership of their development and to drive it in inclusive and gender-sensitive directions
  
  
• Knowledge sharing to strengthen communities in the areas of food sovereignty and security, income generation and disaster resilience
  
  
• Advocacy with local authorities and government agencies to create an environment conducive to gender equality and rural development
  
  
• Promoting inclusiveness and gender-sensitivity and educating communities to end domestic violence
  
  
• Working with Indigenous peoples to empower them for safeguarding, promoting their culture, asserting their human rights, pursuing sustainable socioeconomic development and improving their living conditions