Capacity building remains a major theme throughout the development sector in Cambodia. It is a phrase that is frequently used, usually with an assumption of a shared understanding of what it means, that it is 'a good thing', and that it is something that we should all be doing. Because of the strength of this assumption the reasons why capacity building needs to be done are rarely examined in depth and therefore consideration of how it should be done is limited. The emphasis is inevitably on skills building, whether technical or more general management skills. For many international organisations the motivating factors seem to be issues such as the need to reduce the number of expatriates in order to reduce budgets.

Any activity that takes so many resources, not least money and time, should have a clearly defined purpose and methodology. Without such a purpose being articulated how is the success of any capacity building endeavour to be judged? Are we trying to build capacity so that Cambodians can do what we think they should be doing by duplicating our ways, or so that they can truly be self-determining and find their own way? If we do not know the answers to these questions how can we determine the appropriate methodology?

A challenge that occurs frequently in development organisations is that of getting staff to step over the 'invisible line' and move from being managers to leaders - taking initiative and responsibility into their own hands. Many people now have high levels of knowledge, skills and experience, yet they are fearful of moving into leading roles. The challenge for international development agencies and donors is therefore to find a way to help our Cambodian colleagues take those steps in ways that are safe and lead to good experiences. In order to do this we need to focus on the staff member as a person and an individual rather than as a set of skills.

An important fact that has to be recognised is that however our colleagues present themselves to us and to the outside world underneath everyone is still carrying the legacy of their past experiences. The events of the last three decades have conspired to reduce or completely destroy the confidence of many Cambodians. But, in the face of all predictions to the contrary, great strides have been made and the Cambodian staff of NGOs have made significant contributions to rebuilding their society, and they have brought real development to many areas. Consider also the national events that have been successfully implemented in recent years - the census, the election and the recent Millennium Festival at Ankgor to name but a few. Granted there is often foreign help for these events, but the reality is that when needed Cambodians can and will do anything they put their minds to, just the same as any other nation, and there are important lessons to be learned from this.

It is not in question that Cambodia needs Cambodians with the full range of skills necessary to develop the country. What is in question is the assumption that all skills must be imported as part of the international aid package, because this approach takes so little account of the skills that do exist. In this respect VBNK is no different from any international organisation. Instead of focusing on building capacity for skills based on imported knowledge and theories, perhaps the development community should be focusing on building the confidence to use existing Cambodian knowledge and methodologies. Instead of introducing new ways it might be more effective to help Cambodians maximise and upgrade the skills they already have to make them more relevant to current development needs. While we cannot undo or mend people's past experiences we can try to find ways not to exacerbate the problems by creating more pressure.

VBNK struggles to find a way forward on these issues just as many others do. We have tried different approaches with some degree of success, for example workshops based on personal growth rather than skills; incorporating leadership into management training; and alumni groups for mutual support. We continue to search for helpful and constructive solutions because our position as trainers of managers in the NGO community enables us to help spread good practice across the development sector, hopefully with increasing and long-term benefits. We would welcome joining in debate and activities with others who are also interested to find an appropriate way forward on these difficult and complex questions.