Women's Empowerment Programme.

Please Click here for a letter from the Minister for Women's Affairs

And some comments from participants
•  The most important thing to understand … we should first reflect ourselves whether we are persons to whom attention should be paid, or whether we can be valued by others.
•  Strengthen self capacity; understand more about the change of old habits so women have freedom of and rights to decision making independently without any pressure.
•  Such training course should continue to be delivered to other female government officials who should learn and understand clearly what power, influence, harmonisation and other principles are in order to change society.
•  The most important that I learn from the workshop is how to empower myself and other people. It's start from inside individual of everyone and it can success through lots of things including external environment. Before using it we must ready that we can do or challenge with those issues or not
•  After the workshop I am aware myself that have abilities and confident to share ideas. e.g. when I have meeting with commune staff, I make a speech with confidence, no fear
•  Self empowerment has to be done before empowering the others, different ways to empower different people, make sure that my own values can be made to connect with others and I believe that I can do things in the area that have right to do so.
•  If we do not empower ourselves first, we cannot empower others effectively.
•  What I am going to apply first to my own life is value of myself with confidence and commitment to achieve my objectives. I will apply it in my current work and living life, because when I, myself feel I have power it can help me to be brave and motivated to do a good things for the future. Being an empowered person I must also know what is benefit for myself and this benefit is not the negative affect to others people.
•  I think that I will apply first in my own life on power self, believe my ability, confident to do something that I wish to do it, listening, relationship, trust and dare to share feeling to each other. So that I will distribution empowerment into the workplace and situations.

Localisation

The facilitation and consultancy provided by VBNK has had a huge impact on CIDSE, most especially the support and facilitation of a series of workshops in preparation for the strategic planning for localisation. This support and facilitation contributed to changed attitudes and behaviour among CIDSE staff. In 2001 it was a big problem to involve staff and have them understand about becoming a local NGO. The workshops helped them understand power issues, organisational relationships, different types of organisations, and the options for the future.

As a result the localisation of CIDSE to DPA has been very successful and smooth with clear timelines, process and staff participation. The donors have very much appreciated this process. CIDSE Cambodia also shared their experiences with the Laos and Vietnam programmes who also commissioned VBNK to undertake some work of a similar nature with them. So the impact of VBNK's work has gone beyond Cambodia and also helped CIDSE Laos and Vietnam move faster towards localisation.

Going through this process meant that the staff really understood the issues and shared a common vision for the future direction. This made the leadership and management easy for the first Cambodian Director, Chamroen Mudita, and myself. It was easy for us to move things forward. There is a good working environment and the different departments support each other.

The donors have watched and seen that the process of localisation has gone smoothly and that has given them confidence in the new organisation and its leadership. As a result DPA has been able to maintain the same funding levels as did CIDSE, which means the new organisation can go forward with confidence.

Mam Sambath
Director, DPA

Human Resource Management

I know how to train staff (follow by VBNK style when conducting training). I took 1-2 session from VBNK to train my staff as manager on how to motivate staff. I can see that the working environment in my organisation go well and my donor praise me on good staff management. Quote "This is not come from me, but from VBNK" VBNK have skilful staff, excellent documents and certificate

Mr. Soun Vibol
Director, BARP

Advanced Manager's Development Programme

I have improved a lot and VBNK training is very useful for my organisation such as: Presentation skills, have presentation with National officer in provincial and district level-Know how to prepare and deliver presentation such as set objective, time, handout, develop visual aids.

By following the budget form from VBNK, my organisation received funds to conduct workshop on how to protect women and children from trafficking and has funds to form a youth group.

When I was away, I could delegate my work to my staff properly and my works go smoothly without obstacles.

Mrs. Kong Sopheavatey
Director, CPRWCA

Sataphana Chivit Organization

On behalf of Sataphana Chivit Organization (SCO) Executive Director and representative of the Participants of Proposal Development for Fund Raising (PDFR) Courses, would give a big thanks to Jenny and VBNK's team, for your hard working in doing fund raising to provides us the special scholarship and good opportunities to meet, and learn 
from the new friends.

As the big advantages for us, after learning with your professional teams and getting a good existing lesson from the both of Government and NGOs' participant and VBNK's trainers.

On behalf of participant representative, I would like to put my impression of these point of views of the Proposal Development for Fund Raising (PDFR) are important and useful for us to apply the real practice in our Government development strategy tool and our organization, in the aim to build sustainability of our Cambodian and adjust some leaking point of our government and NGOs.

We will use this understanding and capacity to apply our work for currently project and further development programs, and we will arrange to send you're the summary of our activities by e-mail when we finalize them at the end of the fiscal year.

Once again, on behalf of participants, we would say million thanks, and best wishes all of your colleagues have a good luck and good health forever.

Warm Regards,

Mr. Than Rithy
Executive Director
Sataphana Chivit Organization
"SCO"

We believed in VBNK, I was convinced by the curriculum and the methodology. We started with four senior managers and right after each module I saw improvement in the participants. The Learning Implementation Plan brought their commitment. Those four managers are now top managers in the programme taking senior roles and responsibilities. We have now sent all the second and third line managers to VBNK training.

If you look at where VI is now it is because of VBNK. This training played a very important role, not just in management but also in the project management and in monitoring and evaluation. Without VBNK we couldn't be where we are now with all the programmes run by Cambodian staff.

We compare the management side of the organisation to the technical side. The technical side is still up and down even after six years of very expensive training. We estimate that because about 50% of the technical training is delivered in English by expatriates the participants miss about 60% of what is offered in each training. They don't get the whole picture so the technical side is not as successful as the management side.

Pining McAndrew, Interim Country Director, Veterans International

[VI have used VBNK training as the primary process for building the management capacity of their Cambodian staff since 1998]

In my experience VBNK is one of the few organisations who is genuinely trying to address the challenge of being a learning organisation and to tackle the challenges that this brings.  This in a way which allows both the organisation, and its staff, the time to take on board new ways of thinking and putting this into practice.

Rebecca Wrigley,
Praxis Programme Manager
INTRAC
Oxford , UK

“ Better Factories Cambodia ”, a remediation modular training program that is a collaboration between VBNK and ILO

Before the program when management saw me coming they had a headache as I was only bringing them problems. That has changed so much. As a result of the ILO/ VBNK program the union and management works together to solve problems. The workplace is so much better for everyone.

Uk Khen
President of Free Trade Union at Tai Yang Factory


                                                LETTER OF APPRECIATION
 

I, GOU JING YU, factory manager of Zheng Yong Garment Factory Co., Ltd., would like to express my thanks to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and VBNK especially to the programme officers of both organisations who have spent their valuable time and energy and shared good experiences with us, which has helped our factory to steadily improve.
For now, our factory has not reached the desired standard yet, but we are doing better with many areas including production, compliance to labour law, buyers' contracts and workers' occupational health and safety and so on.
We would like to express our commitment to ILO and VBNK that we will continuously improve our factory to be able to compete with other factories.
Finally, I would like both the ILO and VBNK, especially the programme officers of both organizations, to always have five Buddha's wishes.

                                                                             Phnom Penh 06 th February 2006
                                                                               GOU JING YU, Factory Manager

Facilitation

I attended a National Workshop on Harmonisation and Alignment between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the International Development Partners that was facilitated by VBNK. The workshop had to deal with some contentious issues and successfully through a series of break out groups work and larger feedback sessions reached a point where a joint government donor statement could be prepared for signature at the Consultative Group meeting in December 2004. Based on the positive experience of a facilitated workshop, I was then able to encourage the government to hold a national workshop to discuss the proposed reforms in Decentralisation and Deconcentration (D&D) in April 2005.

Nigel Coulson
Governance Adviser
DFID Cambodia
24.2.2006

Proposal Development for Fund Raising

As we said during the close party day that we will inform to each other if we have the results of our training if we will receive grants from donors. Recently, I submitted proposal to CARE Mesang to implement a three months project and my proposal was granted about 6,000 USD. Even though, this proposal this a short time and small grant, but I am very excited. I believed that I really got much benefit from the training course, received experiences from you all as well. I will try my best in future, and I hope that I will have received big grants next times.
Many thanks to all teachers for your energy during this training. I am assure that I receive my benefit in this training. Also, thanks very for you all.

Tes Sopheat
Executive Director, ODOV  

I can write project proposal successfully i.e. get fund from Star Kampuchea for more that $3,000 "Before I don' t dare to write proposal, but VBNK train me to write"
Taken from VBNK on Monitoring and Evaluation, I train my field staff about the successful of the project based on the M&E. I take VBNK programme to share and implement at community, can get success for my programme, especially related to project implementation.
I have some organisation as my partner, I shared with them what I have learned from VBNK - process of evaluation and monitoring, they are very interested and can take some experience to implement

Mr. Thong Sarun
Executive Director, VAPSD

Commune Council Partnership Strengthening

The course confirmed my understanding of decentralisation, the benefit of people participation and partnership building (especially at the commune level). The course built my confidence and reduced my dependence on provincial and national level in doing my jobs, defining and deciding development work/project, in my commune.
After the training course I felt that I became a new person, not waiting/relying on government fund, in doing development work, but tried to use and get benefit from partners to develop my commune.
I have good relationship with people in the commune. The people always join meeting with commune councillors and share ideas and contribute some money for development activities in the commune. I also contacted with people outside the country, in USA , raising fund to buy pumping machines, repairing canal and building water well for people in commune.
I have contacted ADHOC and LICADHO and invited them to train about human right to people in the commune. Through good cooperation with the two organisations he has opportunity to host a forum on topic of transparency and capacity building in the commune. The forum seemed very interesting for the people.

Mr. Oung Keo
Commune Leader of Phnau Commune, Santuk District, Kompong Thom Province .

Development Café

VBNK hosts a monthly discussion forum, called Development Café, for any interested participants from the development sector, and sometimes from the private sector too. It is an unusual and unique opportunity for Cambodians and expatriates to come together to discuss issues in an informal setting.

Below are some evaluation comments made at one such café.

•  First time for me. I was so glad to see so many articulate Cambodians. It was good to try to listen to them (Cambodians) and try hard to avoid barang domination of conversation. I got the impression that it was good in some of the young people to bounce their ideas in this setting.
•  Worthwhile time-out from daily activities, to have the chance to explore without a needed end/result.
•  A valuable approach that allows interaction, exchange of ideas getting thereby to understand a lot of things better and differently. It is stimulating, makes you think further – and is fun.
•  Thank for an interesting conversation – free of office obligations. A good opportunity to exchange ideas …
•  Good opportunity to share experiences without having to prepare anything in advance. •  To make good a relationship with people from other place and sharing a good idea. Good place and good organize.
•  This is a great concept. I learn a great deal from the people I meet here – especially the Cambodian group members.
•  Development café - a good thing!