ADB

Japan

Fund for

Poverty

Reduction ADB JFPR No. 9081-CAM

Supported by

Ministry of Women’s Affairs

WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT CENTERS PROJECT FINAL REPORT

Women in Small EnWomen in Small EnWomen in Small EnWomen in Small Enterpriseterpriseterpriseterprise

Cambodia

WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT CENTERS PROJECT

FINAL REPORT

MINISTRY OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS

KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA

WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT CENTERS PROJECT (ADB JFPR No. 9081-CAM)

FINAL REPORT

Supported by

ADB

Japan

Fund for

Poverty

Reduction

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive summary .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

1.0 Project context and background ................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Development Context............................................................................................................ 1

1.2 Project Background ............................................................................................................... 2

2.0 Project overview............................................................................................................................. 3

2.1 Project goals and objectives ..................................................................................................3

2.2 Project sites............................................................................................................................ 4

3.0 Project implementation .................................................................................................................9

3.1 Participatory approach........................................................................................................... 9

3.2 Community resource assessments .......................................................................................10

3.3 Component A: WDC facility development and upgrading ................................................22 3.3.1 WDC facilities ..........................................................................................................22 3.3.2 Producer group buildings..........................................................................................31 3.3.3 Overall assessment of Component A........................................................................32

3.4 Component B: Life skills and advocacy support................................................................32 3.4.1 Life skills ..................................................................................................................32 3.4.2 Advocacy support .....................................................................................................44 3.4.3 Overall assessment of Component B........................................................................49

3.5 Component C: MSE development and support ..................................................................52 3.5.1 Participatory, market-oriented approach to rural enterprise development................52 3.5.2 Gender and enterprise workshops.............................................................................55 3.5.3 Formation of producer groups ..................................................................................58 3.5.4 Product development in Kompong Chhnang............................................................60 3.5.6 Product development in Siem Reap..........................................................................92 3.5.6 Marketing support...................................................................................................117 3.5.7 Family livelihood and income generation workshops ............................................121 3.5.8 Overall assessment of Component C......................................................................125

3.6 Component D: Capacity building .....................................................................................128 3.6.1 WDCs and PDWAs ................................................................................................129 3.6.2 MoWA/Economic Development Department ........................................................143 3.6.3 Overall assessment of Component D......................................................................149

4.0 Project management and operations ........................................................................................151

4.1 Project management units..................................................................................................151

4.2 Project consultants.............................................................................................................153

4.3 Implementation partners ....................................................................................................154

4.4 Financial management.......................................................................................................155

4.5 ADB review and support ...................................................................................................159

5.0 Conclusions ...............................................................................................................................162

5.1 Key performance indicators...............................................................................................162

5.2 Project impact and sustainability.......................................................................................162 5.2.1 Poverty and social impact assessment ....................................................................162 5.2.2 Sustainability of project interventions ....................................................................164

5.3 Lessons learned .................................................................................................................164

5.4 Recommendations for follow-up actions...........................................................................165

ANNEXES:

1. Poverty maps and employment profiles

2. Key documents and reports

3. WiSE marketing materials

4. Executive summary of PSIA

5. Draft Implementation Completion Memorandum (ICM)

ACRONYMS

ADB Asian Development Bank

BDS Business Development Services

CaRM Cambodia Resident Mission, ADB

CPGB Commune Producer Group Building

CRA Community Resource Assessment

DOWA District Office of Women's Affairs

EcDev Economic Development

EDD Economic Development Department, MoWA

EEOW Expanding Employment Opportunities for Women (ILO/Japan project)

EDAP Enterprise Development Action Plan

GDCC Government-Donor Cooperation Committee

GIM Grant Implementation Manual

GTZ German Technical Cooperation

GMAG Gender Mainstreaming Action Group

ILO International Labour Organization

JFPR Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction

JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency

MEF Ministry of Economy and Finance

MFI Micro finance institution

MOI Market Opportunity Identification

MoP Ministry of Planning

MoWA Ministry of Women’s Affairs

MSE Micro and small enterprise

MTC Management and Training Consultant

NSDP National Strategic Development Plan

PC Project Coordinator

PCU Project Coordination Unit

PDWA Provincial Department of Women’s Affairs

PGE Partnership for Gender Equity (UNDP project)

PIU Project Implementation Unit

PMC Project Management Consultant

PMG Priority Mission Group

PRA Participatory Rapid Appraisal

RGC Royal Government of Cambodia

SOE Statement of Expenditures

TC Technical Coordinator

TWG-G Technical Working Group on Gender (of the GDCC)

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

VCA Value Chain Analysis

WDC Women’s Development Center

WID Women in Development

Cambodia

WOMEN'S DEVELOPMENT CENTERS PROJECT

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MINISTRY OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS

WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT CENTERS PROJECT (ADB/JFPR No. 9081-CAM)

FINAL REPORT

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Women’s Development Centers (WDC) Project was executed by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA) of the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) with grant funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR). The total cost of this project was approximately $2,747,000 whereby the JFPR provided grant financing of $1,747,000 and MoWA, the Government and communities, provided an amount of $400,000 or equivalent in labor, office space and materials, counterpart staff and land. The Letter of Agreement for this project was signed on 13 March 2006 and the Inception Mission fielded 17-21 April 2006. The project was completed on 13 March 2010.

PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The overall goal of this project was to reduce poverty by increasing access to services that support women’s social and economic empowerment.

The development objectives were to:

1. facilitate human development for poor women through life-skills training and advocacy support;

2. develop and support micro- and small entrepreneurship by providing adequate information, facilitating access to credit, and enabling links to various organizations and resources; and,

3. build the capacity of institutions that promote woman-friendly entrepreneurial environments.

The JFPR project had four components:

1. WDC facility development in Siem Reap and upgrading in Kampong Chhnang

2. Life skills training and advocacy support for women

3. Micro and small enterprise development and support

4. Capacity building and project management support

PARTICIPATORY APPROACH

A participatory approach to design and implementation was followed in all major activities – starting with the site selection process – and continuing through community resource assessments, formation of producer groups and on-going consultation with producer groups on the design of project interventions. 'Women's associations' did not exist at the start of the project and the project's main beneficiaries were working independently on their livelihood activities. Formation of producer groups provided a means to strengthen social capital within communities. Group leaders took on responsibility for providing training to others by the end of the project.

The approach to enterprise development was very much community-led, a significant departure from the supply-driven approach of traditional Women in Development (WID) Centers. The project did not have a pre-conceived schedule of 'courses' which would be provided by the WDCs but worked with producer groups in identifying existing skills, resources and other needs, and tailoring interventions to the interests and capacities of the women. The vast majority of training was provided at the community level – again a significant change from the center-based approach of traditional WID Centers. This enabled broader-based participation of women in project activities.

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ACHIEVEMENTS

Key performance indicators

• Direct benefits to about 3,000 poor women through life and entrepreneurial skills programs.

• Indirect benefits to about 12,000 household and community members from improved women’s skills and income; multiplier effect arising from micro- and small entrepreneurial activities.

• Improved capacity of staff of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA); staff of Provincial Departments of Women’s Affairs (PDWAs) in two provinces; and, staff of two Women’s Development Centers (WDC) to deliver better services and facilitate a more conducive business environment for women entrepreneurs.

• Development of one WDC and upgrading of an existing WID center into a WDC. WDCs will be one-stop centers providing life skills, advocacy support, and entrepreneurial training for women’s socio-economic empowerment.

Direct benefits

At least 3,300 individuals, including 2,400 women, were directly involved in project interventions. Although the total number of women benefiting was somewhat less than planned, project interventions went far beyond generic life, entrepreneurship and traditional vocational skills programs with its participatory, market-oriented approach to enterprise development and women's empowerment.

Life skills and advocacy support activities responded to priorities identified by producer groups and their families. The outputs achieved included:

1. Strengthening of social capital and socio-economic empowerment of women through formation of mutual support groups (i.e., producer groups) with approximately 1,000 members

2. Direct benefits to approximately 3,500 participants in life skills activities including1:

a. 1,252 participants in 'Home Safety' workshops (988 women)

b. 491 participants in 'Small Engine Repair' and 'Sewing Machine Repair' workshops (35 women)

c. 464 participants in 'Food Processing' workshops (461 women)

d. 660 participants in 'Good Nutrition and Sanitation' workshops (all women)

e. 1,011 participants in 'Women's Worker Rights' workshops (700 women)

3. Indirect benefits to at least 10,000 family and community members

For the most part, micro and small enterprise development and support activities built on existing resources and skills. The outputs achieved included:

1. Enhanced entrepreneurship and livelihood skills for at least 1,500 producer group members or their family members including2:

a. Entrepreneurship and enterprise development skills training for 574 participants (550 women)

b. 433 members of sedge mat producer groups in Trangnel Commune, Kompong Chhnang

c. 50 members of sedge and triangle sedge mat producer groups in Toek Hout Commune, Kompong Chhnang

d. 101 members of bamboo handicrafts producer groups in Chheung Krio Commune, Kompong Chhnang

e. 106 members of prao, cotton blankets and carpet producers groups in Leang Dai Commune, Siem Reap

f. 155 members of romchek and rattan basket producers groups in Svay Chek Commune, Siem Reap

g. 45 members of vegetable producer groups in Samraong Commune, Siem Reap

2. Indirect benefits to at least 5,000 family and community members

1 Some beneficiaries participated in more than one activity under this component. 2 Producer group members often nominated members of their families to participate in specific interventions. The total number of direct beneficiaries is thus greater than the total number of producer group members.

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The services provided by the two WDCs assisted by the project greatly expanded the number of women benefiting from center activities: In 2005, the year prior to the inception of the WDC Project, the Kompong Chhnang WDC had trained a total of 130 women in sewing, weaving, wedding fitting and food processing. In 2009, more than 1,600 women directly benefited from training and other support organized by the Kompong Chhnang WDC on a wide range enterprise development, product development and life skills topics. As the center in Siem Reap was new, no relevant activities were undertaken prior to the inception of the project. In 2009, approximately 700 women directly benefited from training and other support organized by the Siem Reap WDC.

The end-of-project Poverty and Social Impact Assessment (PSIA) found that the project had considerably enhanced the use of off-farm enterprise as a major secondary source of livelihood with most respondents reporting an increase in income. The knowledge and skills acquired by the women who participated in project interventions were found to be highly relevant and should be sustainable. The extent to which the knowledge acquired through workshops was shared with others is indicative of the value placed on what was learned.

Indirect benefits

At least 12,000 household and community members indirectly benefited from project interventions. PSIA respondents reported a very high level of sharing of learning from MSE development and life skills activities with the percentage of participants reporting sharing what they had learned in each type of workshop ranging from 60 to 100 percent.

Capacity building

Staff of MoWA's Economic Development Department (EDD), PDWA and DoWA staff in both Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang, and WDC staff in these two provinces were enabled to deliver better services and facilitate a more conducive business environment for women entrepreneurs.

MoWA staff were assisted with planning, designing and monitoring WDC development activities and PDWA and WDC capacity building and support. Capacity building activities were focused on the Economic Development Department's 21 staff (14 women) however approximately 50 other MoWA senior managers and staff from other departments also benefited from WDC Project activities. The EDD's success in attracting funding support provides some indication of the increased recognition of its strengthened capacity.

In Siem Reap, the project worked with all of the PDWA's 19 staff (18 women), including the three PIU members plus four new staff recruited as the project was coming to an end. In Kompong Chhnang, all of the PDWA's 20 staff (16 women) benefited from at least one WDC Project activity and several were actively engaged in facilitating community-level workshops. In addition, officers from the four District Offices of Women's Affairs benefited from project activities. All of the Kompong Chhnang WDC's 14 staff (13 women) benefited from project interventions. Increased capacity was reflected in both workshop post-tests and successful facilitation of community-level workshops.

WDC staff acquired and demonstrated the capacity to deliver a broader range of services to women at the community level through project interventions. PDWA staff acquired strengthened capacity to advocate for gender-responsive measures in local government which will become increasingly important as responsibilities and resources are devolved to local government. Additional funding and support and stronger WDC management will be needed to fully utilize the capacity developed under the project.

Civil works

A new WDC was developed in Siem Reap, a beautiful complex with seven buildings (marketing and administration, two training buildings, dyeing building, dormitory, cafeteria/day care, public restroom), several ancillary structures, furniture and equipment. Problems with completing the civil works and delays in staffing the center did however make it difficult to establish routine work habits at the new center.

The existing WID Center in Kompong Chhnang was upgraded into a WDC. A new building with space for meetings and workshops, food processing training and a showroom was constructed. The

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existing kitchen was upgraded and a number of site improvements were made. Although there were also problems with the civil works in Kompong Chhnang, this did not significantly affect the activities of the project.

In addition to the WDC facilities, Commune Producer Group Buildings were constructed in five communes. These buildings enable producer group members to work together, supporting strengthening of social capital as well as joint production.

LESSONS LEARNED

The community-led approach provided valuable insights into what Cambodian rural women need and how best to respond to these needs. This allowed tailoring of interventions to the existing needs, interests and capacities of producer group members. Introduction of change in a step-by-step manner was essential to strengthening both the skills and teamwork of the producer groups. Master producers have emerged and were called on to provide training to others.

The integration of life skills into the program was important to improving gender relations within families in addition to providing knowledge and skills to help women to better care for their families and protect their rights.

The support of men in the community—both local leaders and male members of the families of producer groups—was important to enabling women to actively participate in project activities.

Mobilization of technical expertise from the private sector, NGOs, government institutions, greatly contributed to the overall success of the project.

Strong support on contract management is needed for successful implementation of civil works contracts.

Budget allocations and consultancy inputs were significantly different from what was originally planned. The changes were extremely important to the ultimate successful outcomes of the project. The flexibility of the ADB and JFPR in approving the requested changes was very much appreciated.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOLLOW-UP ACTION

Producer groups

Detailed recommendations for follow-up for each value chain are discussed in the main report. General areas of needed follow-up include:

� Strengthening links to markets

� Responding to demand from buyers:

� Scaling-up production capacity: raw materials, number of producers, amount of time available, efficiency of production, expanding to other groups/ villages

� Maintaining quality standards

� Organizing management of large orders

� Ensuring year-round availability of products

� Formalizing mechanisms for working together

� Follow-up support on the design and production of new products

� Facilitating access to equipment and working capital as needed

WDCs

� The WDCs in Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang need to carefully review the follow-up needed by each producer group in consultation with the groups, and develop strategies and plans for providing or facilitating access to the needed follow-up support.

� Plans should include clarifying and strengthening the role of the WDCs in product promotion and marketing, including the possibility of contracting out the management of the showrooms to a fair trade enterprise.

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� The WDCs should consider how they might expand services to other communities, either communities engaged in products with which the centers already have some experience, or new communities and new value chains within the capacity of the centers.

� The WDCs should pilot marketing of select courses (e.g., food processing) on a fee basis to individuals and market other courses much appreciated by participants with which with they have expertise to other institutions (e.g., home safety, women's worker rights).

MoWA

� The EDD should be actively engaged in encouraging and guiding the producer group consultations and preparation of WDC plans.

� The EDD should prepare its own program-based strategy and plan for providing follow-up support to the WDCs and producer groups in Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang, and guiding the transformation of WID Centers in other provinces into WDCs. This plan should include partnerships with the private sector and NGOs. The plan should seek to harmonize existing donor-supported projects and facilitate the mobilization of new funding to implement the plan.

� MoWA and the PDWAs need to carefully review the qualifications needed by WDC managers and make appropriate changes as necessary.

� MoWA and the WDCs should give priority to recruiting additional staff with the business-oriented attitudes and skills needed to effectively scale-up and expand WDC activities.

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MINISTRY OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS

WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT CENTERS PROJECT (ADB/JFPR No. 9081-CAM)

FINAL REPORT

2.0 PROJECT CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND

2.1 DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT

Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia with a population of approximately 14 million people and average annual income of USD 800 per person (GDP per capita, 2010). Thirty percent of the population was living below the poverty line in 2007 and rapidly increasing income disparities are a growing concern. Eighty percent of the population resides in rural areas.

Although there are some indications of a shift towards increased gender equality in Cambodia, women’s participation in social and economic

life continues to be constrained by gender-based inequalities including unequal access to education and health services; unequal access to and control of assets and opportunities for income generation; fear of rape, sexual harassment and domestic violence; and, unequal opportunities to influence decision-making. Structural inequalities and gender attitudes which support and perpetuate gender inequality persist and are mutually reinforcing.

High levels of poverty and constrained livelihood opportunities in rural areas are continuing challenges in Cambodia, particularly for women. Over the past decade, the growth of the industrial sector and new employment opportunities in the tourism sector have significantly increased the participation of women in waged employment in the formal sector of the economy. However, low levels of literacy and education amongst adult women, particularly in rural areas, limits their livelihood alternatives and remains a serious constraint to obtaining higher paying jobs. Approximately 80 percent of all employment is in the informal sector of the economy and informal sector businesses are by far the most important source of income for women outside of subsistence agriculture.

Cambodian women are actively engaged in economic activities and while the scope and profitability of their income generating activities are changing, for the vast majority of women, economic opportunities remain greatly constrained, particularly in rural areas.

Cambodia faces a number of critical challenges in employment creation and the economic

empowerment of women:

• Rapidly growing labor force: Cambodia’s labor force is growing at approximately 300,000 new workers per year placing enormous pressures on the Government to generate productive employment opportunities.

• Limited employment opportunities in rural areas: Low agricultural productivity, growing pressures on family land holdings, increasing landlessness and reduced access to common property resources are pushing young people to seek employment outside of their villages. Paid employment in the agriculture sector is expanding however non-agricultural employment opportunities in rural areas remain limited making migration the only viable option for many young people.

• Limited ability of women to compete for new employment opportunities in a market economy: Low levels of literacy and education severely constrain access to employment opportunities for most women.

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• Impact of WTO accession: As Cambodia is now a member of WTO, pro-active measures are needed to make sure that women are able to benefit equitably from trade sector development. Ensuring equitable access to new job opportunities emerging out of trade sector development efforts is likely to require ensuring access to appropriate training to enable women to better compete for new employment or business opportunities.

Micro and small enterprises are a critically important source of livelihood for women however, until very recently there has been little support to promote the development of micro and small-enterprise in Cambodia. Discussions of employment creation and economic growth tend to focus on the formal labor market (waged employment) and the agriculture sector. Own-account workers—primarily in micro-enterprise and the informal sector of the economy—have tended to be overlooked. Outside of the agriculture sector, men tend towards waged employment while women are more likely to be engaged in self-employment or as unpaid labor in a family business. Informal sector businesses are also an important source of secondary income for many households. Within this context, the lack of support for micro-enterprise development is an important gender concern. And, as women make significant contributions to household livelihood and give higher priority to expenditures for education and health, increasing the productivity of women-managed enterprises would contribute to improving family well-being as well as reducing poverty.

2.2 PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Rectangular Strategy Phase II notes that "the Royal Government considers women as the backbone of the society and economy" and gives high priority to increasing the skills of women at all levels. The economic empowerment of women is one of six strategic priorities in Neary Rattanak II

and III, MoWA’s Five Year Strategic Plans, and an important element in the "Implementation of the Gender Equality Policy" component of the Royal Government's National Strategic Development Plan. Expanding employment opportunities and establishing business development services for women are key outputs of these plans. Women’s Development Centers (WDCs) under the management of the Ministry of Women's Affairs are a key mechanism for achieving these outputs.

Women in Development Centers (WID Centers) The Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA) has been providing skills training to women in eight provinces through Women in Development Centers (WID Centers) established in the mid-1990s as well as through its Provincial Departments of Women’s Affairs. Three new centers were constructed in 2006 and another three in 2008.

The traditional approach to vocational training has mostly focused on traditional skills, and been supply-driven and center-based. This has resulted in the centers providing training for women focused on traditional women's skills such as sewing, weaving and hairdressing with little regard for the relevance of the training to markets, little or no support for developing the broader array of skills needed to turn vocational skills into viable livelihoods, and little follow up. Courses which have been made available have been supply-driven and limited to those skills which center staff were able to provide. The center-based approach has constrained access to training to those who could afford to be away from their homes for extended periods of time.

An ILO assessment conducted in 2001 of the then existing WID Centers found that the centers were contributing little to the overall economic and social empowerment of women in Cambodia. The centers were felt to be under-performing, under-achieving, inefficient, and out of touch with both market demands and the dynamics of the labor market. The ILO assessment team proposed upgrading the centers to deliver an integrated package of services for the economic and social empowerment of women which includes market-oriented human resource development, enterprise development support, shared production and marketing facilities, and socio-cultural empowerment. This strategy was subsequently adopted by MoWA.

Genesis of the Women’s Development Centers Project The Women’s Development Centers Project builds on ADB assistance provided to MoWA under previous technical assistance initiatives including “Capacity Building for the Ministry of Women’s

Affairs” (ADB TA No. 3327-CAM) and “Sustainable Employment Promotion for Poor Women”

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(ADB TA No. 3947-CAM). The first TA (2000-01) provided institutional development support, gender training for senior Ministry officials, and strengthening of financial, administrative and personnel management systems. A first ever national workshop on “Women and Promoting Micro and Small

Enterprise Development” was also organized under this TA. The second TA (2003-05) shifted to capacity building with a sectoral focus and worked with the (now) MoWA Department of Women’s Economic Development, and Provincial Departments of Women’s Affairs and WID Centers in six provinces. Training was provided in facilitation skills, data gathering and analysis, participatory rural appraisal, and gender and entrepreneurship. The TA also supported MoWA’s policy formulation and advocacy efforts related to women’s economic development and the preparation of site plans and preliminary designs for the Women’s Development Centers in Kompong Chhnang and Siem Reap in preparation for this project.

The Women's Development Centers Project was designed to enable the Ministry to utilize the capacity which had been developed through earlier technical assistance to support the delivery of economic and social empowerment services at the community level focused on transforming the existing WID Center in Kompong Chhnang into an integrated Women’s Development Center, and establishing a new Women’s Development Center in Siem Reap based on an integrated economic and social empowerment approach.

3.0 PROJECT OVERVIEW The Women’s Development Centers (WDC) Project was executed by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA) of the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) with grant funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR). The total cost of this project was approximately $2,200,000 whereby the JFPR provided grant financing of $1,800,000 and MoWA, the Government and communities, provided an amount of $400,000 or equivalent in labor, office space and materials, counterpart staff and land. The Letter of Agreement for this project was signed on 13 March 2006 and the Inception Mission fielded 17-21 April 2006. The project was completed on 13 March 2010.

3.1 PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The overall goal of this project was to reduce poverty by increasing access to services that support women’s social and economic empowerment.

The development objectives were to:

4. facilitate human development for poor women through life-skills training and advocacy support;

5. develop and support micro- and small entrepreneurship by providing adequate information, facilitating access to credit, and enabling links to various organizations and resources; and,

6. build the capacity of institutions that promote woman-friendly entrepreneurial environments. The JFPR project had four components:

5. WDC facility development in Siem Reap and upgrading in Kampong Chhnang

6. Life skills training and advocacy support for women

7. Micro and small enterprise development and support

8. Capacity building and project management support

Key performance indicators

• Development of one WDC and upgrading of an existing WID center into a WDC. WDCs will be one-stop centers providing life skills, advocacy support, and entrepreneurial training for women’s socio-economic empowerment.

• Direct benefits to about 3,000 poor women through life and entrepreneurial skills programs.

• Indirect benefits to about 12,000 household members from improved women’s skills and income; multiplier effect arising from micro- and small entrepreneurial activities.

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• Improved capacity of staff of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA); staff of Provincial Departments of Women’s Affairs (PDWAs) in two provinces; and, staff of two Women’s Development Centers (WDC) to deliver better services and facilitate a more conducive business environment for women entrepreneurs.

3.2 PROJECT SITES

The site section process focused on identifying geographic areas to provide MSE development training and support. This area based approach was a significant departure from how WID Centers/WDCs generally operate3. Given the project's commitment to a participatory, market-oriented approach to MSE development as discussed further in sections 3.1 and 3.5.1, the project needed to focus on specific communities. Project areas were selected based on the presence of interested producers who were open to working together for mutual benefit, the potential for impact and scaling up the process, the presence of potential collaborating partners, and the cooperation of local government officials and extension workers.

Provincial and village economic profiles

To guide the site selection process the project team gathered and adapted tools as necessary to collect information on economic activities in the project provinces. The Management and Training Consultant (Uch Sarom) and Technical Coordinator (Bunchhith Veasna) gathered secondary data for the economic profile at the provincial level in both provinces. Additional information was extracted from the 2003/04 Cambodia Socio-economic Survey (CSES) by the Project Management Consultant (Cheryl Urashima). Annexes 2a and 2b show district-level poverty and employment profiles for each province.

Available secondary data from national and provincial sources included population statistics, employment statistics, business statistics, agriculture statistics and poverty statistics. These were used to guide the selection of districts for preliminary survey. What was missing was a profile of existing livelihood activities at the commune and village level. The project worked together with the Ministry of Planning and local authorities to incorporate this information into the questionnaire for the MoP’s village database and supported collection of this supplemental information. The Management and Training Consultant provided input into the design of the questionnaire to ensure that the information gathered was sex-disaggregated. The PDWAs helped to support the data collection process. The information gathered showed the number of households engaged in each type of economic activity for each village in the province which greatly facilitated the identification of communes and villages for preliminary assessment.

As the staff in Kompong Chhnang had already had extensive basic skills training under the previous ADB TA, this process was able to move ahead at a faster pace than in Siem Reap. In Siem Reap, basic training in facilitation skills and data gathering and analysis was needed before the PDWA staff could effectively engage in the data collection process.

Site selection process

The following criteria were established for selecting communities for interventions:

• rural

• average level of poverty (not necessarily the poorest)

• some diversity of economic activity (not all rice and/or fishing)

• potential for scale-up of activities

• potential for impact

• area where (potential) partners are working

• interested producers open to working together for mutual benefit

3 Although existing centers are officially call “Women in Development” (WID) Centers, the JFPR project was working to transform the Kompong Chhnang WID Center it into a “Women’s Development Center” (WDC) and establish a new WDC in Siem Reap. For the sake of simplicity, this report will generally refer to all centers as WDCs. Traditional WID Centers tend to be limited to center-based training with the courses offered reflecting the skills of the center staff (i.e., sewing, weaving, hairdressing, wedding finery) rather than the needs or interests of the local community.

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• accessibility

• cooperative local government officials and extension workers

The process for selecting communities included:

• Collection and analysis of available secondary data including population, employment, business, agriculture, and poverty statistics

• Identification of potential districts in each of the two provinces

• Discussions with key informants in each district/selection of districts

• Gathering of commune and village level data on economic activities

• Selection of communes within these districts (3 communes per province)

• Selection of villages (3-5 villages per commune) Site selection in Kompong Chhnang

Based on the first three selection criteria, five of the eight districts in Kompong Chhnang were selected for preliminary assessment (Samakee Meanchey, Rolea B’ier, Kampong Leaeng, Boribor and Chol Kiri). For the three districts which not selected, Kompong Chhnang District, the provincial capital, was eliminated as it is mostly urban in character; and, Tuek Phos District eliminated as it is predominately reliant on rice cultivation with little diversity of economic activity. It was felt that Kompong Tralach District could be considered for expansion of activities in the future. See Annex 1a for a poverty map and charts on employment by district in Kompong Chhnang.

In mid-December 2006, preliminary were discussions held with key informants in the five districts including district and commune officials, extension workers, NGOs working in the district, and women in different types of businesses (e.g., bamboo products, vegetable cultivation, animal raising, food processing). The assessments were conducted by the Technical Coordinator and consultants together with the WDC Director and a Deputy Director of the PDWA. The PDWA was very helpful in contacting district chiefs to arrange meetings.

The purpose of these visits was to identify districts and communes with good potential to take advantage of enterprise development assistance. Information was gathered on the ‘character’ of population in district, most important livelihood activities, predominant production and marketing systems for main products, market locations, innovation trends, innovators, problems encountered and what was done to address problems, and other organizations working in the district. Key information from the report on the assessment is summarized in Table 1 below.

Based on this information, the project team decided to focus initial activities on Rolea B’ier and Kompong Leaeng Districts. These districts were selected based on the nature and diversity of existing economic activities and the consistency of the priorities identified by local government with the WDC Project’s priorities. The fact that Rolea B’ier it is also the home district of the Kompong Chhnang WDC was also seen as an advantage.

Table 1. Key information from preliminary assessments at the district-level in Kompong Chhnang

District

Samakee Meanchey Rolea B'ier Boribor

Kompong Leaeng Chol Kiri

Population Male 32,072 42,381 22,990 21,506 15,160 Female 35,245 48,314 26,199 22,815 15,942 Total 67,317 90,695 49,189 44,321 31,102 % Female 52% 53% 53% 51% 51%

No. of communes 9 13 11 9 5

No. of villages 86 135 64 44 27

No. of households Total HH 13,373 19,334 10,743 8,899 6,111 Female-headed HH 2,700 4,406 2,716 1,124 796 % FHH 20% 23% 25% 13% 13%

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District

Samakee Meanchey Rolea B'ier Boribor

Kompong Leaeng Chol Kiri

% of hhlds below poverty line (2004)

20% 35% 7% 32% 54%

Diversity of economic activity

Main economic activities of most households

-rice (wet) -animal raising -vegetables -non-timber forest products

-rice (wet & dry) -animal raising -vegetables -small business

-rice (wet & dry) -animal raising -vegetables -small business

-rice (wet) -animal raising -vegetables (dry season) -small business

-rice (wet & dry) -animal raising -small business

Other economic activities

-palm leaf mats -palm sugar

-pottery -mats -bamboo baskets -palm sugar -rice wine

-palm sugar -fishing

-mats

-fishing -pottery -breaking rock

Potential partners NGOs working in the district

WVC LWF

CCD CEDAC Neang Kong Rea Association LMDS HEKS

WVC WVC WVC CCD

Local government priorities

-education -infrastructure -employment opportunities

-market information -raw materials (supply & price)

-export labor -increased agricultural productivity

-credit -market information -improving quality of mats -shift to dry rice cultivation

-infrastructure -market information -tourism

Other comments -new district -heavy reliance on NTFP -only one commune (Svay) is very active

WDC location across river – access by boat

difficult to access, particularly during rainy season

The project worked together with the Ministry of Planning to incorporate livelihood information into the questionnaire for the MoP’s village database. Analysis of this information showed the number of households engaged in each type of economic activity for each village in the province. Utilizing the supplemental information from the village database, the Technical Coordinator and Management and Training Consultant identified two communes from each of two target districts for further investigation. Economic activities in these communes are summarized in the table below:

Table 2. Economic activities in four communes in Kompong Chhnang

District/Commune Rice Crops

Animal raising

Mat making

Bamboo products

Kompong Leaeng District

1. Trangnel Commune √ √ √ √

2. Por Commune √ √ √

Rolea B’ier District

1. Chheung Krio Commune √ √ √ √

2. Teuk Hout Commune √ √ √ √

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Members of the WDC Project team (Veasna, Sarom, Cheryl) together with Sav Kimsoeun from the EcDev Department, Men En (WDC) and Chan Sok (PDWA) visited these communes February 21-24, 2007. In each commune the team met with the commune chief and representatives from the villages in the commune. Again, livelihood activities were discussed and there emerged an interesting picture reflecting great variation between villages even within the same commune. Meetings at the commune council office where followed by visits to a select number of villages where the team had a opportunity to meet with women engaged in producing a variety of different types of baskets and mats, cash crops and food products.

Information was also informally gathered on production costs, sources of raw materials, credit, marketing channels, sales prices, etc. for a few products. Particularly interesting were the villages in Chheung Krio Commune, Rolea B’ier District which were producing low quality bamboo baskets for export to Thailand with each village specializing in a particular type of basket. Profit estimates for these products were extremely low. Baskets produced for local markets and mats appeared to be more profitable. It was clear that the producers were unfamiliar with estimating the profitability of their livelihood activities and were more concerned about cash flow.

The assessment team all felt that Trangnel Commune in Kompong Leaeng District, and Chheung Krio and Toek Hout Communes in Rolea B'ier District had good potential for impact and scale up and a critical mass of producers which could be helped to come together for mutual benefit. The potential in Por Commune was less clear. Activities in Kompong Chhnang thus proceeded to focus on handicrafts (mat making and bamboo products), food processing, and non-rice agricultural production in Trangnel, Chheung Krio and Toek Hout communes working with five villages in each commune.

Site selection in Siem Reap

Site selection in Siem Reap followed a similar process: Based on the first four selection criteria, two of the 12 districts in Siem Reap were selected for preliminary assessment (Angkor Thom and Sotr Nikom). For the ten districts which were not selected, Siem Reap District, the provincial capital, was eliminated as it is mostly urban; Pouk and Prasat Bakong Districts are adjacent to Siem Reap District and have poverty rates similar to the national average4; Vaarin District is quite remote, sparsely populated and predominately reliant on rice cultivation with little diversity of economic activity; Banteay Srei and Srey Sanam Districts have extremely high levels of poverty; and, Svay Leu District is quite remote and sparsely populated. Kralanh, Angkor Chum and Chi Kraeng Districts may be considered for expansion of activities in the future. See Annex 1b for a poverty map and charts on employment by district in Siem Reap.

The project team requested the cooperation of the District Offices in the two selected districts in collecting information on livelihood activities at the village and commune level. The Vice District Chiefs of both districts agreed to collect the requested data in cooperation with the PDWA. In July 2007, when all of the requested information was available, the PCU visited five communes in the selected districts to identify communes and villages. Key informants included district officials,

4 Siem Reap province had the third highest level of poverty in the country with a poverty head-count index of 52%,

significantly above then national average of 35%. Nine of the 12 districts had estimated poverty rates of 50% or higher.

Samakee Meanchey

Tuek Phos

Boribor

Rolea B’ier

Chol Kiri

Kampong Tralach

Kampong Leaeng

Kampong Chhnang

Kampong Chnnang Province Selected Districts

W

W WDC

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extension workers/agricultural staff, NGOs working in these districts, business services and women in different types of businesses.

After reviewing the situation in the five communes relative to the selection criteria, the team recommended Samrong Commune in Sotr Nikom District, and Svay Chek and Leang Dai Communes in Angkor Thom District. District-level information is summarized in Table 3 below.

Table 3: Key information from assessments in five communes in two districts in Siem Reap

District

Sotr Nikom (Samrong and Kien Sangker Communes)

Angkor Thom (Leang Dei, Svay Chek and Peak Snaeng

Communes) No. of communes 10 4

No. of villages 113 26

% of hhlds below poverty line (2004)

58% 85%

Diversity of economic activity

Main economic activities of most households

- 90% are farmers - A few villagers grow vegetable for sale, but most of them grow for home consumption

- 20% engaged in small business - Animal raising (cows, buffalo, pigs, chickens, ducks for sale only)

- Use non-timber forest production for home consumption and for sale. NTFP collect in some communes near the mountain or forest

- 85% are farmers, they grow rice and other crops, and raise animals (pigs, cows, chickens, and ducks)

- After the rice season, most of farmers grow vegetables, raise animals, make baskets and mats, and small business

- Around 30% migrate to work in Siem Reap (sell labor and small business)

- 10% is business and making handicrafts (rattan baskets and mats)

Other economic activities

- 5% engaged in fishing - Some government staff

Potential partners NGOs working in the district

Danida: - Food security program - Self-help groups - Agricultural services - Natural resource management ADA: -Capacity building through training - Agricultural services -Send girls to study agriculture Padek: - Agricultural services - Self-help groups - Agriculture - Rice bank - Infrastructure NGO credit programs: Chea Sak, Hatha Kasekor, Amrith, Cambodia Economic, and AMK.

Plan: - Agricultural services and technical advisors - Capacity building through training - Infrastructure - Education RIDA: - Loans without interest - Agricultural services Padek: - Agricultural services - Self-help groups - Agriculture - Rice bank - Infrastructure - Education - Health

Local government priorities

- Education program and school buildings - Infrastructure - Increase employment opportunities for community people

-Improve animal raising and subsidiary crop production for sale

- Reduce the number of migrants from the dis-trict to Siem Reap because want to keep people working on agricultural production for sale.

- Develop ecotourism in the district - Increase employment opportunities for community people

- Improve market information related to agricultural production.

Other comments Only the Samrong Commune villagers are very

active. After the rice season they grow vege-tables and sugar cane in the rice fields for sale. Some villagers make noodles for sale. The farmers in Kien Sangker Commune raise ducks for sale.

The farmers in Leang Dai Commune make mats for sale in Siem Reap and raise animals for sale. The people in Svay Chek Commune make rattan baskets for sale to Thailand.

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Problems identified in Sotr Nikom District included low rice productivity at 700 kg per hectare (vs. a national average of 2.5 tons per hectare) and a general shortage of rice for one to two months each year. Farmers were using chemical fertilizers and insecticide for their vegetables and rice. The prices they were able to get for their agricultural products were low. Animals get sick. And, the lack of access to market information and agricultural technology and services constrained produc-tivity. The villagers got malaria when they went to collect non-timber forest products. And, an increasing number of children were dropping out of school because they need to help their parent with work.

In Angkor Thom District, a key concern was the increased migration of young men and women to sell labor in Siem Reap City. Related to agricultural production, there were problems similar to those found in Sotr Nikom with low quality products and thus low prices. The lack of access to market information and agricultural technology and services constrained productivity. In the production of rattan baskets and mats, access to raw materials was becoming more difficult and expensive and producers remained dependent on traditional tools and techniques. Poor quality products could not compete in the market.

The selection team recommended selection of Samrong Commune (3 villages) in Sotr Nikom District and Leaeng Dai (5 villages) and Svay Chek Communes (5 villages) in Angkor Thom District as the commune situation and village livelihood activities conformed well to the selection criteria. In Samrong Commune, the farmers are very active and work hard growing vegetables and raising animals for sale. Not many development projects are currently working in this commune. In Leaeng Dai and Svay Chek Communes, many villagers were producing rattan baskets and mats for sale, growing rice and vegetables and raising animals and they wanted to improve existing products and marketing.

4.0 PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

4.1 PARTICIPATORY APPROACH

The project was designed to seek inputs from and incorporate local knowledge of community groups where WDCs were sited5. It was expected that emphasis would be placed on the use of participatory methods in the design and implementation of activities through consultations, community meetings and workshops. It was also expected that village and women's associations and communities would be consulted to gauge their interests, concerns, suggestions and commitment to ensure ownership and involvement in project design and implementation.

Training for WDC staff started with Facilitating Skills and Participatory Rural Appraisal workshops incorporating a range of adult learning and PRA methodologies. These methodologies were then used in the various training, workshops and other activities supported by the project.

A participatory approach to design and implementation was followed in all major activities – starting with the site selection process described earlier – and continuing through community resource assessments, formation of producer groups and on-going consultation with producer groups on the

5 Grant Implementation Manual, pg. 5, para. 9.

Varin

Svay Leu

Srei Sanam

Angkor Chum

Kralanh

Pouk

Angkor Thom Banteay

Srei

Siem Reap

Prasat Bakong

Sotr Nikom Chi

Kraeng

Siem Reap Province Selected Districts

W

W WDC

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design of project interventions as described below. 'Women's associations' did not exist at the start of the project and the project's main beneficiaries were working independently on their livelihood activities. Formation of producer groups provided a means to strengthen social capital within communities. Group leaders took on increase responsibility for providing training to others by the end of the project.

The approach to enterprise development was very much community-led, a significant departure from the supply-driven approach of traditional WID Centers. The project did not have a pre-conceived schedule of 'courses' which would be provided by the WDCs but worked with producer groups in identifying existing skills, resources and other needs, and tailoring interventions to the interests and capacities of the women. The vast majority of training was provided at the community level – again a significant change from the center-based approach of traditional WID Centers. This enabled broader-based participation of women in project activities.

4.2 COMMUNITY RESOURCE ASSESSMENTS

Community Resource Assessments (CRA) workshops were conducted in the six communes to identify local resources (physical and human), market options and trends. A total of 367 people participated in these workshops (187 women) including representatives from each of the 28 villages selected to participate in project activities, and village development committee and commune council members. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools were used extensively in this process including seasonal calendars, resource mapping, market mapping, brainstorming and product ranking.

The CRA workshops include the following sessions:

1. Commune resources and market mapping 2. History of potential products 3. Agricultural activities 4. Non-agricultural activities 5. Assets for comparative advantage 6. Innovation analysis 7. Resource flow 8. Product screening and detailed study of each product

Prior to the workshops, staff from the WDCs and PDWAs were trained to facilitate these workshops by MoWA's Economic Development Department (EDD) staff with guidance and support from the Management and Training Consultant (MTC). Outputs included information on agricultural and non- agriculture activities in each commune (crops/products, markets, available services, problems encountered), innovation, life skills and business development needs; and, product ranking.

CRA Workshops in Kompong Chhnang Participants in each of the four-day CRA workshops included villagers from five villages in Trangnel and Chheung Krio Communes and four villages in Toek Hout Commune with approximately 10 villagers from each village. Members of the Village Development Committees (VDCs) and the Commune Council chief and members were also invited to join the workshops to ensure their awareness of the project’s activities and mobilize their cooperation and support. Although the proportion of women leaders was relatively low at 23% this was still higher than the proportion of women in Commune Councils nation-wide (14.6%). This was balanced out by a higher proportion of women participants from the villages (62%) and women comprised 51% of the 188 total participants. Many additional villagers joined the workshops as observers. The workshops were held at the commune council offices in each commune.

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Table 4: Basic Information on Community Resource Assessment Workshops, three communes in Kompong Chhnang

PARTICIPANTS

COMMUNE VILLAGES WORKSHOP

DATES

VDC, Village Chiefs,

Commune Councils Villagers Total

FACILITATORS

TRANGNEL Kompong Leaeng District

Trabek Trangel Chres Khlaeng Poar Andoung Ronuk

8-11 May 15 (10M:5F)

50 (13M:37F)

65 (23M:42F)

WDC 5 (1M:4F) PDWA 3 (1M:2F) MoWA 4 (1M:3F)

TOEK HOUT Rolea B’ier District

T Krapeu Takhout Preak Reang Kouk Sdau

16-19 May 18 (15M:3F)

40 (19M:21F)

58 (34M:24F)

WDC 5 (5F) PDWA 3 (1M:2F) MoWA 4 (4F)

CHHEUNG KRIO Rolea B’ier District

Pring Kaong Luong Andoung Chek Sophi Tuek Chenh

22-25 May 20 (16M:4F)

45 (19M:26F)

65 (35M:30F)

WDC 5 (5F) PDWA 3 (M1:F2) MoWA 4 (M2:M2)

Total 53 (41M:12F)

135 (51M:84F)

188 (92M:96F)

CRA Workshop participants, Trangnel Commune

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The workshops started out with a mapping of commune resources and markets. . .

Commune resources and market map, Trangnel Commune, Kompong Leaeng District

Legend:

- School

- Pagoda

- Market

- Town

- Battery recharge shop

- Rice mill

- Mat weaving

- Pump well

- Well pipe

- Local wine refinery

- Vending stall

- Canal

- Commune boundary

- Village boundary

- Village road

- Mountain

- Hermitage

- Lake

- Dam

- Pipe

- Pond

- Rice

- Reed

- Natural pond

- Oxcart path

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Commune resources and market map, Toek Hout Commune, Rolea B’ier District

- Basket weaving - Round mat weaving - Triangle mat weaving - School - Battery recharge shop - Rice mill - Commune office - Pagoda - Health center - Islamic school - Christian school - Pipe well - Pump well - Islamic shrine - Town - Resident of rice farmer - Resident of spice vendor

Participants in Takhout preparing a commune

resources and market map

- 14 -

Participants in Chueng Krio preparing a commune

resources and market map

Participants in Chueng Krio preparing a commune

resources and market map Commune resources and market map, Chheung Krio, Rolea B’ier District

- Pagoda

- Event house (ceremony, festival)

- Sewing house

- Pipe well

- Rice mill

- Fitting wedding, hair dressing

- Battery recharge shop

- School

- Pump well

- Health center

- Resident of spice vendor

- Bamboo handicraft house

- Community office

- Commune boundary

- Village boundary

- Road

- Oxcart road

- River

- Canal

- Bridge

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The workshops then proceeded with identifying existing agricultural and non-agricultural income generating activities in the commune. Trangel and Teuk Hout had a similar pattern of productive activity (dry season rice, vegetables and other crops, mat making) with some differences in the types of vegetables and other crops which are grown. Teuk Hout was the only of the three communes engaged in fish processing6 and raising eels for sale. Chheung Krio wass focused on the production of bamboo products and was not engaged in crop production outside of wet season rice. All communes were engaged in raising animals for sale (cows, pigs, ducks, chickens) and growing fruit for home consumption only.

6 Kompong Chhnang Province is well known for its dried fish products.

Chili peppers being sold at the dock in Kompong Chhnang town

Mat weaving in Toek Hout Commune

Making bamboo baskets in Chheung Krio Commune

Project Management Consultant (left) and Management and Training Consultant with baskets produced in Chheung Krio Commune

Wet season vegetable cultivation in Trangnel Commune

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Common problems related to village income generating activities were identified in all workshops. Related to handicrafts, the villagers noted that their skills and designs have been passed down through many generations and they only know the traditional designs and production techniques. They know little about the market for their products or about other types of equipment which could improve productivity and/or product quality. The only technical inputs that have been received have been related to agriculture, focused on crop production; no assistance was received on marketing to complement the technical training. There is little initiative and few new ideas.

Marketing was recognized as clear weaknesses: They lack market information, don’t know how to adapt their products to markets, don’t know if their products are competitive, and don’t know how to package products for different markets.

Business management skills are also weak: No business records are kept and they don’t know how to use the capital they might have to start a business. Labor and natural raw materials (e.g., grass for mat weaving) which are not purchased are not taken into consideration in the pricing of products and returns to labor are often very low and the supply of raw materials is increasingly difficult to find for some types of products.

Through product ranking exercises conducted in each workshop, priority products for further analysis were identified in each commune as shown in Table 5 below. Table 5: Priorities Identified in CRA Workshops, three communes in Kompong Chhnang, May 2007

Commune Products

Trorngel Takhout Chheung Krio

Reasons

1. Rice x x Easy to grow, easy to sell

2. Subsidiary Crops

· Green pepper x Easy to grow

· Chili pepper x Don’t need technology · Pumpkin x Marketable · Mung bean x Don’t require much labor · Soybean x · Mustard green x x Easy to grow, grow very fast · Non-heading type cabbage x x Don’t need technology · Petsai (green petiole) x x Easy to sell, villagers like to eat · Swatow mustard x x Villagers have skills to process · Sweet potatoes x Easy to grow, low tech · Corn x Marketable · Lotus x Don’t require much labor

3. Animal Raising

· Chickens x x x Don’t need to buy feed, low tech · Cows x x x Fee raising, easy to sell · Local pigs x Easy to sell

4. Eel Raising x* Marketable

5. Handicrafts

· Mat making x x Marketable · Bamboo products x “

6. Fish processing x Marketable

* Kok Sedau Village only

Mini Case Study: Getting Grass Across the River

Many villagers in Trangel Commune raise a particular type of grass which is very good for weaving mats. They produce far more grass than they need to produce the mats they are currently able to make during their weaving season. They would like to sell the excess. If they could find a reliable market for their grass they would shift from rice to more grass cultivation as prices are higher and labor inputs lower.

Villagers in Pursat Province assisted by the WID Center in Pursat are also engaged in mat weaving however are having difficulties with finding enough grass to meet their production needs.

Contact was established between the potential sellers and buyers and a price agreed for the purchase of 1 ton of grass at 3500 riel per kilogram (approx $875 for the order). Several households would provide 200-300 kgs each to fill this order.

The sellers expect the buyers to collect the grass from each household. The buyers were afraid to cross the river to collect the grass. And, the sellers don’t want to pay the cost of transporting the grass across the river (approx. $15). Lack of trust is a strong concern.

Although potentially very profitable for both parties, the sale has not been executed.

There is a clear need for an intermediary – either in the form of a trusted middleperson, or through the formation of a producers’ group in Trangnel to manage the marketing of their grass. Building trust and establishing transparent procedures would need to be a priority. Procedures could also be put into place to provide advance payments to at least cover transport costs. Transport and intermediary costs need to be taken into consideration in setting prices.

- 17 -

The villagers gave priority to products which require relatively low levels of labor input (i.e., easy to grow, don’t use much labor) and/or are perceived to be marketable (i.e., easy to sell). There was also a preference for products with a low level of technology.

CRA Workshops in Siem Reap Participants in each of the four-day CRA workshops included villagers from five villages in Leang Dai Commune and three villages in Samrong and Svay Chek Communes with 10 to 15 villagers from each village (details are shown in Table 6). Members of the Village Development Committees (VDCs) and the Commune Council chief and members were also invited to join the workshops to ensure their awareness of the project’s activities and mobilize their cooperation and support. Although the proportion of women leaders was relatively low at 18% this was still slightly higher than the proportion of women in Commune Councils nation-wide (14.6%). This was balanced out by a higher proportion of women participants from the villages (61%) and women comprised 51% of the 188 total participants. Many additional villagers joined the workshops as observers. The workshops were held at the commune council offices in each commune.

Table 6: Basic Information on Community Resource Assessment Workshops, three communes in Siem Reap

PARTICIPANTS

COMMUNE VILLAGES WORKSHOP

DATES

VDC, Village Chiefs,

Commune Councils Villagers Total

FACILITATORS

SAMRONG Sotr Nikom District

Angkonh Bat Dangkao Svay Chrum

15-18 Aug 16 (13M:3F)

41 (25:16)

57 (38M:18F)

WDC PIU 3 (3F) PDWA 3 (1M:2F) MoWA 2 (1M:2F)

LEANG DAI Angkor Thom District

Leang Dei Doung Ov Ta Prok Phlong Samraong

19-22 Aug 15 (14M:1F)

50 (19M:31F)

65 (33M:32F)

WDC PIU 3 (3F) PDWA 3 (1M:2F) MoWA 3 (1M:2F)

SVAY CHEK Angkor Thom District

Bos Tatrav Tatrav Kandaol Pring

23-26 Aug 12 (8M:4F)

45 (9M:36F)

57 (17M:40F)

WDC 3 (3F) PDWA 3 (1M:2F) MoWA 3 (1M:2F)

Total 43 (35M:8F)

136 (53M:83F)

179 (88M:91F)

An in Kompong Chhnang, the workshops started out with a mapping of commune resources and markets as shown in the maps on the next three pages. Important livelihood activities are highlighted with orange circles in the legends.

- 18 -

Pics and maps

Legend: -Silk handicraft -Sewing handicraft -Market -Medicine store -Grocery store -Noodle shop -Khmer noodle shop -Rice mill -Battery recharge shop -Sugar cane -Vegetable farmer -Widow’s house -Widower’s house -Average family -Poor family -Rich family -Village chief house -School -Pagoda

Dug well Latrine

Pipe well Health center

Weaving

Pump well

Ancient road Path

Canal Pond

National road 65 Dam

Bridge

Commune resources and market map, Samrong Commune, Sotr Nikom District

Small group discussions during CRA workshop in Samrong Commune, Sotr Nikom District

- 19 -

-Commune border -Village border -Pond (year-round) -Gravel road -White soil road -Ancient road -Small stream -River -Bridge -Pipe -Oxcart road -Soldier camp -Six-roomed hall

-Leang Dai commune office -Angkor Thom district office -Bamboo handicraft -Mat weaving house -Roll made of hashed meat -Coffee shop -Rattan handicraft -School -Pump well -Health center -Pipe well -Military police station -Ancient temple -Pagoda

-Dug well -Male-headed household -Female-headed household -District police office -Christian school -Medicine store -Sewing house -Leang Dai police station -Hairdressing shop -Rice mill -Battery recharge shop -Brick kiln -Grocery store -Toilet

-Khmer noodle shop -Wine refinery shop -Animal raising house

Commune resources and market map Leang Dai Commune, Angkor Thom District

CRA Workshop Leang Dai Commune Angkor Thom District

- 20 -

-Mat handicraft -Bamboo handicraft -Rattan handicraft -Wine refinery shop -Rice mill -Grocery shop -Village chief’s house -Commune chief house -Six-roomed hall -Pagoda -School -Commune council

-Police station -Widow’s house -Widower’s house -Ancient temple -Medicine store -Toilet -Toilet (use ash) -Pipe well -Pump well -Dug well -Name of village -Dam -Pond -Bridge -Pipe -Commune border

-Village border -Oxcart road -Canal -Gravel road -Path

Commune resources and market map Svay Chek Commune, Angkor Thom District

Participants in Svay Chek preparing a commune

resources and market map

- 21 -

The workshops then proceeded with identifying existing agricultural and non-agricultural income generating activities in the commune. Although all three communes were producing similar crops, Samrong Commune (Sotr Nikom District) was clearly more market-oriented while Leang Dai and Svay Chek Communes (Angkor Thom District) are primarily producing crops for home consumption. All of the communes were engaged in wet season rice production, raising animals for sale (cows, pigs, ducks, chickens) and growing fruit for home consumption and sale.

Through product ranking exercises conducted in each workshop, priority products for further analysis were identified in each commune as shown in Table 7 below. Table 7: Priorities Identified in CRA Workshops, three communes in Siem Reap Province, August 2007

Commune Products

Samrong Leang

Dai Svay Chek

Reasons

1. Rice x x x Easy to grow, easy to sell, use cow manure 2. Subsidiary Crops

· Green pepper x Easy to grow

· Chili pepper x Don’t need technology · Pumpkin x x Marketable · Mung bean x x Don’t require much labor · Soybean x x · Casava x · Corn x · Mustard green x x Easy to grow, grow very fast · Non-heading type cabbage x x Don’t need technology · Petsai (green petiole) x x Easy to sell, villagers like to eat · Swatow mustard x x Villagers have skills to process ·

3. Fruit trees · Banana x Easy to grow, grow very fast · Mango x Don’t need technology · Papaya x Easy to sell · Guava x

4. Animal Raising

· Chickens x x x Don’t need to buy feed, low tech · Cows x x x Fee raising, easy to sell · Local pigs x x Easy to sell

5. Handicrafts

· Mat making x x Easy to find raw materials · Rattan baskets x x Most women can make mats Marketable, some to Thailand

As in Kompong Chhnang, the villagers gave priority to products which require relatively low levels of labor input (i.e., easy to grow, don’t use much labor) and/or are perceived to be marketable (i.e., easy to sell). There was also a preference for products with a low level of technology.

The CRA participants in the three communes were most interested in identify market opportunities to sell their products (agricultural products and handicrafts); improving the quality of mats (equipment and designs) to meet market needs; improving agriculture production to meet market needs; food processing for household consumption and sale; business management skills; and, household and family management skills.

Based on preliminary discussions during the CRA workshops, potential interventions which could be included in the EDAPs are organizing producer groups for joint marketing; facilitating linkages with suppliers of quality seeds for crop production; facilitating linkages with suppliers of veterinary services; introducing new designs for handicraft products; facilitating linkages with buyers; and, introducing new technology to improve quality and decrease time needed to produce handicrafts. The project would also explore the feasibility of expanding processing of fresh produce.

No major problems were encountered in the delivery of the workshops. Although this was a new process for the PDWA and MoWA facilitators, as there had been extensive preparation and training

- 22 -

prior to the workshops they were able to effectively facilitate the workshops and gather much valuable information. These workshops generated a great deal of interest at the commune level as evidenced by the high levels of participation.

4.3 COMPONENT A: WDC FACILITY DEVELOPMENT AND UPGRADING

This component was comprised of the development of a new Women's Development Center in Siem Reap and upgrading of the existing WDC in Kompong Chhnang. At the request of communities, the component was expanded to include the construction of commune producer group buildings.

4.3.1 WDC facilities

Land allocation

In mid-2005 MoWA submitted a request to the Siem Reap provincial government for allocation of land for a Siem Reap Women’s Development Center (WDC). The local government agreed to allocated 60m x 235m of land in Plong Village, Leang Dai Commune, Angkor Thom District for the center. This site was located approximately 20 kilometers north of Siem Reap town and 4 kilometers east of the Angkor Thom historical site. The local government also agreed to provide an access road to the site.

Because the site was located within Zone 2 of the area under the auspices of the Apsara Authority, the design for the center needed to be approved by the Apsara Authority. In addition, the Apsara Authority had the right to inspect the site for historical artifacts during site preparation and halt construction should any significant artifacts be found.

The center in Kompong Chhnang is located in Osandan Village, Toek Hout Commune, Rolea B'ier District, approximately 75 kilometers northeast of Phnom Penh on National Highway 5. No additional land was needed for the Kompong Chhnang center however a construction permit from local government authorities was needed for the new building.

Design and approvals

Site plans and preliminary design concepts for the administration and marketing building for the Siem Reap WDC and new food processing and marketing building for the Kompong Chhnang WDC had been prepared under ADB TA No. 3947-CAM, Sustainable Employment Promotion for Poor Women in late 2005. The Design Consultant, Ms. Nivana Cheng, also arranged the official transfer of the land title for the Siem Reap WDC to MoWA and installation of border markers.

In February 2006 MoWA submitted the site plan and preliminary design concept for the Siem Reap WDC to the Apsara Authority. The exterior design of the main administration and marketing building was inspired by Prasat Kravan combining simple lines with terracotta brickwork. The Apsara Authority requested that the main building be changed from a two story to a one story structure and also requested an engineering plan. The Design Consultant prepared the revised design and engineering plan and MoWA re-submitted these to the Apsara Authority in April 2006. The plans were reviewed and approved by the Apsara Authority officials in Siem Reap and sent to their Phnom Penh office for final approval. Final approval was received in August 2006 however the authority requested that the plans also be reviewed and approved by UNESCO. Approval from UNESCO was received in September 2006.

In Kompong Chhnang, the site plan and building design were submitted to the Kampong Chhnang provincial authorities for review and approval. The local authorities asked that the location of the new building be changed in anticipation of a future widening of National Highway 5. The requested change was made and approval to proceed was received in August 2006.

The Design Consultant then proceeded with preparing detailed drawings, bill of quantities (BoQs) and cost estimates for the civil works. Initial estimates received in November 2006 greatly exceeded the available budget for civil works for both sites. The Minister also requested changes in building layout. The Design Consultant was asked to revise the designs to accommodate the Minister’s requests, bring down the estimated costs for the main buildings in both locations and prepare estimates for ancillary buildings and other structures. Recommendations and cost estimates for upgrading existing buildings in Kompong Chhnang were also requested. Responding to these requests required revising the

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original drawings and engineering plans, preparing a number of new drawings, updating unit costs and preparing new cost estimates. This work was completed in early April 2007 and submitted to ADB for review and approval along with draft bidding documents.

The ADB requested more detailed design specifications and updating of unit prices. Problems were encountered in clarifying the requirements for the detailed specifications. This was resolved during the ADB Review Mission fielded 2-8 August 2007.

Initial contracting

Most of the contents of the bidding documents had been drafted based on the ADB Standard Bidding

Document, Procurement of Works for Small Contracts User’s Guide (July 2006) in late 2006. Once the detailed design specifications and bidding documents were finalized and approved, the PCU advertised for Invitations for Bids on the 17 August 2007. A pre-bid meeting was held with seven contractors on 24 August and site visits with bidders conducted the week of 27 August.

The works including in the original bidding documents were:

Siem Reap Kompong Chhnang

1. Administration and marketing building 2. Training building 1 3. Training building 2 4. Dyeing/drying area 5. Public restroom 6. Cafeteria/day care 7. Dormitory/restroom 8. Shower room 9. Well/water tower 10. Flag pole 11. Fence

1. Food processing building 2. Renovate cafeteria/kitchen 3. Flag pole 4. Fence

On 17 September six contractors submitted bids at the designate time and the MoWA Procurement Committee, or their representatives, and other MoWA and project staff oversaw the opening of bids in a meeting chaired by the JFPR Project Coordinator. Details of the bid evaluation process can be found in the Bid Evaluation Report dated 1 October 2007.

A Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC) was designated chaired by the JFPR Project Coordinator and including the Project’s Deputy Project Coordinator, Financial Coordinator (and Representative of the 1st Secretary of State), Administrative Coordinator (and Representative of the 2nd Secretary of State) and Accountant; the MoWA General Director for Finance and Administration; and, a representative from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

With the assistance of an ADB Procurement Specialist Mr. William ‘Billy’ Willis, a preliminary review was conducted and guidelines prepared for reviewing the bids for compliance with the bidding documents. The Administrative and Financial Officer provided extensive administrative and logistical support to Billy in this process. The committee formally met on 28 September at the Sunway Hotel and using the evaluation matrix provided by Billy reviewed the bids for compliance and responsiveness. In the first stage of bid evaluation the bids were reviewed for compliance with pre-qualifying criteria. Four of the six bids failed to pre-qualify. These contractors also failed to provide other essential information including bidder’s qualifications to perform the contract and required schedules. The BEC determined these bids to substantially unresponsive and non-conforming.

The two remaining bids, Kry Huy and Mohaprum, were assessed for compliance with Bidder’s Qualifications requirements and submission of required schedules and both were found to have substantially satisfied all of the criteria. Some of the BEC members had concerns about the capacity of the lowest evaluated bidder (Mohaprum) to carry out the contracts and a meeting with the contractor was arranged for the 1st of October. Concerns related to financial resources, availability of personnel and the relatively short construction periods proposed by Mohaprum were addressed by the Director of Mohaprum to the satisfaction of the BEC which recommended selection of Mohaprum.

ADB issued a letter of no-objection on 4 October and the PCU proceeded with contract negotiations. A meeting was held with the selected contractor on 8 October to finalize contract negotiations, discuss

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contract management procedures, and sign the contract documents. The total values of the signed contracts were US$ 287,815.57 for Siem Reap and US$ 79,731.60 for Kompong Chhnang.

Construction

Construction commenced at the end of October 2007 in Kompong Chhnang, slightly ahead of schedule, and on 1 November in Siem Reap as scheduled. By June 2008 90 percent of the contracted work was reported as completed in Siem Reap and 90 percent completed in Kompong Chhnang. The contractor reported problems with obtaining materials (i.e., steel) and difficulties with irregular availability of construction workers. Contract variations were negotiated to extend the construction timeframe from 7 to 10 months in Siem Reap and from 5 to 9.5 months in Kompong Chhnang. The contract variation for Siem Reap also included additional amounts for raising the building foundations to protect against flooding, electrical works, a sign and an access road, and correction of inconsistent unit costs. The net increase in the value of the contract was US$ 15,883.22 bringing the total value to $303,698.79. Additional amounts were also added to the Kompong Chhnang contract for moving and extending the fence, providing a concrete apron around the kitchen, water well and tower, electrical works and a sign. The contract variation for Kompong Chhnang increased the value of the contract by US$15,577.85 bringing the total to $95,409.45.

Numerous deficiencies were however identified in the quality of the construction, particularly in Kompong Chhnang. The part-time construction supervision provided by the Design Consultant in Kompong Chhnang proved to be insufficient for ensuring quality control. A full-time Construction Supervisor, Mr. Dit Sereyreatana, had been employed to oversee construction in Siem Reap however problems were also identified at this site. MoWA's construction supervision committee had also periodically visited both sites however reported no major problems.

Construction quality had been an ongoing issue during the construction phases at both WDC’s. Both Nivana and Reatana prepared periodic reports which raised significant construction management and quality issues. Issues included the absence of counterpart construction engineers to discuss the conduct of the works, lack of detailed engineering drawings to compliment architectural drawings and specifications, lack of skilled workers and refusal by the contractor to accept instructions from the project’s supervising personnel. Numerous attempts were made by the project to apply pressure on the contractor to complete the works to an acceptable standard. The contractor was however substantially unresponsive to requests to rectify deficiencies and progress payments were consequently withheld.

The late-November/early-December 2008 ADB Review Mission included site visits to both WDCs. The Mission found that the quality of construction at Kompong Chhnang failed to achieve the most basic standards of construction quality. Workmanship and materials were substandard with a substantial number of defects identified. While construction at Siem Reap was slightly better, many of the components specified were not supplied. A meeting with the contractor, Project Coordinating Committee (PCU) and the ADB Mission was convened to discuss the overall quality of construction and to rectify defects which were identified during the site visit at both Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang.

An agreement with the contractor was made whereby the defective works identified by the Mission and MoWA would be rectified. The contractor agreed to rectify all of the defective and uncompleted works by 31 January 2009. To ensure greater control over the construction process at Kompong Chhnang the Project engaged the services of Mr. Chey Nary, a civil engineer based at Kompong Chhnang. The contractor agreed to cover the cost of Nary’s salary for the 7-week period from 10 December 2008 to 31 January 2009.

Given the difficulties faced by the PCU in working with the contractor, the ADB suggested that additional project support was required to manage the civil works. Mr. William Willis (who had previously assisted with bid evaluation) was recruited on five-month contract to oversee the civil works component starting early January 2009. Mr. Willis has prior experience with JFPR Projects in Lao PDR and management of civil works contracts.

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Construction audit

During the period for rectification of the works the project’s supervising engineers in both Kompong Chhnang and Siem Reap reported that the quality of work remained substandard and many of the agreements made with the contractor had not been honored (e.g., the supply of sufficiently skilled workers, improvements in the quality of work, and supply of items clearly described in the BoQs and drawings). The construction supervision contracts were extended for Nary and Reatana in order to assist the construction audit team quantify the value of items supplied under Mohaprum’s contracts and to provide estimates for rectifying defective works.

During January 2009, Mr. Willis conducted site visits to WDCs held interviews with construction mangers and PCU staff, reviewed reports and prepared the project to undertake a final inspection of works completed by the contractor. In addition, a review of invoices presented to the project for payment were examined and major discrepancies were discovered in terms of items claimed but not actually provided by the contractor (as well as items provided but not claimed). In preparation of a final inspection of the WDCs, Mr. Willis established a Construction Audit Team to evaluate and assess what had been actually provided by Mohaprum Co. Ltd. under the civil works contracts.

The construction audit team visited Kompong Chhnang on 3 February and Siem Reap on 12 February to begin a full evaluation of the works. Given the obvious deficiencies both the ADB and MoWA agreed that evaluation and payment to the contractor would be based only on what was actually physically supplied. The audit methodology used the contract’s BoQs, drawings and list of defective works to evaluate the works.

In addition to evaluating the list compiled by the ADB Mission, the audit team found new items which were defective. Major defective items were found at both WDCs. In Kompong Chhnang the roofing and ceiling support structure supplied was not built to specification, causing the roof to slump resulting in the cracking of 25 percent of the fibro sheeting. The ceiling support structure was also insufficiently supported resulting in sagging of the ceiling. Windows supplied by the contractor were so badly constructed that they could not be weatherproofed. At the Siem Reap Administration and Marketing Building large cracks were discovered in the roof slab, cracking of the rendered internal walls, installation of the display room ceiling was not built to specification as well as the absence of decorative work on the exterior of this building. The audit team also found that many of the items claimed by the contractor were not supplied, partially supplied or substituted with less expensive items.

Given the scale of deficiencies, the construction audit team undertook a complete review of the BoQs, recalculating quantities for total concrete used and electrical wiring among others. Estimates were calculated for the rectification of defective works as well as items which were part of the original design but not supplied. The initial audit results were finalized 27 March and presented to MoWA with final payout estimates, excluding defective works. The contractor was provided with the audit findings on the same day. The findings were documented in construction audit reports.

The contractor presented counter claims to the PCU on 30 March. After review of the counter claims, MoWA terminated the contracts with Mohaprum Co. Ltd. on 9 April due to fundamental breach of contract (i.e., failure to rectify defects). Final contract variations were prepared and certificates for the value of works completed were issued to Mohaprum. The deductions for defective and unsupplied works were US$ 24,903 for Siem Reap and US$ 19,583 for Kompong Chhnang.

Contracting for restorative, additional and new defective works

A number of new civil works contracts were issued to complete all construction including “restorative works” (those works not supplied by Mohaprum Co Ltd); “additional works” (those works required to ensure the functional and operational integrity of the WDCs); and, “new defective works” (problems which had emerged since the submission of the Construction Audit Report to the ADB in early April.

Siem Reap: Flooding of the Siem Reap WDC site during the 2008 rainy season was extensive and during the December 2008 ADB Review Mission it was agreed that paving and drainage for the Siem Reap compound was essential. The initial design was prepared by Reatana in collaboration with Mr. Januar Hakim during the review mission. On 18 March 2009 a paving and drainage contract was

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signed with Siem Reap contactor Mr. Im Vibol with a total value of $101,262. Reatana was awarded a second contract for supervision of the paving and drainage works. The works were completed to a high standard in June.

A separate procurement package was created for electrical works. Originally part of Mohaprum’s contract, only the generator shed had been supplied. A BoQ for the supply of electrical infrastructure was prepared with the assistance of an independent electrical engineer and issued to three companies in Siem Reap. The procurement package also included the supply of two generators (60 and 30 KVA) to supply electricity to all of the buildings at the WDC. Upon evaluation of bids, the contract was awarded to Mr. Mith Sam Ol. The total value of this contract was US$ 6,912.

A contract variation was issued to Mr Vibol for restoration of defective works. The three new septic tanks were installed and the roof slab on Building 5 was repaired along with other smaller defective works. The total value of this contract was US$ 13,235.

A contract variation for final restorative and additional works was agreed with Mr Vibol once the third budget reallocation was approved. This included rebuilding the front façade of the main Administration and Marketing Building and the ceiling of the product display room to comply with specifications. Also corrected were re-rendering of the wall surfaces of the main building to repair cracks, replacement of all of the doors in this building, and replacement of cracked fibro sheeting on the roofs on most of the other buildings. The total value of this contract was US$ 50,867. Costs related to rectifying additional defective works were deducted from the 5 percent retained from Mohaprum invoices. All new defects were fully documented in the “Restorative & Additional Works” contract and supported by photographic evidence to protect and support the PCU’s position in the future.

All civil works in Siem Reap were completed by the end of 2009.

Kompong Chhnang: Having terminated the contracts with Mohaprum Co., the project recruited a new contractor to rectify the defective works and execute the needed additional works. The project signed two contracts with Long Leang Heng, a Kampong Chhnang-based construction company: Contract 1

Administration and Marketing Building

Training Buildings Cafeteria/Day Care Building

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signed in early July 2009 was for restorative work including installation of steel supports and new fibro sheeting for the roof; installation of ventilation blocks; and, repairing the toilet, kitchen, signboard and fence with a total value of US$ 10,862. Contract 2, to rectify new defective works and for additional works, was signed after the necessary budget revisions had been approved by ADB with a total value of US$ 18,149. This contract included a number of additional works to improve the quality and functionality of the WDC. Additional items included upgrading the inferior plastic ceiling with a gypsum ceiling as originally specified; hand pumps for the existing hand dug wells; cabinet doors and shelves under the countertops installed in the food processing area; electrical works; repairing the flag pole; and, upgrading the eating area in the cafeteria-kitchen. The contract for the supervising engineer, Mr. Chea Nary, was extended to supervise the new contractor’s work.

Before signing the first contract, the two parties (contractor and PCU) met to discuss what was needed in order to avoid any conflicts or problems. The contractor exhibited a good understanding of the specifications and allowable costs and agreed to carryout the work as stated in the contract and BoQs.

Mr Heng provided quality tradesmen and materials working under difficult conditions to rectify Mohaprum’s defective works. As with Mr Vibol, Mr Heng was very accommodating and professional in the conduct of these contracts.

All civil works in Kompong Chhnang were completed by the end of 2009.

Landscaping

Initial landscaping plans for both sites had been prepared by the Design Consultant in April 2008. The landscaping work could not however commence until the civil works were substantially completed. It was later decided that the landscaping work for the two sites should be separated.

On 28 January 2009 the PCU released an Expression of Interest (EOI) for provision of landscaping services for the Siem Reap WDC. The project invited three companies to prepare landscaping plans based on the specifications outlined in the EOI. One of the key requirements in the design process was consultation with the Siem Reap PDWA officials who were expected to be assigned to manage the WDC when the center is opened. By the end of March, the three companies submitted plans and cost estimates. In April, the PCU evaluated the bids and awarded the contract to Mr Meng Heng with a total value of US$ 11,491. Contact was also made with the local forest administration office to request seedlings of forest plants for use as part of the landscaping in Siem Reap.

The landscaping contract was completed with all plants and other materials installed as specified in the BoQ in mid-2009. Large tree species were also provided at no additional charge to the project. Mr. Meng Him was contracted to providing maintenance services up until 7th September 2009.

A contract variation with Nivana was signed in March 2009 for the provision of landscaping services at Kompong Chhnang for a total cost of US$ 8,302. The installation of landscaping works could not commence until after completion of the rectification of defective and additional works contract. The landscaping work was completed by the end of 2009.

New building

Renovated kitchen

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Interior design and display

The Design Consultant, Ms. Nivana Cheng, prepared showroom and display concepts for Kompong Chhnang which were discussed with and approved by the Minister in February 2008. The showroom was designed to present products which are closely associated with Kompong Chhnang as well as introduce new design concepts:

� Pottery Village: kiln, thatch house, tools (e.g., wood stem to hold clay, bamboo tools, wood for fire, etc.), raw material (clay), products at various stages of production, finished products for display and sale.

� Bamboo Production Village: front part of thatch house; bamboo (raw material and prepared), partly finished products, daily products made from bamboo used by villagers (e.g., fish trap, kitchen utensils, baskets, tables, etc.), finished products for display and sale.

� Palm Sugar Production: clay stove set up with bamboo tube for palm sugar juice, other tools and equipment, palm sugar for display and sale.

� Mat Weaving: loom and other production tools, raw material (raw, prepared and dyed), partly woven mat, products to be sourced out for display (e.g., table runner, place mat, bags, cushion, etc.), finish products for display and sale.

� Other furniture and display: display shelves, cashier counter, silk hanger screen, silk hanger.

� Products for display and sale: bamboo lamps; silk lamps; cotton, silk and other handicraft products for display and sale.

� Information boards: photos and descriptive text related to handicraft and palm sugar production.

Nivana also prepared showroom and display concepts for Siem Reap which were discussed with and approved by the Minister in August 2008. The showroom was designed to present products which are closely associated with Siem Reap as well as introduce new design concepts:

� Basket Weaving Village: front part of thatch house; raw materials, partly finished products; finished products for display and sale.

� Sericulture Display: cocoons, silk reel, different grades of raw silk, dyed silk in different colors, products out-sourced for display (e.g., table runner, place mat, bags, cushion, etc.).

� Carpets for Communities Display: front part of thatch house; raw materials, partly finished products; finished products for display and sale.

� Other furniture and display: display shelves, cashier counter, mat hanger, silk hanger screen, silk hanger.

� Other products for display and sale: bamboo lamps; silk lamps; cotton, silk and other handicraft products.

� Information boards: photos and descriptive text related to production cycle.

The PCU agreed to follow the design concepts approved the Minister and a contract variation with Nivana was signed in March 2009 for the installation and supervision of interior design works at both sites for a total cost of $24,653, including custom-made furniture. Nivana coordinated the installation of interior design elements with Sarom, the project’s Management and Training Consultant. Nivana was responsible for setting up displays and providing custom-made wooden cabinetry and Sarom was responsible for buying local materials for display and sale, and finding local carpenters/builders to construct traditional design elements (e.g., clay stoves, traditional house facades). The supervising engineers at both sites assisted with identifying local carpenters/builders and estimating costs.

The display furniture and other design elements were prepared while the restorative and additional works were underway. As the restorative works at both centers included work on the ceilings of the showrooms, installation of the interior works was not possible until the restorative works were completed. Interior work at both centers was completed in early 2010. Photos of the showrooms are shown in Section 3.5.6.1

Information boards were designed and installed by Graphic Designer, Ms. Bronwyn Blue. This included:

� freestanding banners along the road and next to the gates

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� hanging banners next to entry doors

� large brass 'Women's Development Center' signs

� 40x60 cm laminated photos of faces

� 80x120 cm story boards and 60x160 cm self-supporting banners on the center history, location and product processes

� A4 explanatory signs about products

� signs identifying each building

All information was provided in both Khmer and English. Examples from Kompong Chhnang are shown below:

Furniture and equipment

When the facilities were ready for occupancy, the project procured office furniture and equipment for the centers. Training equipment such as looms, heavy-duty sewing machines and food processing

Roadside sign

Hanging banners at entry doors

Freestanding banner and A4 sign Product story board

Faces

Brass sign in main meeting room

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equipment had been procured as needed for training. In addition, the Trailblazer Foundation donated four wells and 40 sewing machines to the Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang WDCs.

Inauguration ceremony

On 11 February 2010 the new WDC in Siem Reap and the administration and food processing building in Kompong Chhnang were inaugurated in a ceremony presided over by H.E. Men Sam An, Deputy Prime Minister and Senior Representative of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia. A total of 1278 people (797 female) joined the celebration held at the Siem Reap WDC including MoWA senior management and staff, PDWA directors from all 24 provinces, producer group members, NGOs in Siem Reap, primary and secondary school students, monks, private sector, journalists, local police, and villagers from Angkor Thom District.

The program was opened by H.E. Sou Phirin, Governor of Siem Reap Province who welcomed the guests to the inauguration ceremony. H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi, Minister for Women's Affairs, then reported on the Ministry of Women's Affairs' efforts to strengthening Women's Development Centers; the achievements of the Women's Development Centers Project; and, the ministry's hopes and vision for continuing to strengthen Women's Development Centers throughout the country, and noted the ministry's commitment to using what was learned from the ADB/JFPR Women's Development Centers Project to strengthen the quality and relevance of services provided by WDCs throughout the country. A representative of the producer groups then presented the impressions of the producer group members of the services and benefits received from the WDCs and the WDC Project. This was followed by a speech by Mr. Putu Kamayana, ADB Country Representative.

H.E. Men Sam An then spoke about the importance of the Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang Women's Development Centers, Women's Development Centers in other provinces, and the integrated women's development center approach reported by H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi within the context of the contributions of these efforts to the Royal Government of Cambodia's policies and priorities, and noted the Royal Government's strong commitment to ensuring the functioning of the Women's Development Centers and the effective delivery of rural enterprise development services and support to rural women throughout Cambodia. She then officially declared the opening of the Women's Development Center in Siem Reap, and the Administration and Food Processing Building of the Women's Development Center in Kompong Chhnang and led the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Arrival of H.E. Men Sam An, Deputy Prime Minister

Guest at the inauguration ceremony

Gifts presented to H.E. Men Sam An

Ribbon cutting

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After the official ceremony, H.E. the Deputy Prime Minister and distinguished guests visited the Siem Reap WDC facilities. At the Administration and Marketing Building, the VIPs were presented with gifts of products made by producers assisted by the WDC project, had an opportunity to meet with producers demonstrating their crafts, and visited the center's showroom.

4.3.2 Producer group buildings

As producer groups were established and strengthened, requests to establish commune-level facilities where producer group members could work together emerged. The PCU raised this issue during the December 2008 ADB review mission however there were concerns about whether this would constitute a major change in the scope of the project. During the ADB Review Mission fielded in late-June/early-July 2009, the producer groups raised this issue again and the mission recommended that Commune Producer Group Buildings (CPGBs) be constructed for use by women working together to produce their products. The rationale for these small buildings was that many producer group members lived too far away from the WDC to be able to use the WDCs as shared production space and were unlikely to visit the centers except for short term training courses. Their daily work is undertaken in the villages, some of which are 40 kms from the WDC.

The PCU had prepared an initial design for the producer group buildings with the assistance of Mr. Va, the Kompong Chhnang WDC Advisor in early 2009. Billy, Sotan and Reatana prepared the final drawings, BoQs and procurement documents for the buildings once the budget reallocations requested for this purpose were approved. The works included a main building with an open work space, toilet facilities and well in each commune. The producer groups in the three communes in Kompong Chhnang also requested a storage space and security grills.

Billy, Sotan, Va, and the relevant WDC Directors and staff met with producer group leaders, village and commune chiefs, and key persons in each target villages to clarify the location of the land to be used, reach agreements on use of the centers, and center specifications. All of the land for the commune producer group centers was provided by the communes and met ADB criteria on land resettlement. The PCU continued to contract with Mr. Vibol in Siem Reap and Mr. Long Heang Heng in Kompong Chhnang to construct the commune producer group buildings. Mr. Reatana, the supervising engineer in Siem Reap, was contracted to manage the process of commune center construction in both Kompong Chhnang and Siem Reap province. Mr. Nary provided day-to-day supervise of construction in Kompong Chhnang under the guidance of Mr. Reatana. Construction was completed in February 2010.

Meeting in Chheung Krio Commune with producer group leaders and

local authorities on land for commune producer group building

CPGB in Toek Hout, K Chhnang CPGB in Chheung Krio, K Chhnang

CPGB in Trangnel, K Chhnang CPGB in Svay Chek, S Reap CPGB in Leang Dai, S Reap

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4.3.3 Overall assessment of Component A

4.3.3.1 Achievements

The monitorable deliverable/outputs of this component were:

� WDC facility in Siem Reap with the necessary office, training and support equipment

� Upgrading of existing WID Center in Kompong Chhnang into a WDC facility with the necessary office, training and support equipment

Although the civil works component of the WDC Project proved challenging—and often painful—both facilities were ultimately completed to high standards of esthetics and functionality. Total expenditures for civil works were however significantly higher than anticipated (US$ 421,000 planned vs. US$ 643,512 actual), absorbing 37 percent of the total JFPR expenditures. 46 percent of the increase was for paving and drainage works in Siem Reap and 19 percent for the commune producer group buildings.

A report on lessons learned from the management of the civil works contracts and recommendations to MoWA on contract management was prepared by Mr. Willis. This report was given to the Minister and senior Secretary of State for consideration and action.

4.3.3.2 Future directions

On-going resources will be needed for the operation and maintenance of the centers and keeping the centers attractive for visitors. An operational budget will be needed to cover fuel costs, maintenance of the landscaping, security and cleaning.

Fuel costs in Siem Reap are a particular concern as it unlikely that the power grid will be extended to this area anytime in the near future. The project had considered installing solar power at the centers early in the project however after investigation the PCU was advised that even with a solar system, it would still be necessary to purchase generators. Due to budget concerns, the project did not pursue installation of solar power. Funding for solar should be sought to reduce recurrent operational costs.

The civil works in Kompong Chhnang included rehabilitating the existing kitchen as a matter of priority. Additional work is needed to rehabilitate the other buildings. It was originally planned to re-roof the building currently being used as a dormitory. The walls of this building would not however hold heavier roofing material such as the ferro-cement panels used on the new building. Now that the center has new meeting, training and office space, the dormitory building might be better used as a warehouse and one of the training buildings converted into a dormitory.

The master plan for the Siem Reap WDC includes a food processing building to the right of the administration and marketing building and an additional training building. If the WDC is successful in attracting tourists to the center, the center may want to consider contracting out the cafeteria space to a private sector operator as a small café.

4.4 COMPONENT B: LIFE SKILLS AND ADVOCACY SUPPORT

This component provided life skills and advocacy support for poor women to instill in them confidence and dignity, and improve their ability to meet their needs at home, at work, and in their community. Life skills activities were designed to complement livelihood initiatives based on the needs identified by communities. Most participants in activities under this component were producer group members or closely related to group members.

4.4.1 Life skills

4.4.1.1 Home safety

The sanitation and hygiene element of this component was expanded to incorporate domestic skills more broadly, including home safety, at the request of the target communities. Village-level workshops on ‘Home Safety’ drew on materials developed by ILO on this topic. Topics covered include safe storage of tools and equipment; home sanitation; safe storage and use of insecticides,

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pesticides and other toxic chemicals; safe transportation of goods and materials; safe containment of animal wastes, etc. The project contracted with People’s Association for Development (PAD), one of MoWA’s NGO implementing partners under the ILO/EEOW project to conduct a training of trainers on ‘Home Safety’ for WDC, PDWA and MoWA staff in Kompong Chhnang. The WDC Project Technical Coordinator (Veasna) was familiar with the material and the contracted NGO from her role as Project Coordinator for the ILO/EEOW project.

Kompong Chhnang

A training of trainers workshop on ’Home Safety' was conducted at the Kompong Chhnang WDC in September 2007. The participants included 11 WDC staff (all women), 3 PDWA staff (all women) and 7 MoWA staff (6 women).

The workshop did not go as smoothly as had been hoped and additional work was needed to better adapt the workshop curriculum and materials to a Cambodian village context. It was also recognized that follow-up training for the trainers would be needed before they would be able to deliver this workshop at the community level. The program team redesigned the training program and materials and prepared a training manual which better addressed needs at the village level. The team then worked with the WDC and PDWA trainers in Kompong Chhnang to prepare for village-level workshops.

A total of 21 two-day workshops in 15 villages with a total of 640 participants (494 women) were then delivered by teams of WDC and PDWA staff. The participants were drawn from the producers groups in these villages.

Table 8: Basic information on 'Home Safety' workshops in 15 villages in Kompong Chhnang

Participants Commune Village

Workshop Dates

Female Male Total Facilitators

Khlaeng Poar Dec 2007 30

30

Andoung Ronuk 30

30

Trangnel 30

30

30

Trabek 30

Chres 30

Trangnel

Sub-total 237 33 270

Pring Kaong 22-23 Jan 2008 25 5 30

Luong “ 14 16 30

“ 25 5 30 Tuek Chenh

24-25 Jan 24 6 30

Andoung Chek “ 28 2 30

Sophi “ 22 8 30

Chheung Krio

Sub-total 138 42 180

28-29 Jan 22 8 30 Trapeang Krapeu

30-31 Jan 25 5 30

Tuek Hout 28-29 Jan 21 9 30

Kouk Sdau “ 24 6 30

Preak Sala 30-31 Jan 4 28 32

Preak Reang “ 23 5 28

Toek Hout

Sub-total 119 61 180

Total 494 146 640

WDC: Ms. Kong Sockha Ms. Leng Soboran Ms. Meas Soth Mr. Kao Sopheary Ms. Chhim Rasy PDWA: Ms. Hong Thadara Ms. Choum Chansock Ms. Chhim Channa MoWA: Ms. Soth Sithon Mr. Hour Sothon WDC Advisor: Mr. Ros Va

- 34 -

Siem Reap

Prior to village-level 'Home Safety' workshops in Siem Reap, the MoWA training team conducted a five-day training of trainers for 17 PDWA staff (15 women). A total of 22 two-day workshops were conducted in 13 villages with a total of 612 participants (494 women). The participants were drawn from the producer groups in these villages. All of the workshops were facilitated by WDC/PIU and PDWA staff with mentoring support from MoWA/PCU staff.

Table 9: Basic information on 'Home Safety' workshops in 13 villages in Siem Reap

Participants Commune Village

Workshop Dates

Female Male Total

Facilitators

Svay Chek 15-16 Mar 2008 19 9 28

13-14 Mar 17 1 18

“ 23 5 28

Kandaol

“ 23 1 24

11-12 Mar 29 1 30 BosTa Trav

“ 28 2 30

“ 26 2 28

“ 21 7 28

Ta Trav

13-14 Mar 24 4 28

15-16 Mar 14 14 28 Kouk Kak

“ 16 12 28

Svay Chek

Sub-total

17-18 Mar 28 2 30 Ta Prok

“ 27 3 30

“ 19 7 26 Samrong

“ 16 12 28

Spen Thmei 19-21 Mar 21 3 24

Phlong “ 21 7 28

“ 30 - 30 Doung Ov

“ 29 1 30

Leang Dai

Sub-total

Angkong 22-22 Mar 15 15 31

Bat Dangkao “ 27 3 31

Svay Chrum “ 21 7 28

PIU: Ms. Louch Kunthea Ms. Chhun Sopoun PDWA: Ms. Tan Kimchhan Ms. Seam Sayon Ms. Loy Ratana Ms. Mao Samoeun Mr. Plong Peakdia Ms. La Oun MoWA: Ms. Soth Sithon Ms. Pao Thanbunheng Mr. Hour Sothon WDC Advisor: Mr. Kat Bun Heng

Samraong

Sub-total

Total 494 118 612

Follow-up interviews

Follow-up interviews with 150 women (10 from each village) were conducted in Kompong Chhnang in February 2009 by six WDC staff and three PDWA staff with training, guidance and support from the WDC Advisor. On average, 55% of respondents said they had applied what they learned in the workshops. The respondents recognized all 11 units as important and reported to be paying more attention to health, sanitation, organization of their kitchen, poison/chemical fertilizer use, and the food they eat daily.

Similar interviews were conducted in Siem Reap in April 2009: a total of 272 participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews and observation. The interviews were conducted by PDWA/PIU staff with training, guidance and support from the WDC Advisor. The workshops were reported to be important to helping the participants and their communities better understand and manage their daily lives towards improved quality of life.

- 35 -

Nearly two years after the 'Home Safety' workshops were conducted, the PSIA found that 96 percent of those interviewed who had participated in the training found the training useful and 86 percent had shared what they had learned with others.

4.4.1.2 Repair and maintenance of small machines

Kompong Chhnang

Training in motorcycle and small engine repair was requested by villagers as part of ‘domestic skills’. As part of the response to this request, the PCU contracted a local mechanic to provide basic repair and maintenance training in Kompong Chhnang which would enable participants to take care of their own machines and avoid having to pay for outside services. An initial series of 15 one-day workshops were held in each of 13 villages in Kompong Chhnang with a total of 225 participants (20 women). Basic information on these workshops is shown in Table 10 below.

Table 10: Basic information on initial 'Motorcycle and Small Engine Repair' workshops in Kompong Chhnang PARTICIPANTS DISTRICT/

COMMUNE

VILLAGE

DATE FEMALE MALE TOTAL

COMMENTS

Khlaeng Poar 6 Oct - 15 15

Andoung Ronuk 7 Oct - 15 15

Trangel 8 Oct - 15 15

Trabek 9 Oct - 15 15

Chres 10 Oct - 15 15

Kompong Leang District

Trangnel

Subtotal - 75 75

Most of the participants were very happy and they requested to have training like this again.

Trapeang Krapeu 9 Sept 10 15 25

Tuek Hout 10 Sept 5 15 20

16 Oct Kouk Sdau

17 Oct

- 30 30

Preak Reang 20 Oct - 15 15

21 Oct Preak Sala

22 Oct

- 30 30

Rolea B’ier District

Tuek Hout

Subtotal 15 105 120

Women in Tuek Hout were also interested in learning how to repair machines.

Andoung Chek 13 Oct 2 15 17

Sophi 14 Oct 2 15 17

Tuek Chenh 15 Oct 1 15 16

Cheung Kreav

Subtotal 5 45 50

Total 20 205 225

Case Study: Moeun Sarith

Moeun Sarith is a farmer living in Andoung Ronuk Village, Trangnel Commune, Kampong Leang District. She has two children – one son and one daughter. In December 2007 she attended a workshop on Home Safety. She says she has changed a lot since attending the workshop. She now understands the importance of good hygiene and keeping her house in order. After the workshop, she built a WC and now cleans her house very carefully. Before the training she didn’t pay much attention to organizing her house or ensuring good sanitation for her family. But now she does.

“I am lucky to participate in this training”, she said. “I think that this training is important for my family and community because it helped us understand and pay attention to health and house preparation as well as chemical fertilizers.” Now her husband is very careful when using chemicals. She has advised her husband to wear a mask and gloves when spraying vegetables.

“This kind of training really contributes to improving the health and sanitation of the community. Many thanks to the project for providing this kind of training as it is very useful for my family and community.”

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Many of the participants in Trangnel and Toek Hout Communes requested further training as they felt it was very important for them. They said that a one-day workshop was not enough and they needed at least two days of training. In addition, others who hadn’t participated in these workshops requested that the training be offered again through their village leader and commune chief (with thumb prints). The project team agreed to offer the training again focused on those who had expressed the greatest interest. A total of 87 participants (all men) from four villages participated in five 2-day workshops. Basic information on the workshops is shown in Table 11 below:

Table 11: Basic information on 'Motorcycle and Small Engine Repair' follow-up workshops in Kompong Chhnang

PARTICIPANTS

COMMUNE

VILLAGE

DATE MALE FEMALE

FACILITATOR AND

COORDINATORS

Khlaeng Poar 22-23 Dec 23 -

Andoung Ronuk 24-25 Dec 20 -

Trangnel

Trabek 26-27 Dec 14 -

Kouk Sdau 28-29 Dec 15 - Toek Hout

30-31 Dec 15 -

External trainer

WDC advisor

WDC staff

DoWA staff

87 -

The participants were asked to bring their own machines to the workshops to get practical hands-on experience. A total of 62 machines were repaired as shown in Table 12 below.

Table 12: Machines repaired during 'Motorcycle and Small Engine Repair' workshops in Kompong Chhnang

Type of Machine

Village Water Pump (Gasoline)

Water Pump (Diesel)

Generator (Gasoline)

Local Tractor (Diesel)

Total

1 Khlaeng Poar 6 7 1 14

2 Andoung Ronuk 6 8 1 15

3 Trabek 6 5 11

4 Kouk Sdau 17 10 27

Total 35 30 1 1 62

Most of the producer groups and participants were very happy because they now knew how to repair their own water pump or generator. The participants reported that prior to this training they had had to take their broken machines to repair shops in Kompong Chhnang town. The shops charge US$ 10 to 15 to clean plugs and filters. Now that they were able to do basic maintenance and repairs themselves they were able to save the service charges as well as the cost of transport to Kompong Chhnang town of as much as US$ 5.

Siem Reap

Seven similar workshops were conducted with 81 participants from 10 villages in Siem Reap as shown in Table 13 below:

- 37 -

Table 13: Basic information on 'Motorcycle and Small Engine Repair' workshops in Siem Reap PARTICIPANTS

COMMUNE

VILLAGE

DATE MALE FEMALE FACILITATORS AND

COORDINATOR Bos Ta Trav 18-19 Dec 6 -

Ta Trav 6 -

Svay Chek 20-21 Dec 2 -

Kandaol 7 -

Svay Chek

Kouk Kak 3 -

Phlong 22-23 Dec 11 - Leang Dei

Ta Prok 24-25 Dec 19 -

Angkong 26-27 Dec 10 -

Bat Dangkao 28-29 Dec 9 -

Samraong

Svay Chrum 30-31 Dec 8 -

- External trainers (2)

- WDC Staff (3)

- DoWA staff (1)

- WDC Advisor

81 -

As in Kompong Chhnang, most of the producer groups and participants were very happy with the training. The participants said that before this training they would take their machines to repair shops in Sotr Nikom District where they would have to pay US$ 8 to 10 for servicing. People from outside the producer groups asked if additional workshops could be organized for them.

In response to a request from villagers, producer groups and the commune councils, the project provided small engine repair training a second time. Six workshops were held with a total of 83 participants from 13 villages (mostly husbands of producer group members). The workshops focused on resolving problems in the daily use of machines such as rice mills, water pumps, and motorbikes.

The fact that nearly all of the participants in these workshops were men is not surprising as anything to do with machines is traditionally considered to be ‘men’s work’. Never-the-less, the interest shown by women in the initial workshops in Kompong Chhnang provides some indication that at least some women are willing to challenge this gender stereo-type. This should be explored and encouraged further.

The focus on participants from producer groups recognizes that most home-based businesses are family businesses with different family members contributing to the enterprise in different ways. Increasing the skills of individual household members in their areas of responsibility helps the household and enterprise as a whole. Proper repair and maintenance of machines such as water pumps and generators makes life easier for everyone as well as more productive. Responding to the needs of men in their designated roles also helps to avoid making them feel left out and thus resentful, and hopefully more willing to assume greater responsibility for household tasks in order to free up time for women to participate in training and productive activities.

Sewing machine repair

At the requested of producer groups in Siem Reap, training on basic sewing machine repair was conducted with 15 participants (all women) in mid 2009. These women all owned a sewing machine however faced problems with maintenance and repairs. Six broken machines were repaired during the training. Having the skills to take care of their own machines saves them both travel and repair costs.

Men and women learning together

The WDC project conducted training on repair machine (generator, water pump, motorcycle, and sewing machine) and home safety training. Mostly men participated in the machine repair training (husbands of producer group members). They said, “I’m very happy to participant in any activities but I like to attend the WDC Project activities most because they invited both men and women to attend, especially husbands and wives in the same training.” The husbands of producer group members said that inviting both husband and wife to attend the same training is very good.

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4.4.1.3 Food processing

When the WDC Project conducted Community Resources Assessments (CRA) at the beginning of the project it found that most households lacked skills, knowledge and experience in processing food for their families or for sale. The villagers usually buy processed foods from the market at high prices. The aim of the food processing training was to improve income, nutrition, and food security of families by making better use of locally available produce.

Kompong Chhnang

The project first contracted a local entrepreneur engaged in food processing for the local market to provide training to 12 WDC and PDWA staff (all women) for five days in August 2008. During the training the participants learned how to make candied fruits and vegetables including sweet potatoes, pumpkin, papaya, coconut meat, bitter melon, kontout (a local berry), and tomatoes. The team asked the trainer not to use any chemicals in preparing the candied fruits and she agreed. Samples of these products are shown in the photos below:

Follow-up training was organized for four days in February 2009 in preparation for community level workshops with a total of 18 participants (10 WDC staff, 2 PDWA staff, 6 WDC trainees). The objectives of the training were to strengthen the food processing skills of PDWA and WDC staff; increase preparation of food products for sale at the WDC; and, equip the WDC and PDWA staff with food processing skills so that they would be able to provide training at the community level and to other institutions.

A total of 18 three-day workshops were then conducted in the 15 project villages with a total of 270 participants (all women).

The objectives of the training were: � to enable participants to process locally available, low-cost agricultural products for household

consumption and for sale

� to raise awareness of the advantage of food processing for family members and the community

Criteria for selection of participants: � Producer group member

� Very interested in learning

� Willing to share what they learn and spread to others in the community

The selection of food processing skill to be taught was based on the community’s priorities and community resources. Before providing the training, the WDC staff met with the producer groups to discuss the various types of food processing skills which they could provide and the producer groups identified their priorities. Seven food-processing skills were provided for each village. The Technical Coordinator provided input on skill areas requested by the community which were not yet familiar to the WDC staff (e.g., soy milk).

The initial series of five workshops in Chheung Krio Commune were facilitated by one facilitation team. For the later workshops in Toek Hout and Trangnel Communes, two facilitation teams were formed. Sets of equipment were procured for use in each commune. Visual aids were used through the training and the participants were each given comprehensive practical handouts.

Kontout Tomatoes Coconut Meat

- 39 -

Table 14: 'Food Processing' workshops in Kompong Chhnang

Dates Village Participants Food Processing Skills Facilitators

Chheung Krio Commune

12-14 June 2009 Sophy 15

15-17 June Pringkong 15

18-20 June Toek Chenh 15

21-23 June Andoung Chek 15

24-26 June Loung 15

Sub-total 5 villages/5 workshops 75

1. Candied wintermelon 2. Dried tomatoes 3. Pickled garlic 4. Kantout jam 5. Candied coconut 6. Salted beets 7. Soy milk

- 3 WDC staff - 1 PDWA staff - 1 DoWA staff - 1 MoWA staff - 1 WDC Advisor

Toek Hout Commune

Prek Sala 15 12-14 Oct

Prek Raing 15

Tuek Hout 15 15-17 Oct

Trapaing Krapeu 15

7-9 Oct Kok Sdao 15

Sub-total 5 villages/5 workshops 75

1. Dried tomato 2. Candied wintermelon 3. Kantout jam 4. Tamarind jam 5. Fermented soybean 6. Yam jam 7. Soy milk

Trangnel Commune

Klaeng Por 15 19-21 Oct

Klaeng Por 15

Andoung Ronuk 15 22-24 Oct

Andoung Ronuk 15

Trangel 15 26-28 Oct

Trangel 15

Trabek 15 29-31 Oct

Chres 15

Sub-total 5 villages/8 workshops 120

1. Creamy pumpkin 2. Pickled garlic 3. Candied wintermelon 4. Dried banana 5. Tamarind jam 6. Fermented soybean 7. Soy milk

- 6 WDC staff - 1 PDWA staff - 2 DoWA staff - 1 MoWA staff - 1 WDC Advisor

Total 15 villages/18 workshops 270

The skills taught in each commune were selected based on community priorities and available resources. Before providing the training, the WDC staff met with the producer groups and explained the types of food processing training they could provide and the producer groups identified their priorities. Seven food-processing skills were provided for each village.

The training on food processing was successful and the participants felt very satisfied to learn these new skills. The participants had never had this type of training before from government or NGOs. They are now able to make the products for household consumption and could also make it for sale to earn some income. For example, the villagers usually pickle kontout, a local fruit, which will keep for only two days or they sell the raw fruit in the market at 300 riel/kg. They are now able to make kontout jam or candy which will keep for 2-3 months. Both the community and local authorities were supportive of this training. They think it is very useful for them to learn this skill using local resources. The producer group members’ families and relatives were also happy that the women can now make these food products for them.

Facilitators and participants with their products Products made during the training

- 40 -

The WDC staff in Kompong Chhnang province are now also able to teach food processing to other WDCs and to NGOs. They charge a training fee of US$ 250 for a 4-day workshop, plus transport and DSA, raw materials, equipment, training materials, and refreshments. Even before the training of trainers workshop was even finished, the international NGO Lutheran World Service (LWS) and the WDCs in Kompong Speu and Kompong Cham asked the K Chhnang WDC staff to teach their staff food processing.

Two K Chhnang WDC staff (Mrs. Men En and Ms. Leng Soboran) delivered two 4-day workshops for 12 staff of the Kompong Cham WDC (11 women) and 13 WDC and PDWA staff in Kompong Speu (all women) under the government-support program budget. The staff in both provinces were very happy to learn how to process food for home consumption. During the training all of the participants were very active and said that this training was very useful for them and as well as for community women. The workshop in Kompong Speu was opened by Minister H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi, guests from five provincial departments and staff from the Economic Development Department.

Siem Reap

Staff from the Kompong Chhnang WDC facilitated a 5-day training of trainers on 'Food Processing' for 12 PDWA and WDC Siem Reap staff in November 2009. Ms Men En, Ms Meas Sothy and Ms Leng Soboran facilitated this workshop.

The training of trainers covered: 1. Fermented soybean 2. Dried banana 3. Candied wintermelon 4. Dried tomato 5. Tamarind jam

6. Dried pumpkin and taro 7. Fermented fish with papaya 8. Pickled garlic 9. Soymilk 10. Leek cake

Two staff from the Kompong Chhnang WDC (Meas Sothy and Oeun Sreyla) also facilitated the first two community-level 'Food Processing' workshops for producer groups in Siem Reap. These workshops served as a model for PDWA/WDC staff in Siem Reap for providing training to producer groups. A total of 13 workshops were conduced with a total of 194 participants (191 women).

Table 15. 'Food Processing' workshops in Siem Reap

Participants Dates Village

Male Female

Samraong Commune, Sotr Nikom District

5-7 Jan Angkong 2 13

8-10 Jan Bat Dangkao 15

11-13 Dec Svay Chrum 15

Leang Dai Commune, Angkor Thom District

21-23 Dec Ta Prok 15

21-23 Dec Doung Ov 15

24-26 Dec Spean Thmei 15

'Food Processing' training of trainers at the WDC Siem Reap

- 41 -

24-26 Dec Samrong 15

27-29 Dec Phlong 15

Svay Chek Commune, Angkor Thom District

2-4 Dec Kandaol 1 14

27-29 Dec Svay Chek 15

30 Dec-1 Jan Bos Ta Trav 15

30 Dec-1 Jan Ta Trav 15

2-4 Jan Kouk Kak 14

Total 3 191

The food processing training in Siem Reap was successful because most of producer group members were interested in learning, worked hard and promised to make pickles, juice, candies and sweets for their families and for sale. The evaluation of the training showed that 20 percent of the participants want to start a small business making processed foods and 80 percent want to make processed foods for their families and may later start a business. The participants requested further training in making other types of pickles, juice, candies and sweets.

The PSIA found that 87 percent of those interviewed who had participated in the training found the training useful and 78 percent had shared what they had learned with others.

Food processing training with producer groups in Siem Reap

Food processing workshops in Siem Reap Training Program

Day 1 - Introductions - Trainer introduced food processing program, equipment and raw materials to be used during the training - Trainer explained the theory of food processing and good hygiene - Prepare cucumber pickles - Prepare soy bean (sweet and salty)

Day 2 - Prepare garlic pickles - Prepare banana chips - Prepare fruit jam

Day 3 - Prepare soy milk - Prepare coconut jam - Prepare pumpkin sweet - Prepare tamarind candy

- 42 -

4.4.1.4 Good nutrition and sanitation

Kompong Chhnang

The WDC Project contracted with the Provincial Department of Health (PDH) in Kompong Chhnang to develop the curriculum and field test a two-day workshop on The Advantages of Good Nutrition

and Sanitation. The workshop was field tested in Toek Chenh Village, Chheung Krio Commune in June 2009. Four PDH trainers worked together with staff from MoWA (4), PDWA (1), DoWA (1) and the WDC (1) in facilitating the workshop. This workshop also served as a training-of-trainers for these staff. The Management and Training Consultant and WDC Advisor also participated as observers. A total of 20 villagers (all women) participated in the workshop, including 15 producer group members and five daughters of producer group members.

The overall objective of the workshop was to promote understanding on the advantages of good nutrition in the community. Topics covered included:

� Nutrition and health

� Food for pregnant and lactating women

� Hygiene

� Water and sanitation

� Food safety

The field test was organized to test the manual prepared by PDH and assess whether it met the needs of communities; observe the PDH training methodology; and, obtain feedback and recommendations from participants for workshops in other villages.

The workshop evaluation showed that the workshop was well received by the community participants. The post-test showed that the participants were able to correctly answer 80 percent of the 20 questions. The participants felt that this type of workshop was really useful for them and their community and were interested in what they learned because it linked to their daily life, food and health. The workshop helped them understand their health and what to eat for better health, especially local and natural foods. The participants said they started to care and pay more attention to food, diet, sanitation, cleanliness, and their health.

The feedback from the participants showed good appreciation of the workshop content, teaching methods, use of local language, use of visual aids and training handouts. Mrs. Sarom, Mr. Ros Va and the MoWA team provided feedback to the PDH trainers on reorganizing some topics for a smoother flow, clarifying the language, summarizing key points on flipcharts, using more pictures, and use of group discussions. The trainer team accepted all comments and adjusted the workshop plan accordingly. The training manual was revised to incorporate feedback from the field test participants and the project team; 400 copies of the handouts were printed in color.

PDH staff facilitating the field testing in Chheung Krio

Discussion on food groups

- 43 -

After the field test, 19 two-day workshops were conducted in 15 villages with a total of 380 participants (all women). These workshops were again organized in collaboration with the PHD with support from the PDWA, WDC and district staff as well as the WDC Advisor.

Table 16: Basic information on 'The Advantages of Good Nutrition and Sanitation' workshops, Kompong Chhnang

Date

Village

Participants

Facilitators

Co-facilitators/

Observers

Field Test

30-31 June Toek Chenh, Chhueng Krio 20 4 PHD staff - 1 WDC staff - 1 PDWA staff - 1 DoWA staff - 4 MoWA staffs - 1 WDC Advisor - 1 M&T Advisor

Toek Hout Commune

Trapeang Krapeu 20 6-7 July

Trapeang Krapeu 20

Prek Sala 20 7-8 July

Prek Raing 20

Tuek Hout 20 9-10 July

Kouk Sdao 20

Subtotal 5 villages/6 workshops 120

4 PHD staff - 1 WDC staff

- 1 PDWA staff

- 1 DoWA staff

- 1 WDC advisor

Chheung Krio Commune

Loung 20 13-14 July

Andoung Chek 20

Pring Kong 20 15-16 July

Sophy 20

17-18 July Tuek Chenh 20

Subtotal 5 villages/5 workshops 100

4 PHD staff - 1WDC staff

- 1 PDWA staff

- 1 DoWA staff

- 4 MoWA staff

- 1 WDC advisor

Trangnel Commune

Klaeng Por 20 20-21 July

Klaeng Por 20

Andoung Ronuk 20 22-23 July

Andoung Ronuk 20

Trangel 20 24-25 July

Trangel 20

Trabaek 20 26-27 July

Chres 20

Subtotal 5 villages/8 workshops 160

4 PHD staff - 1WDC staff

- 1 PDWA staff

- 1 DoWA staff

- 1 MoWA staff

- 1 WDC advisor

Total 15 villages = 20 workshops 400

As shown in Table 16 above, the number of workshops in each village varied based on the number of producer group members in the village. All of the participants were producer group members.

The facilitators used participatory learning approaches including brainstorming, pictures, sharing experience, case studies, energizers and demonstrations with flipcharts. The workshop process was standardized following the training manual to achieve the overall objectives of the workshops.

PHD staff facilitating a workshop in Trangnel Commune

MoWA staff and the WDC Director making opening remarks

- 44 -

The workshop pre-tests showed that 62 percent of the participants had a good understanding of the topics covered in the training; 38 percent had an average or weak understanding. Post-tests showed good understanding by 94 percent of the participants, 6 percent average, and no weak (see Figure 1 below).

Figure 1: Comparison of pre- and post-tests

The workshops received good support from both the community and local authorities. On final day of each workshop, the facilitators asked the participants what they thought about the workshop. All replied that they were very satisfied as it would help them substantially in their daily lives, especially related to make better use of vegetables and fruits around their homes and in the community. In addition, they better understood the adverse impact of imported products and chemicals. Some said that after this workshop they would grow more fruits and vegetables so they would no longer need to buy them from the markets with potential undesirable consequences for their health. Improving their health situation could also reduce spending on illness.

Siem Reap

Similar workshops were conducted in Siem Reap with a total of 260 women participating in 13 workshops. The Siem Reap participants also demonstrated an increased understand of the importance of home grown vegetables for nutrition, food hygiene and the importance of good nutrition and hygiene for their children.

The PSIA found that 91 percent of those interviewed who had participated in the training found the training useful and 82 percent had shared what they had learned with others.

4.4.2 Advocacy support

4.4.2.1 Women's worker rights

Six members of the Economic Development Department including the Technical Coordinator and Assistant Technical Coordinator attended a five-day training of trainers workshop on ‘Women's Worker

Rights’ organized by the ILO in Kratie Province. Subsequently, Ms Sarom and Ms Sithon conducted a

Community participants and facilitators in Toek Hout Commune

Result of Pre-test

62%13%

25%

Good Average Weak

Result of Post Test

94%

6% 0%

Good Average Weak

- 45 -

simplified five-day workshop on Women's Worker Rights for members of the Priority Mission Group (PMG) in the Economic Development Department. This material was then used to conduct village-level workshops in the provinces. Workshop topics are shown in the box below

In preparation for the village-level workshops, the WDC consultant in Kompong Chhnang worked with the WDC staff to design and conduct a survey on the situation of workers in the project villages and compile lists of workers engaged in paid employment. This also served as hands-on capacity building exercise for the center staff.

Training of trainers

The next step was to train staff in the provinces to facilitate this workshop at the community level. Fifteen WDC, PDWA, DoWA and PMG staff were trained as trainers in K Chhnang (13 women), and 20 WDC, PDWA and DoWA staff were trained in Siem Reap (18 women) as summarized in Table 17. Pre- and post-tests showed a significant increase in understanding of women’s worker rights amongst staff (Tables 18 and 19).

Table 17: Basic information on Women’s Worker Rights training of trainers workshops

PARTICIPANTS

PROVINCE

WORKSHOP

DATES FEMALE MALE TOTAL

FACILITATORS

WDC 8 8

PDWA 2 2

DoWA 2 2

PMG 1 1 2

K Chhnang 11-16 Aug

WDC Advisor 1 1

Mrs. Soth Sithon

Mrs. Sav Kimsourn

Mrs. Pao Thanbunheng

WDC PIU 3 3

PDWA 11 1 12

DoWA 4 4

Siem Reap 1-6 Sept

WDC Advisor 1 1

Mrs. Soth Sithon

Mrs. Sav Kimsourn

Mr. Hour Sothorn

Ms. Uch Sarom

Total 31 4 35

Table 18: The Results of Women’s Worker Rights Training of Trainers in Kompong Chhnang (15 participants)

BEFORE

WORKSHOP AFTER

WORKSHOP TOPIC

n % n %

COMMENTS

1. Gender and Sex 4 27 12 80 All participants understand gender concepts very well.

2. Division of Work 2 13 10 67 There are some participants who didn’t understand division of work between males and females before workshop and after the workshop they understood this well.

3. Rights and Responsibilities 2 13 12 80 Most of participants understand Rights and Responsibilities, but some of them still do not understand what the difference between equality in the workplace and worker rights.

4. Rights and Equality at Work 2 13 8 53 Most of participants understand Equality at Work, but are not clear about someone taking other people’s right.

Women’s Worker Rights Workshop

Workshop Contents 1. Gender and Sex

2. Division of Work

3. Rights and Responsibilities

4. Rights and Equality at Work

5. Rights to Organize

7. Child Labor

8. Migrant Workers

9. Maternity Protection

10. Trafficking

11. HIV/AIDS

12. Occupational Safety and Health

- 46 -

5. Rights to Organize 3 20 13 87 All participants understand very well and able to analyze the problem.

6. Child Labor 4 27 14 93 All participants understand very well and are able to analyze child labor in differences contexts.

7. Rights of Children and Youth 3 20 10 67 All participants understand very well.

8. Migrant Workers 1 7 10 67 All participants understand very well, but don’t know how to protect migrant workers.

9. Maternity Protection 2 13 8 53 All participants understand very well.

10. Trafficking 1 7 8 53 All participants understand very well

11. HIV/AIDS 4 27 15 100 All participants understand very well and are able to prevent and explain to other people.

12. Occupational Safety and Health

4 27 13 87 All participants understand very well, but find it difficult to implement and solve problems.

Table 19: The Results of Women’s Worker Rights Training of Trainers in Siem Reap (20 participants)

BEFORE

WORKSHOP AFTER

WORKSHOP TOPIC

n % n %

COMMENTS

1. Gender and Sex 7 35 11 55 All participants understand gender concepts very well and are able to teach as well.

2. Division of Work 1 5 8 40 There are some participants don’t understand division of work between male and female before training and after that training they understand and know how to analyse the division work between man and women.

3. Rights and Responsibilities 1 5 10 50 Most of participants understudied Rights and Responsibilities, but some of them still not understand what is equal at work place and worker rights.

4. Rights and Equality at Work 1 5 11 55 Most of participants understand right and Equality at Work, but not clear about some one take some people right.

5. Rights to Organize 1 5 10 50 All participants understand very well and able to analysis the problem.

6. Child Labor 10 50 14 70 All participants understand very well and able to analysis child labour in differences context.

7. Rights of Children and Youth 3 15 11 55 All participants understand very well

8. Migrant Workers 2 10 10 50 All participants understand very well, but they don’t know how to protect migrant worker.

9. Maternity Protection - - 9 45 All participants understand very well.

10. Trafficking - - 10 50 All participants understand very well

11. HIV/AIDS 4 20 12 60 All participants understand very well and able to prevent and explain to other people.

12. Occupational Safety and Health

1 5 13 65 All participants understand very well, but difficulty to implement and sold problems.

Field testing

Prior to implementation in all villages the team agreed to test the training material at the community level. The field test was carried out 4-5 September with 25 participants (16 women) from producer groups in Pring Kaong Village, Chheung Krio Commune, Kompong Chhnang.

The criteria for selecting participants to attended ‘Women’s Worker Rights’ workshop included:

� Female or male

� Age from 25 to 45 year old

� Person with family member working in the city (e.g., garment factory, construction, company)

� Or worker returned from work in the city

� Or worker on holiday from work in garment factory, construction, company, etc.

� Young people who dropped out of school at grade 6 or higher. The workshop was facilitated by four WDC staff and three PDWA staff. The project Technical Coordinator and WDC Advisor provided backup assistance and feedback to the facilitation team. The WDC Director and one staff member assisted with workshop logistics. Only two of the PDWA staff

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and one WDC staff were able to demonstrate good preparation and teaching methods, and good understanding of the material.

Participant feedback on the workshop was as follows:

1. The participants were very interested in all subjects however there were some subjects they were already aware of such as HIV/AIDS, maternity protection, and gender and sex.

2. The most interesting subjects were division of work, rights and responsibilities, rights and equality at work, rights to organize, child labor, rights of children and youth, migrant workers, trafficking and occupational safety and health.

3. In general, older participants acquired a good understanding of the material covered. Young people had some difficulty understanding concepts related to worker rights.

4. The participants had difficulty understanding why there should be different laws governing child labor.

The team concluded that the ‘Women’s Worker Rights’ manual for community women can be used at the community level however the manual would need to be revised to address the issues identified by the participants in the field test.

Village-level workshops

A total of 39 two-day village-level ‘Women’s Worker Rights’ workshops were conducted: 21 workshops in 15 villages with a total of 555 participants (416 women) in Kompong Chhnang and 18 workshops in 13 villages with a total of 456 participants (284 women) in Siem Reap. The workshops were facilitated by WDC and PDWA staff with backup support from the MoWA trainers and advisors. Basic information on the workshops is shown in Tables 20 and 21 below.

Table 20: Basic Information on Women’s Worker Rights workshops in Kompong Chhnang

PARTICIPANTS COMMUNE VILLAGE

WORKSHOP

DATES FEMALE MALE Total

FACILITATORS

13-14 Oct Khlaeng Poar

“

41 9 50

“ Andoung Ronuk

15-16 Oct

32 18 50

“ Trangnel

“

70 5 75

Trabek 17-18 Oct 15 10 25

Chres “ 13 12 25

Trangnel

Subtotal 171 54 225

Pring Kaong 4-5 Sept 16 9 25

20-21 Oct 19 6 Tuek Chenh

“ 17 8

50

“ 15 10 Andoung Chek

22-23 Oct 15 10

50

Luong “ 13 12 25

Sophi “ 21 4 25

Chheung Krio

Subtotal 116 59 175

27-28 Oct 19 6 50 Trapeang Krapeu

“ 22 3

Toek Hout “ 15 10 25

Kouk Sdau 29-30 Oct 24 1 25

Preak Sala “ 22 3 25

Preak Reang “ 27 3 30

Toek Hout

Subtotal 129 26 155

Group 1: Choum Chansock (PDWA) Meas Sothy (WDC) Chhim Rasy (WDC) Group 2: Hong Thadara (PWDA) Leng Soboran (WDC) Ean Srayla (WDC) Group 3: Men En (WDC) Keo Sopheary (WDC) Choun Vouneary (PWDA) Advisors Uch Sarom (JFPR) Bun Chit Veasna (EED) Ly Pharavy (PMG)

Total 416 139 555

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Table 21: Basic Information on Women’s Worker Rights workshops in Siem Reap

PARTICIPANTS

COMMUNE VILLAGE WORKSHOP

DATES FEMA

LE MALE Total FACILITATORS

BosTa Trav 13-14 Oct 15 13 28

“ Ta Trav

“

27 23 50

15-16 Oct Kouk Kak

“

45 2 47

Kandaol “ 13 15 28

17-18 Oct Svay Chek

“

24 25 49

Svay Chek

Subtotal 124 78 202

17-18 Oct Samrong

“

45 6 51

Ta Prok 19-20 Oct 12 13 25

Spean Thmei “ 12 14 26

Phlong “ 23 6 29

21-22 Oct Doung Ov

“

39 11 50

Leang Dai

Subtotal 131 50 181

Angkong 23-24 Oct 10 13 23

Bat Dangkao “ 19 6 25

Svay Chrum “ - 25 25

Samraong

Subtotal 29 44 73

PIU: Tan Kim Chan Luch Kunthear PDWA: Mao Samouen Seoum Sayoun Luoy Ratana Plang Peakdai DoWA: (logistics) Heak Bunsheak Kan Mon Advisors MoWA: Soth Sithon Pao Thanbunheng Sav Kimsourn WDC Advisor: Kat Bun Heng

Total 284 172 456

Follow-up interviews

Follow-up interviews with participants in ‘Women’s Worker Rights and Gender Equality’, ‘Home

Safety’ and ‘GET Ahead’ workshops were conducted in February 2009 in K Chhnang. For each workshop 150 participants (10 per village) were interviewed using semi-structured interviews and observation. The interviews were conducted by three PDWA and six WDC staff with guidance and support from the WDC advisor.

On average, 53% of the respondents said they have applied what they learned in the 11 units covered in the ‘Women’s Worker Rights and Gender Equality’ workshops. For material which was not used, the respondents said that it was not yet the right time to use what they had learned. All of the respondents acknowledged the training as useful for them and their community. The respondents reported that they applied the knowledge they acquired within their families and shared what they learned with other villagers, particularly on topics such as the consequences of migration, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence and child rights. They said the training helped them a lot in their daily lives within their family and their community.

The PSIA found that 84 percent of those interviewed who had participated in the training found the training useful and 71 percent had shared what they had learned with others.

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4.4.3 Overall assessment of Component B

4.4.3.1 Achievements

The monitorable deliverable/outputs for this component were:

i. Acquired counseling support for about 1,000 women

ii. Acquired knowledge of individual rights and advocacy support for 3,000 women

iii. Acquired awareness of good sanitation and hygiene for 12,000 beneficiaries through outreach programs

iv. Daycare facilities for about 50 children The Aide Memoire for the Review Mission fielded 23 June-9 July 2009 noted that "the Grant Implementation Manual (GIM) monitoring indicators do not necessarily capture what is being done. An adjustment of some of the monitoring indicators is suggested, as they do not entirely reflect the outputs. For example, the GIM indicator for output (iii) is: 'awareness for good sanitation and hygiene for 12,000 beneficiaries through outreach programs.' This does not capture the breadth of the output. In fact—at the request of communities—the training covers domestic skills more broadly, including home safety, nutrition, food processing and small engine repair. Similarly, the indicator for output (i) is 'counseling support for about 1,000 women.' This is not very specific (what sort of counseling?) and seems to miss the main thrust of the output (support for socio-cultural empowerment). . .The mission agreed that more focused interventions make sense."

Counseling support

Counseling and support for socio-cultural empowerment was defined in the project document to include interventions such as functional literacy, life skills and formation of mutual support groups. WDC and PDWA staff have neither the mandate nor the skills to provide psycho-social counseling services.

Producers groups were formed as a key element of the project's approach to MSE development and support (Component C) and were intended to be mutual support groups. Seventy-six producers groups with a total of 890 members (874 women) were formed early in the project. Many other women – family members, neighbors, friends – participated in or benefited from project interventions. Emphasis was placed on team work and sharing learning throughout project interventions. The focus of Component B interventions on producer group members further supported an integrated approach to women's empowerment. The PSIA findings show a high level of sharing and heightened appreciation of working together.

Case Study: Touch Yoeun

Touch Yoeun, age 45, lives in Toek Chenh village, Chheung Krio Commune, Rolea B’ier District, Kompong Chhnang Province. She is a farmer and bamboo product producer with four children. She is also a member the Village Development Committee.

Youen attended a workshop on Women’s Worker Rights and Gender Equality and said that the training was useful for her family and community. After the training, her family has changed. Remarkably, her husband now helps with housework and helps the children with their school work. They now make more decision together. She has also used the knowledge from the workshop to help her community including helping families with frequent domestic violence and resolving other issues in her village. She also shared what she learned about worker rights with her two children who are working at a garment factory in Phnom Penh. She has spread this knowledge to individuals and through village meetings, and has shared what she learned with women in other villages in the commune as well.

“The training on Women’s Worker Rights and Gender Equality is very important for my community as it helps us understand about HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, occupational safety, child labor, worker rights, and so on. In my observation, women who attended this training feel satisfied with it. The villagers now have less violence and better educate their children. On behalf of my community, I would like to very much thank the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the WDC and the team that provided this training to my community and it is useful for my community. I wish all of you prosperity and success.”

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'Life skills' can encompass many skills ranging from basic household tasks (i.e., cooking, sewing, household maintenance, child care, etc.) to higher level knowledge and skills such as rights, negotiation skills and leadership. As such, there was overlap with outputs ii and iii.

With the formation of the producer groups and consistent focus on these groups in all interventions as part of an integrated approach to women's economic empowerment, 'counseling support' as defined in the GIM was substantially achieved.

Individual rights and advocacy support

Training on women’s worker rights was provided to 1,000 women using training material from the ILO adapted by the project for use at a community level. Many of the training participants had young women relatives working outside the village (e.g., garment and construction workers). Information from the training is reported to have been shared with these and other women in the project communities.

The project also encouraged a stronger understanding of gender roles and gender relations through gender and enterprise training (see section 3.5.2) and the project’s overall approach to working with producer group members as part of household units also supported increased gender equity at the household level. Gender analysis and gender and planning workshops for WDC/PDWA staff (see section 3.6) was directed at strengthening the capacity of MoWA's sub-national offices to provide advocacy support.

While the total number of individuals participating in the intervention most directly related to this output (i.e., women's worker rights workshops) was below the target specified in the GIM, the reported sharing of information from these workshops with others, and the integration of rights and support for advocacy throughout the project suggest that a minimum of 3,000 women would have acquired knowledge of individual rights and received advocacy support.

Sanitation and hygiene

The sanitation and hygiene component was expanded to cover domestic skills more broadly at the request of communities including home safety, food processing, good nutrition and sanitation as well as small engine and sewing machine repair. Interventions were focused on producer group members and their families rather than broader outreach programs. Approximately 1,800 women and 580 men participated in at least one of these interventions. Nearly all participants reported to have shared what they had learned with others.

The WDC Project achieved both more and less under this element of the project. While the project may or may not have reached 12,000 beneficiaries, interventions went far beyond 'sanitation and hygiene'. The July 2009 Aide Memoire recognized that 'more focused interventions' made sense and that an adjustment of the monitoring indicators was needed. While the indicators were not officially adjusted, the project maintained its focus on interventions identified as priorities by the community.

Day care

Space for day care was built into the design of the WDC facilities however the WDC in Kompong Chhnang was being encouraged to move away from center-based training and training sponsored by the WDC Project in both provinces was almost entirely community-based. As community-based training will continue to be recommended it is not expected that the space allocated for day care will be needed for this purpose.

Given the community-based approach adopted by the project, achieving the outputs specified for this component proved to be somewhat problematic. Interventions focused on producer groups and their families within the framework of an integrated approach to women's empowerment and activities were modified to better correspond to locally identified priorities and the mandate of the WDCs. In particular:

� Literacy training had not been identified as a priority by project participants in the Community Resource Assessment workshops. Experience in other countries has shown that functional literacy alone is not enough. Even in Cambodia, it is only at higher levels of education that there is a significant wage differential. Given the labor-intensive nature of the livelihood activities supported

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under Component C, functional literacy wasn’t likely to add much value, particularly for older women. Moving to higher levels of enterprise management would require much more than functional literacy. The increasing interest of younger (and somewhat better educated) women in project interventions was thus encouraging as they could be the catalyst for converting low-return home-based production into more profitable sources of family income. The project did however recognize the constraints imposed by low levels of literacy and materials for village-level workshops were specifically designed to be appropriate for women with low levels of literacy and education.

� Reproductive health and family planning campaigns are the responsibility of the Provincial Health Department. The project focused on home safety and nutrition and sanitation practices of producer groups members.

� Advocacy for gender equality is the responsibility of the PDWAs. Training was provided in gender analysis and gender in planning as the basis for advocacy (Component D).

� Men were included in life skills training and the project also encouraging a stronger understanding of gender roles and gender relations through gender and enterprise training (Component C) and the project’s overall approach to working with producer group members as part of household units.

The outputs achieved reflecting the focus on the priorities identified by producer groups and their families included:

4. Strengthening of social capital and socio-economic empowerment of women through formation of mutual support groups (i.e., producer groups) with approximately 1,000 members

5. Direct benefits to approximately 3,500 participants in life skills activities including7:

a. 1,252 participants in 'Home Safety' workshops (988 women)

b. 491 participants in 'Small Engine Repair' and 'Sewing Machine Repair' workshops (35 women)

c. 464 participants in 'Food Processing' workshops (461 women)

d. 660 participants in 'Good Nutrition and Sanitation' workshops (all women)

e. 1,011 participants in 'Women's Worker Rights' workshops (700 women)

6. Indirect benefits to at least 10,000 family and community members

7. Daycare facilities for about 50 children

While modified, the activities and outputs remained consistent with the objectives of the original project paper.

4.4.3.2 Future directions

Component B activities were widely recognized as useful in the PSIA suggesting that there may be potential to market such training more broadly either to other institutions or directly to individuals in open access courses, in addition to services provided as part of an integrated approach to socio-economic development.

To the extent feasible, the WDC Project placed emphasis on strengthening the capacity of the WDCs to deliver services itself. This strengthened the outreach capacity of the project and as well as provided the WDCs with a broader range of services which they could potentially use to generate income for the centers. The Kompong Chhnang WDC was particularly successful in using their new skills as trainers in 'Food Processing' to provide training to others on a contract basis. Newly acquired skills in facilitating 'Home Safety' and 'Women's Worker Rights' workshops may also be potential sources of income.

Other Component B activities (i.e., 'Good Nutrition and Sanitation' and 'Small Engine Repair') required the services of external trainers and there is thus a lower level of financial incentive for the centers to offer these types of courses. The WDCs could however have a role in facilitating access to such training and still earn some contributions to overheads.

7 Some beneficiaries participated in more than one activity under this component.

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While the Kompong Chhnang WDC has had some experience with providing services to other development organizations on a contract basis, the notion of offering services to the general public on a fee basis is still quite foreign. The Siem Reap WDC is new and not yet fully staffed and thus its potential to offer a broad range of services is more constrained. Never-the-less, consideration should be given to piloting some courses such as 'Food Processing' on a fee basis.

Longer term, within the context of Cambodia's decentralization and de-concentration reforms, there may be opportunities to market training services to local communities for funding by sub-national government entities as more discretionary financial resources are devolved to the local level, provided the centers are able to establish and maintain their credibility as sources of relevant, quality training.

4.5 COMPONENT C: MSE DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT

This component built on existing resources, skills and interests of communities in designing packages of services to help groups of women to develop market-oriented, sustainable sources of livelihood. The emphasis in Kompong Chhnang was focused on building on traditional skills and products to reach new markets. The emphasis in Siem Reap was directed at increasing the share of locally produced products in rapidly growing tourism markets.

The site selection process placed priority on identifying existing skills and products with potential for development. In Kompong Chhnang, there were a number of traditional products with a significant number of producers clustered in different parts of the province. This province is well known for a number of products, most notably, clay pottery – the word chhnang meaning pot. As there were relatively few families engaged in pottery production and other projects had been assisting these producers in recent years8 the project sought other products with large numbers of producers. Less well known were bamboo baskets and sedge mats although nearly all households in Chheung Krio Commune in Rolea B'ier District were engaged in producing bamboo baskets and nearly all households in Teuk Hout Commune in Rolea B'ier District and Trangnel Commune in Kompong Leaeng District were engaged in producing sedge mats as a secondary source of income.

The situation in Siem Reap was different with smaller numbers of households producing rattan baskets, bamboo handicrafts or romchek mats scattered across Leang Dai and Svay Chek Communes in Angkor Thom District. In Somrong Commune in Sotr Nikom District, the predominant secondary occupation was vegetable cultivation.

4.5.1 Participatory, market-oriented approach to rural enterprise development

The JFPR WDC Project pursued a community-based approach to identifying products with market potential. This approach was selected based on a review of international best practices and assessment of the limitations of traditional approaches to MSE development. Traditional approaches and their limitations are summarized in Table 22 below:

Table 22. Assessment of existing approaches to MSME development

Existing approaches to income generating activities and MSME development promotion

Limitations of these approaches

Skills training (e.g., WID Centers, PTCs)

No market demand � not able to use skills to earn income

(Note: no one in K Chhnang reported weaving as a primary or secondary occupation, garment manufacturing/sewing is primarily in factories >95%)

Production focus (e.g., agriculture extension)

No market demand � not able to sell agricultural products that have been produced

Product focus (e.g., weaving, clay pottery)

No access to markets/market demand � not able to sell products that have been produced

Technology focus (e.g., food processing)

No access to markets/market demand � not able to sell products that have been produced

Locality focus (e.g., rural development programs) Potential markets may be outside of the location

Enabling environment focus (i.e., regulations and enforcement)

Not clear that new regulations will change behavior or that improving the enabling environment for private sector development will help small-scale producers

8 Koblenz Craft Cooperative

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As originally envisioned, once target communities were identified the next steps would be: 1) community resource assessments; 2) market opportunity identification; 3) value chain analysis of high potential products; and, 4) preparation of enterprise development plans. This would then feed into the development of strategic and business plans for the WDCs (Component D).

The participatory, market-oriented approach to enterprise development

The purpose of the Community Resource Assessments (CRA) was to identify local resources (physical and human), market options and trends. As noted earlier in this report, this was carried out through commune-level consultations and focused on gathering information on non-rice agricultural activities, non-agricultural activities, assets for comparative advantage and innovation. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools were used extensively in this process including seasonal calendars, resource mapping, market mapping, brainstorming and product ranking.

Market Opportunity Identification Studies (MOI) should be directed at evaluating demand and buying conditions for the priority products identified in the CRAs. As originally envisioned, there were two aspects to the MOI: 1) inputs on product design and opportunities to transform existing products to reach new markets; and, 2) assessment of market opportunities for existing and potential new products. The findings from the MOI would be reported back to communities through Participatory Product

Selection Workshops. These workshops would start with identification of criteria for selecting products which are expected to include the following: i) needs to involve women (i.e., female producers can produce the option); ii) needs to be attractive as a business proposition; iii) needs to contribute to increasing production sustainability (existing products); and, iv) needs to have an identified potential market (new products). Products would then be filtered at three levels: Filter 1: Obvious discard: can’t be grown/produced, too risky, high investment; Filter 2: Selection matrices based on enterprise criteria: production, marketing, profitability; and, Filter 3: Selection in consultation with client group. Market/value chain analysis (VCA) would then be carried out for priority products identified by the client group. This would involve identifying and interviewing key informants at each stage of the market chain (i.e., suppliers, producers, middlemen, wholesalers/ processors, retailers and consumers); mapping out the flows and added value at each stage; identifying gaps or weakness in the market chain; and, formulating recommendations for market chain interventions to streamline the flow of products from villages to markets and ensure that community-based producers are able to earn a fair profit from their contributions to the value chain.

As originally envisioned the MoI/VCA was to be contracted out and involve the joint efforts of a market/economic research institution in partnership with an individual or business involved in handicraft development and marketing. The project proceeded with soliciting expressions of interest for the market assessment work and contracting of a local expert to advise on handicraft development.

Market opportunity

identification

Community resource

assessment consultations

Participatory

product selection

Market chain

analysis

Enterprise development action plans

What are the existing resources, skills and perceived opportunities?

Is there a market? Where? What do these markets need?

What is needed to address critical weaknesses in the market chain?

Could include: -skills training -micro-enterprise management training -new technology -new sources of inputs -new designs -collective marketing -strengthening links to markets -establishing local sources of inputs etc.

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It became clear that there was a market for higher quality, better designed handicrafts and the main constraint would be production capacity. Assessments conducted by other projects on vegetables showed that there was clear potential for local producers to fill market demands being met by imported produce. The project's own assessment of market opportunities and value chains indicated that there would be no value added to contracting a separate assessment and the project thus proceeded with product development.

The project originally planned to prepare enterprise development action plans (EDAPs) to guide the strengthening of market chains which would include interventions at various points in the value chain and not just at the producer level. Needed skills training and micro-enterprise development modules were to be identified in the enterprise development plans. Life-skills elements would also be incorporated into these plans to address the socio-cultural barriers faced by women in effectively operating their enterprises. In practice, product and enterprise development was a more iterative process carried out in a step-by-step manner rather than a formal plan for each value chain. Key elements of the participatory, market-oriented approach to enterprise development followed by the project are shown in the box on the next page.

Through a range of product and skills development interventions, the WDC project assisted the producer groups to transfer local skills and resources into more marketable products. . .

The original project design anticipated that most training would be contracted out to NGOs. As there were no NGOs with the skills needed to facilitate this type of process in Kompong Chhnang – and few in the country in general – fully contracting this work out to NGOs was not a viable option. It was also felt that actively involving the WDC staff in the enterprise development process would provide a measure of greater potential sustainability as the center staff learned a new way of operating. The project requested and received approved to use the funds budgeted for NGO inputs to contract with a broader range of individuals and institutions. This included individual master craft producers and other experts, social enterprises, private enterprise and government institutions. In some cases, producer group members were trained as trainers and were called upon to train other producers.

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4.5.2 Gender and enterprise workshops

'Gender and Enterprise' workshops were designed to introduce community women to the basic principles of enterprise development and entrepreneurship. In the previous ADB assistance to MoWA, "Promoting Sustainable Employment for Women in Cambodia" (ADB TA No. 3947-CAM) MoWA was assisted with translating the ILO training manual, Gender and Entrepreneurship Together: GET

Ahead for Women in Enterprise and developing a simplified version of these materials for use at the community level: Gender and Enterprise Manual for Men and Women in the Community. Training was provided to EDD staff and the staff of five WDCs, including the WDC in Kompong Chhnang. The content of the simplified manual is shown in the box below:

The participatory, market-oriented approach to enterprise development

The project sought to build on existing resources, skills and interests of communities in designing packages of services to help groups of women to develop market-oriented, sustainable sources of livelihood. The participatory, market-oriented approach to enterprise development supported necessary interventions at all points of the market chain—from suppliers of inputs to consumers—to facilitate the development of viable enterprises for women.

The Market Chain

Suppliers Producers Middle men Wholesalers/ processors

Retailers Consumers

Key elements of this approach included:

• Building on local resources, skills and interests: There is a rich tradition of handicraft production in many communities in Cambodia. In many cases, the families of handicraft producers have been producing the same product for generations however few existing products are able to meet the demands of modern markets, locally or internationally, and few producers have had the support they need to upgrade their skills or transform their products to reach higher value markets. Lack of access to product development support, improved production techniques and quality standards limits the producers to low-value traditional products and reliance on traditional marketing channels.

• Community-led: With little exposure to modern markets, producers have few ideas on what they might profitably do differently and are often reluctant to risk what little they may be earning by trying something new. Interventions are designed to respond to the priorities and interests identified by communities which are assessed as having the potential to add value to their products. New ideas were introduced when the producers were ready to try new products and new ways of working.

• Community-based: Most handicraft work is carried out at the village level in the informal sector of the economy. Working at home allows women to earn supplemental income while also taking caring of their children and tend to household duties. Young women often express a preference for working in their own communities rather than facing the often risky and stressful move to urban areas to seek employment. Low levels of literacy and education of rural women greatly constrain their livelihood alternatives. The vast majority of interventions focused on processes which can be carried out at the village level with technologies appropriate to rural areas. Training was mostly carried out at the community level, minimizing participant travel costs, and allowing for participation of a broader group of women.

• Market-driven: Assistance was focused on those products which are assessed as having good market potential.

• Strengthening teamwork: Most handicraft work is traditionally done on an individual or household basis with no ability to meet larger orders or effectively negotiate with market intermediaries. Initially, establishing groups facilitates delivery of training and technical assistance. As the groups matured, they began to recognize the advantages of working together in negotiating with market intermediaries or meeting larger orders.

• Sharing learning: Priority was given to providing training to women who are committed to sharing what they have learned with others in their communities.

• Recognizing the household as an economic unit: Although most interventions focus on women, this approach recognizes that village-based livelihood activities often require the cooperation and support of both women and men and thus men were invited to participate in some activities.

• Including life skills: In additional to contributing to the livelihoods of the families, women also need to be able to effectively care for their families. This would include understanding of good nutrition, processing foods to make better use of available local resources, maintaining a safe home environment, or maintaining and repairing equipment such as sewing machines, water pumps and motorcycles. For households with family members working outside of the community, an understanding of women worker rights is crucial.

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Kompong Chhnang

Although the Kompong Chhnang WDC staff had received 'Facilitation Skills' training as well as training as facilitators of 'Gender and Enterprise' workshops under the previous ADB assistance, they had little experience with facilitating workshops at the community level. In preparation for the village-level 'Gender and Enterprise' workshops in Kompong Chhnang the WDC staff were assisted to conduct a workshop with vocational training students attending skills training at the WDC in July 2007. This workshop was facilitated by WDC staff Rasy, Sothy, Soboran and Sopheary with the assistance of the WDC consultant (Va) and MoWA trainer (Kimsoeun). Thirty-four female students participated in this workshop. At the end of the workshop, 7 percent were assessed as having a very good understanding of the material and ability to use these skills in their own business; 33 percent good; and, 60 percent fair.

Fifteen 3-day workshops were then organized in each of the project villages from mid-July through early-September 2007 with a total of 300 participants (277 women). Teams comprised of two WDC and one PDWA staff were formed to conduct the workshops in each village.

Table 23: Basic Information on Gender and Enterprise Workshops, 15 villages in Kompong Chhnang

Participants District/ Commune Villages Dates

F M Total Facilitators

Kompong Leaeng District

Trangnel

Trabek Trangel Chres Khlaeng Poar Andoung Ronuk

17-31 July 78 22 100

Rolea B’ier District Teuk Hout

Preak Sala Preak Reang T Krapeu Takhout Kouk Sdau

21-29 Aug 99 1 100

Chheung Krio

Sophi Luong Pring Kaong Andoung Chek Tuek Chenh

21 Aug - 5 Sept

100

-- 100

WDC: Ms. Meas Sothy Ms. Chhim Rasy Ms. Leng Soboran Ms. Ke Sopheary PDWA: Ms. Pen Phalla Mr. Mok Chanrith Ms. Chhoun Lina Observers: Mrs. Men En (WDC Director) Mr. Ros Va (WDC Advisor) Mrs. Sav Kimsoeun (MoWA)

Total 277 23 300

GET AHEAD FOR COMMUNITY MEN AND WOMEN Lesson 1 Gender and Enterprise

Lesson 2 The Life Cycle of People and Enterprises

Lesson 3 The Top 10 Traits for Business Success

Lesson 4 SMART Self-Assessment

Lesson 5 Business-Building in Her Environment

Lesson 6 Business Mapping

Lesson 7 Business Networking

Lesson 8 Business Idea Brainstorming

Lesson 9 Many in One

Lesson 10 Market Research for Selling Products and Services (The 5 Ps)

Lesson 11 How to Sell with Success

Lesson 12 All It Needs to Create a Product or Service

Lesson 13 The SCAMPER Model

Lesson 14 Managing Your Money

Lesson 15 Costing and Pricing

Lesson 16 Record Keeping

Lesson 17 The Family Business: Sharing of Work, Decision Making and Income

Lesson 18 Presentation of Experience in Doing Business

Lesson 19 Business Planning

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By the end of the training 17 percent of the participants were assessed as having a very good understanding of the material, 47 percent had a good understanding, 32 percent fair, and 4 percent little.

Siem Reap

As Siem Reap was not covered in the previous ADB TA, training of trainers workshop on ‘Gender

and Enterprise’ was first conducted for PDWA staff in Siem Reap. The Project Team then worked with the PDWA/PIU staff to form facilitation teams and prepare the training program, session plans and workshop materials for village-level workshops in the project’s three target communes.

Three-day workshops in each of 12 villages were then conducted in November-December 2007 with a total of 240 participants (238 women).

Table 24: Basic Information on Gender and Enterprise Workshops, 12 villages in Siem Reap

Participants District/ Commune Villages

Workshop Dates

Female Male Total Facilitators

Sotr Nikom District Samrong

Bat Dangkao Angkong Svay Chrum

5-10 Nov 59

1 60

Angkor Thom District Svay Chek

Bos Tatrav Tatrav Kokkan Svay Chek Kandoal

27 Nov - 5 Dec

100 -- 100

Leang Dai Plong Don Ouv Ta Prok Spean Themy

6-11 Dec 79 1 80

Total 238 2 240

PDWA/WDC Team I Ms. Chun Sophoeun (v. good) Ms. Lou Ratana (good) Ms. Luck Kunthea (weak) PDWA/WDC Team 2 Ms. Some Siyoun (v. good) Ms. Mao Sameoun (good) Mr. Ploung Pheakdai (fair) Support Ms. Pov Than Bunheng (MoWA) Ms. Sav Kimsoeun (MoWA) Mr. Kat Bun Heng (WDC Advisor)

Participant feedback

Overall, the participants were quite satisfied with the ´Gender and Enterprise' workshops as they had never received this type of training before. Attendance was good and commune and village leaders were very supportive. The participants were particularly interested in the market map, and the 5 Ps of marketing, business management, financial management, and roles and relationships in family businesses. They said they will use their new knowledge in their own businesses, spread this knowledge to other villagers, and suggested that the training be provided to other women in their community. The participants also requested assistance with technical training such as designing and improving the quality of existing product, new skills related to existing businesses, food processing, and other income generating activities which would help to improve the economic condition of the community and reduce poverty. The 'Gender and Enterprise' training in Trangnel Commune was featured in a Kompong Leaeng District radio program.

The low level of education of some participants was a problem: more visual aids were needed to facilitate effective learning; and, the language needed to be kept simple and related to familiar livelihood activities and Cambodian culture. More literate participants requested more handouts for future reference.

The WDC consultant in Kompong Chhnang felt that some of the participants were too old and some too young. This would need to be taken into consideration in preparing the selection criteria for any future workshops. The criteria also needed to be more clearly communicated to commune and village chiefs to ensure selection of participants who are very much interested in learning about enterprise development and management and would be able to apply what they learn.

Facilitation

The material covered in the 'Gender and Enterprise' workshops was quite new for the communities and conducting training at the community level was very new for the trainers. Never-the-less, a core training team within the WDC and PDWA began to emerging which was capable of facilitating ‘Gender and Enterprise’ workshops at the WDC and community level. There were still weaknesses in responding to questions from participants and providing more examples to explain topics covered in

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the workshops. The exercise on product development was particularly difficult for them to explain. Some of the facilitators also needed to improve their communication skills. As the 'Gender and

Enterprise' material was also new for the WDC Consultant it was sometimes difficult for him to provide the needed guidance and support to the WDC/PDWA facilitators.

Further guidelines and mentoring support would be needed to continue to build the skills of the WDC and PDWA facilitators. More practice is needed in facilitating brainstorming and small group discussions. Examples of how to respond to questions from participants on different concepts should also be developed using locally relevant examples.

Follow up on ‘Gender and Enterprise' workshops In February 2009 a follow-up survey was conducted of the participants in the 'Gender and Enterprise' workshops in Kompong Chhnang. Ten informants from each of the 15 villages were interviewed, half of the total participants in the workshops. On average, 45 percent of respondents said they had applied what they had learned in the 19 units covered in the workshops. The respondents recognized all units as important in their daily lives. Some participants were grocery sellers and this training expanded their thinking in how they run their businesses. For others, the training helped them in calculating labor costs in setting prices for products such as sedge mats, rice, etc. After the training the participants reported that family members were helping more with housework. Follow-up interviews were also conducted in Siem Reap with similar findings.

4.5.3 Formation of producer groups

As part of the Royal Government of Cambodia's efforts to promote private sector development, much emphasis has been placed on registration of businesses and formation and registration of business associations. Information was thus collected on business associations.

Numerous meetings were held with mat, rattan and bamboo product producers in all three communes in Kompong Chhnang towards forming producers groups and identifying needs to improve product quality. These meeting included 664 participants (603 women) from 15 villages representing 56 groups with a total of 584 members as shown in Table 25 below. A management committee was formed comprised of a representative from each of the 15 villages and assistants or deputy group leaders.

Case Study: Proch Sarun Proch Sarun, 28 years old, is a grocery seller living in Kleng Por Village, Trangnel Commune, Kompong Leang District who attended a workshop on Gender and Enterprise. She has seven people in her household. The interview team met with her when she was working and saw that her business had many customers. She said that the training gave her more ideas about how to run her business and she has used this knowledge to expand her business. The training was very important for her and her family: “Before I never thoughts about labor costs, recording income and expenses or planning but now I do and plan my business better.”

“Everything I learned is useful for me. Before, I earned little income from my business. Since attending the training, I started to follow what I learned and as a result my business is more fruitful for me. I can now earn 35-45 dollars a month which I never thought possible before. I think that the training and my commitment has made me a good business person in this village. The training on Gender and Enterprise is important for my business and me. I believe that if villagers use this knowledge, it will be good for them too. I wish MoWA and the training team success in their work and to be prosperous forever. Thank you for providing this kind of training.”

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Table 25: Formation of Producer Groups in K. Chhnang

PARTICIPANTS IN

MEETINGS DISTRICT

COMMUNE

PRODUCTS

VILLAGE

Male Female

NUMBER OF

GROUPS TOTAL

MEMBERS

Khlaeng Poar n/a n/a 7 68

Andoung Ronuk 1 42 9 91

Trangel 5 50 22 220

Trabek 3 45 3 30

Kompong Leang

Trangnel

Sedge Mats

Chres 2 15 2 24

Trapeang Krapeu 8 42 1 10

Tuek Hout 9 41 1 10

Preak Reang 4 46 1 10

Kouk Sdau 7 43 1 10

Tuek Hout Sedge and Triangle Sedge Mats

Preak Sala 1 21 1 10

Pring Kaong 6 44 1 15

Luong 1 49 1 16

Andoung Chek 2 48 2 20

Sophi 5 54 2 20

Rolea B’ier

Cheung Kreav

Bamboo Handicrafts

Tuek Chenh 7 63 2 30

Total 15 61+ 603+ 56 584

Similar meetings were held in 13 villages in Siem Reap involving more than 620 participants and resulting in the formation of 20 groups with 306 members (290 women) as shown in Table 26 below.

Table 26: Formation of Producer Groups in Siem Reap

PARTICIPANTS IN

MEETINGS NUMBER OF

MEMBERS DISTRICT

COMMUNE PRODUCTS

VILLAGE

Male Female

NUMBER OF

GROUPS Male Female

Angkong n/a n/a 1 10 5

Bat Dangkao n/a n/a 1 - 15

Sotr

Nikom

Samraong

Vegetables

Svay Chrum n/a n/a 1 - 15

Ta Prok 5 35 1 2 16

Doung Ov 15 45 2 - 33

Phlong 6 19 1 2 16

Spean Thmei 5 20 1 - 11

Leang Dei

Paao, Cotton Blankets, Carpets

Samrong 11 49 2 - 26

Svay Chek 10 30 2 1 13

Kandaol 10 160 3 1 32

Bos Ta Trav 9 51 2 - 37

Ta Trav 37 63 3 48

Angkor

Thom

Svay Chek

Romchek, Rattan Baskets

Kouk Kak 11 29 2 - 23

Total 13 119+ 501+ 20 16 290

Informal Sector Group Formation Manual

Based on the experience gained in forming producer groups in the project villages, the MoWA Economic Development Department was asked by CARE International to document the workshop in the form of a training manual and test this manual with one of CARE’s target groups, beer promotion women.

The main objective of this manual is to help workers in the informal sector to form groups and work together. The content of the manual is shown in the box below:

INFORMAL SECTOR GROUP FORMATION

Manual Contents

1. The Principals of Group Formation and Group Establishment 2. The Advantages of Group Establishment 3. Self-Assessment and Inventory of Needs 4. Advantages and Disadvantages of Working as a Group 5. Group Characteristic and Principals 6. Gender Equality in a Group 7. Group Dynamics 8. Leadership and Advocacy 9. Working Together in a Group 10. Financial Aspects of Working Together 11. Thinking Ahead and Action Planning

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4.5.4 Product development in Kompong Chhnang

The site selection process placed high priority on identifying communities engaged in secondary livelihood activities which were particularly important to women and had good potential for development. Communities with sedge mat producers (Trangnel and Toek Hout Communes) and bamboo handicraft producers (Chheung Krio Commune) were selected for project interventions in Kompong Chhnang.

4.5.4.1 Round sedge mats, Trangnel and Toek Hout Communes

Context

Trangnel Commune in Kompong Leaeng District, Kompong Chhnang Province has been engaged in sedge mat production for generations. Nearly all of the households in the commune are seasonally engaged in producing mats, working around the growing season for sedge and time demands of other livelihood activities (i.e., rice and vegetable cultivation). Located on the other side of the river from the provincial town, there are few migrant workers from this commune.

The commune has ready access to good quality sedge which is grown along river banks and in flooded rice fields. Products were however limited to traditional designs and colors and the width of the mats was constrained by the length of the sedge and traditional looms. Households worked and dealt with market intermediaries independently with little bargaining power. The mats were mostly sold through market intermediaries in the village and the prices they were able to get was mostly determined by the width of the mat:

Width (in meters) x 2 m

Price (Riel)

1.1 20,000

1.2 25,000

1.3 35,000

1.4 45,000

Although the raw material available in Trangnel is of high quality, the mats produced here were little known outside of Kompong Chhnang. Similar products have been adapted to modern markets in other parts of the country and are being sold in both domestic and international markets. The women in Trangnel were unaware of these potential markets.

In Tuek Hout Commune, Rolea B'ier District mats made from round sedge was one of two types of sedge mats being produced in the commune – the other being triangle sedge. The situation with the producers and products was similar to that found in Trangnel.

Assistance with developing and marketing sedge mats was identified as a high priority in site selection discussions and the community resource assessments in both communes. Although there are NGOs working in these districts, no assistance had been provided on mat production. Local government officials were highly supportive of such assistance.

Overview of project interventions

The ADB/JFPR project team and Kompong Chhnang staff facilitated the formation of 43 producer groups with a total of 433 members in Trangnel. The project had initially encouraged the producers to form a business association and organized a study tour to Ksach Kandal in Kandal Province where sedge mat producers were organized in more of a factory model – as opposed to individual responsibility for all stages of production. The members were however reluctant to formalize their groups or adopt a factory model of production in the early stages of the project.

The project encouraged the planting of more sedge and introduced new equipment including improved combs, wider looms and a spinning wheel for preparing the jute needed to make the mats. Technical assistance was contracted with Lotus Pond on dying sedge using high quality dyes meeting the requirements of export markets and introducing new designs. A series of workshops were conducted starting with a group of master producers who then provided training to other group

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members. They producer groups in Trangnel Commune are looking to establish a formal association and have agreed to market their products under a common brand name, Kang Rey Sedge Mat.

Activities to support the development of sedge mats are summarized in Table 27 below:

Table 27. Sedge mat development interventions

Intervention

No. of participants

Facilitators

07Q4 Group formation and strengthening � Meeting to identify mat producers by quality of production in Khlaeng Poar

Village and formation of producer groups

77

PCU and DoWA

07Q4 � 5-day workshop on ‘Business Associations and Selection of Quality Mats’ with participants from four villages in Trangnel Commune; formation of 43 groups with a total of 433 members

163 PCU, WDC, PDWA and DoWA

07Q4 � Meetings to form producer groups in Toek Hout Commune; formation of five groups with a total of 50 members

222 PCU + WDC

08Q3+4 � Study tour for sedge mat producers to visit enterprises in Kandal Province which are set up more on a factory model (as opposed to individual responsibility for all stages of production) and markets in Phnom Penh

14

PCU + GTZ project

on-going � Meetings on identifying priorities for project interventions, business management; team work; marketing; and, costing and pricing

various Lotus Pond and PCU

07Q4 Product development � Introduced traditional Trangnel mats to the Phnom Penh Night Bazaar and

obtained feedback on products

n/a

PCU

08Q1+2 � Developed recommendations for upgrading products n/a Lotus Pond + WDC + producer groups

08Q3+4 � 4 3-day workshops with master producers in Trangnel and Teuk Hout on basic dyeing, mixed colors, natural dyes, and crest color and design

39 Lotus Pond + master producers

09Q2 � 12-day workshop with master producers in Trangnel introducing wider looms, new designs, quality standards and skills, and enterprise management concepts

15 Lotus Pond + master producers from K Tralach District

09Q3 � 3-day follow-up training on dyeing and design for master producers

14 WDC + master producers

09Q3 � 11 2-day workshops for sedge mat producer group members on sedge dyeing

180 Master producers from the community

09Q3 � 10-day workshop with master producers in Teuk Hout Commune on kome design and mat extension

15 Master producers from K Tralach District and Kandal Province

09Q4 � 5-day workshop on kome design weaving for master producers/trainers in Trangnel Commune

12 Master producers from K Tralach District

07Q4

Equipment � Training in Kandal Province on making improved combs for looms

9 (male)

Master craftsmen in Kandal

09Q2 � Wider looms n/a Lotus Pond

09Q2 � Improved spinning wheel n/a Lotus Pond

Identification of mat products by product quality

Ms. Sarom, Ms. Veasna and Ms. Lan (Director of the District Office of Women’s Affairs) visited Khlaeng Poar Village, Trangnel Commune, Kompong Leaeng District, Kompong Chhnang in November 2007 to meet with mat producers. A total of 111 people are engaged in mat production in this village; 77 attended the meeting including two men.

The producers identified the criteria for good quality mats: strong, smooth, beautiful and with a good design. Based on these criteria, they classified their own products into three levels of quality.

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Test marketing of mats at the Phnom Penh Night Bazaar

MoWA was asked by the Phnom Penh Municipality to help organize a Night Bazaar in Phnom Penh and the municipality made available five stalls to MoWA to sell Cambodia-made products. The market was open Friday through Sunday, 5-11.30 pm starting from the 9th of November 2007. The Program Team assisted in making arrangements for various WDCs to take advantage of this opportunity.

This was seen as an excellent opportunity to introduce the mats from Trangel Commune to the Phnom Penh market. Fifty of the best quality mats from Trangnel in different sizes were brought to the Night Bazaar: 17 were sold on the first night, 15 the second night, and 8 on the third night. The rest were purchased by MoWA staff. Proceeds from the sales fully covered the cost of the mats and transport.

An assessment was also made of mat quality from other places (e.g., Preak Tamaek and Preak Takong Communes, and Kompong Domrie Village in Kandal Province). The Trangnel mats were assessed as being of very good quality but weak on design and color. This was assessment was confirmed at the Night Bazaar and the high quality of the mats was very much appreciated by all. Older buyers liked the traditional designs however the younger generation did not care for the traditional colors and designs. The customers felt the quality of the Trangnel mats was far superior to mats from other places known for this type of mat (e.g., Preak Tamak Commune, Kandal Province and Kompong Tralach District, Kompong Chhnang Province)

Some of the more popular mat designs displayed at the Night Bazaar are shown below:

Workshop on ‘Business Associations and Selection of Quality Mats’

The project then prepared and conducted a five-day workshop on ‘Business Associations and Selection

of Quality Mats’ with 163 participants from the other four project villages in Trangnel Commune. Table 28: Basic Information on ‘Business Associations and Selection of Quality

Mats’ Workshop, Trangel Commune, Kompong Chhnang

PARTICIPANTS VILLAGE

FEMALE MALE Total

FACILITATORS

Andoung Ronuk 42 1 43

Trangel 50 5 55

Chres 15 2 17

Trabek 45 3 48

Total 152 11 163

Ms. Sarom (MTC) Ms. Veasna (PCU) Ms. Sok (PDWA) Ms. Men En (WDC) Ms. Lan (DoWA)

Group 1: Best quality(14 producers) Group 2: Good quality(34 producers) Group 3: Medium quality(19 producers)

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Mat producers from both the earlier meeting with producers in Khlaeng Poar and this workshop with four additional villages in Trangnel Commune requested assistance with better tools for smoothing the raw material; improving dying (more colors); and, mat design.

At the end of the workshop the participants agreed to form producer groups of ten members per group; 43 groups with a total of 433 members were formed in the five villages.

Table 29: Mat Producer Groups, Trangnel Commune, Kompong Chhnang

VILLAGE NO. OF

GROUPS NO. OF

MEMBERS

Khlaeng Poar 7 68

Andoung Ronuk 9 91

Trangel 22 220

Chres 3 30

Trabek 2 24

Total 43 433

Handicraft development consultancy

A Product Development Consultant (Ms. Sompen Kutranon, owner of the Phnom Penh boutique Lotus Pond) was contracted to assist the PCU with developing recommendations for upgrading products, increasing production capacity and improving product quality for both sedge mats and bamboo handicrafts. For sedge mats she recommended that the quality of the mats should be upgraded and new colors and designs introduced for sale in the domestic market. She also recommended that a small production and training center be set up in Kompong Leaeng. For both groups of producers she recommended that they adopt a production line process of working with individuals specializing in different phases of production rather than each producer carrying out all tasks themselves. She also recommended that one WDC staff member be assigned responsibility for following up with producers in each commune. It was agreed that the consultant would focused on helping the producer groups with technical training, developing new designs and improving existing products.

Sedge mat development plan Following up on the consultant's recommendations an initial meeting on sedge mat development was held in Trangnel Commune in August 2007 with six sedge mat producer group leaders, including one woman who was also a member of the commune council. The representatives from the producer groups agreed that the first activity should focus on improving the dying of the sedge used for mat production. They also reached agreements on the location for the training and selection of participants from 10 producer groups. Follow-up activities would include construction of a small production center in Trangnel Commune, introduction of new designs, and a study tour to visit mat producers in other parts of the country. This meeting was facilitated by Sarom and Veasna with support from the WDC Deputy Director Ms. Meas Sothy, MoWA EED staff member Hak Botharoth, and the Chief of the District Office of Women’s Affairs Ms. Ros Laan.

During the meeting the facilitators also introduced the production line concept recommended by the Product Development Consultant. It was noted that there were marked differences between the processes used by mat producers in Kandal Provinces from the processes used in Trangnel Commune as shown in Table 30 below:

Table 30: Sedge Mat situation in Kandal and K Chhnang

Kandal Province Kompong Chhnang Province

1. Middlemen also play a role as mat producers 1. Middlemen buy products from producers

2. Middlemen buy sedge from farmers 2. Producers plant sedge and jute by themselves

3. Middlemen make design and dye color 3. Producers make design and dye color

4. Middlemen pay producers to work for them 4. Producer do everything by themselves

5. Producers work as sub-contractors for middlemen

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While a production line could be more efficient and provide for stronger quality control, the producers were not very open to such a change at that time. The Management and Training Consultant recommended that the project work with sedge mat producers first (select and train master producers to train less experienced producers) and later work with middlemen.

Sedge dyeing training

The first sedge dyeing training was organized in September 2008. This three-day workshop had a total of nine participants (all women) from Khlaeng Poar Village. The Chief of the District Office of Women’s Affairs assisted with organizing the training. The trainers, Sompen and her assistant Mr. Ly Ho, first provided theory on improving sedge dyeing, demonstrated the process and then let the producers practice in three groups of three participants. Each group selected one color to practice with. Most of participants were very happy to learn the new methods of dyeing sedge as it uses very little dye and they are able to dye more sedge with a given quantity of dye and thus could save money, time and other materials. They also learned how to make new colors. The colors were beautiful and didn’t run. All of the participants were very happy with the training and asked for further training on mixing colors and mat design.

The pictures below show the new colors produced by the participants during the first training:

After the first training, the Technical Coordinator and Management and Training Consultant met with the Product Development Consultant to discuss follow-up measures. They agreed that the consultant should conduct 1) further training in basic color dying in Andoung Ronuk and Trangnel villages in Trangnel Commune, and in Tuek Hout Commune, 2) training on mixed colors and natural dyes, 3) follow-up visits to check the quality of the dying that the producers did on their own and, 4) training on crest color and design. A total of 39 women were trained. Basic information on these activities is shown in Table 31 below:

Table 31: Sedge mat dyeing training

TRANGEL COMMUNE

TOPICS

DATES Khlaeng

Poar Andoung Ronuk

Trangnel

TUEK HOUT

COMMUNE

FACILITATOR AND

COORDINATORS

15-17 Sept 2008 9 - - -

5-7 Nov 9* 10 - -

18-20 Nov 8* 8* 10 -

Basic dying

Mixed colors and natural dyes

29 Nov–1 Dec 8* 1* - 10

External trainers

WDC advisor

DoWA chief

* participated as training assistants

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With each successive workshop, participants from the previous workshops were invited to assist with the training. Those who had already been trained were given new assignments for practice sessions. The producers were very pleased with the new colors and designs they were able to produce as shown in the photos below:

Study tour for mat producers

The WDC project team then coordinated with the GTZ mat project in Ksach Kandal District, Kandal Province to organize a one-week study tour for mat producers from Trangnel Commune to exchange experiences in producing sedge mats with producers in Kandal. A total of 13 producer group leaders and one group member participated in this study tour (all women). The study tour was organized by the project Technical Coordinator and Assistant Technical Coordinator with support from staff of the PDWA, DoWA and WDC, and the WDC Advisor.

The producers from Trangnel Commune were very happy to visit mat producers in Kandal Province and learn more about markets and processing sedge to make other types of products (e.g., hand bags, placemats, etc.). The study tour focused on sale of mats in the market, new designs, exchanging experience, new technology, and sedge mat processing. Most of participants had never had an opportunity to travel outside of their villages and exchange experiences with other producer groups before. After the study tour the participants promised to plant more sedge and produce mats with better quality and new designs but would not enter into making other types of products from sedge at this time.

Product quality and design training A 12-day workshop on ‘Developing Sedge Mat Products’ was held from 4-27 May 2009 with 14 key persons from three villages in Trangnel Commune and one WDC staff member. The training was divided into four 3-day sessions. The key persons represented the producer groups in their villages and were expected to become master trainers and group leaders for the whole commune after the training. The village participants must have previously participated in sedge dyeing training. The project contracted with Ms Sompen to organize this training and she sub-contracted with local resource persons for technical inputs. The sessions included both theoretical and technical training designed to equip the participants with both technical knowledge and management concepts. The training was conducted at the house of a producer group member which had adequate space for the larger looms introduced during the training.

The objectives of the training were: � Improved sedge mat products through sedge mat extension weaving, kome design and better

preparation of raw material

� Increased understanding of markets, doing business, and management of a sedge mat business

� Strengthen capacity of participants to be group leaders and manage work effectively through team-work

Producer Group in Trangnel Village Producer Group in Khlaeng Poar Village Producer Group in Andoung Ronuk Village

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Table 32. Participants in ‘Developing Sedge Mats Products’ training

Village No. of Participants

Andoung Ronuk 2

Kleng Por 8

Trangnel 4

WDC 1

Total 15 (all women)

Table 33. Local resource persons in sedge mat development workshop

No. Name Sex Skills Village Commune District

1 Sam Sareth F

2 Khut Pov F

Kome Weaving Kla Krahem Ampil Toek K Tralach

3 Nhek Sokhoeun F Mat Extension Samrith Jai Kampong Tralach

K Tralach

4 Edge finishing Khleng Por Trangnel K Leaeng

5 Products from mats Chheung Krio Rolea B'ier

6 Lavea Em

Table 34. Schedule of 'Developing Sedge Mat Products' training in Trangnel commune

Sessions Content Resource persons Results

1 4-6 May

1. Mat extension using 2 meter loom (1) 2. Kome mats using 1.2 meter loom (2) 3. Edge finishing

- Samrith Jai trainer - Kla Krahem trainer - Kleng Por trainer

- new products - new design - better quality - increased understanding of product development concepts

2 11-13 May

1. Follow up on extension and kome mat weaving 2. Simple mat design 3. Hand woven mats 4. New products made from sedge mats

- Same - Chheung Krio trainer

- awareness of other types of products which can be made from mats

3 18-20 May

1. Selecting and cutting sedge 2. Networking with sedge producers 3. Improved design 4. Review of sedge dyeing process

- Lavea Em Trainer - Lotus Pond - On their own

- improved techniques - better raw materials - upgraded products - reinforced dyeing skills - increased understanding of quality control

4 25-27 May

1. Product analysis: Which product goes to which market? 2. Retail and wholesale business 3. Working with orders 4. Basic marketing 5. Recordkeeping and reporting 6. Costing and pricing

- Lotus Pond - increased understanding of markets and the importance of quality: good work gets good price – not only one price anymore - increased understanding of the rationale for working together - direction/negotiation - improved business attitude

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The workshop emphasized natural mats for the higher-end market in Phnom Penh which requires very neat work. At the end of each session assignments were given for the participants to complete before the next session.

By the end of this training, the key persons were better prepared to be trainers and group leaders for their producer group members in terms of both technical skills and working together. They improved their technical skills and were able to produce higher quality sedge mats. They also demonstrated a better understanding of the concept of working together, management, marketing, costing, and establishing an identity for their products. They agreed to market their products under a common brand name, Kang Rey Sedge Mats.

Follow-up training on sedge dyeing and design for master producers

After evaluation of the training on 'Developing Sedge Mat Products', the 14 key persons at Trangnel commune requested further training on color design. A 3-day session was provided by WDC staff with guidance from the WDC Advisor. This training was directed at improving color design and equip them with stronger dyeing skill so they could better train other producer group members.

The objective of the training: � To upgrade skills in dyeing and color design to meet market demands

� To be facilitator in conducting training on dyeing to producer group members

� To increase the production chain and strengthen the producer group members stronger

Table 35. Schedule of Training on Color Design at Trangnel commune

Date Village Participants Facilitator

1. Kleng Por 8

2. Andoung Ronuk 2

24-26 May 2009

3. Tragnel 4

- 1 WDC staff - 1 WDC Advisor - 1 District women

Total: 3 days 3 villages 14 3

The key persons strengthened their skills in use of color is sedge mat design and were better able to train other producer group members. The training helped them become facilitators for their communities. They demonstrated greater creativity in formulating dyes and learned how to better work together in planning, organizing, monitoring and evaluating their activities.

Ms Sompen explaining basic business principles

Extension sedge mat (1.8 * 2.0 m) with samples of new designs introduced in the training

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Sedge mat dyeing training in Trangnel Commune

The 14 master producers then facilitated 12 workshops on sedge dyeing with a total of 180 producer group members in the five villages with guidance and support from WDC staff. The project provided the dye and equipment and the participants brought their own sedge to be dyed.

The objectives of the training were to:

� Improve sedge dye techniques to meet the demands of market

� Build up ideas in color design

� Strengthen the production chain and group work

Criteria for participants:

� Producer group member

� Want to learn and improve sedge mats

� Willing to share what they learn and spread to others in the community

The 14 master producers (all women) were divided into three groups of trainers:

Table 36: Division of Master Producers

Group 1

Name-Village

Group 2

Name-Village

Group 3

Name-Village

1. Nhem Keth- Klaeng Por 1. El Voeun- Klaeng Por 1. Un Kean- Klaeng Por

2. Yoth Srey Mom- Klaeng Por 2. Phan Saram- Klaeng Por 2. Phan Saren- Klaeng Por

3. San Sopheap- Andoung Ronuk 3. Luk Sarom- Andoung Ronuk 3. Srey Nak- Klaeng Por

4. Tab Srey Mao- Trangel 4. Bit Kon- Trangel 4. El Sreng- Klaeng Por

5. Dith Noeun- Trangel 5. Huy Sok Heang - Trangel

Table 37: Sedge Dyeing in Trangnel Commune

Participants Dates Village

Female Male Content Trainers Organizers

Trangnel 15 - 23 colors (111 kg of sedge )

Group 1 01-2 July

Trangnel 15 - 25 colors (175 kg of sedge)

Group 2

Trabaek 15 - 13 colors (95 kg of sedge)

Group 3 3-4 July

Chres 15 - 20 colors (102 kg of sedge)

Group 1

Trangnel 15 - 23 color (106 kg of sedge)

Group 1 5-6 July

Trangnel 15 - 11 colors (60 kg of sedge)

Group 3

WDC: Meas Sothy DoWA: Ros Lan 1 MoWA staff 1 WDC Advisor

14 key producers in Trangnel Commune

New color design by key producers

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Klaeng Por 15 - 12 colors (108 kg of sedge)

Group 3 7-8 July

Klaeng Por 15 - 16 colors (145 kg of sedge)

Group 2

Andoung Ronuk

15 - 12 colors (90 kg of sedge)

Group 1 9-10 July

Andoung Ronuk

15 - 13 colors (90 kg of sedge)

Group 3

11-12 July Andoung Ronuk

15 - 12 colors (95 kg of sedge)

Group 2

Total 5 villages 180 -

The participants were satisfied with the training provided. Before the training they used only three or four colors. After the training, they were able to produce many different colors to order. They were happy to attend this training because it enabled them to improve their sedge mat products by adding color and weaving new designs. They expected that their sedge mats would command a higher price as they could make them more attractive through dyeing and new weaving techniques. They were committed to sharing their experience and knowledge to others.

The master trainers (producer group leaders) also acquired more experience in sedge dyeing, and coordinating and managing the producer group members in their villages. They were also able to get to know each other better and developed a close working relationship. This strengthened the producer groups and the production chain.

Sedge mat design training for Tuek Hout Commune

A 10-day workshop on 'Improving the Quality of Sedge Mat Weaving by Kome Design and Extension' was conducted at the WDC with 15 master producers from Tuek Hout Commune (3 women per village) in September 2009. Two trainers in kome design were hired from Prek Tamak Commune, Kandal Province and two trainers on mat extension were hired from Kampong Tralach District, Kompong Chhnang Province.

The trainers were expected to: � Improve skills in weaving kome and wide mats (mat extension) with high quality

� Coach master producers to become trainers for their producer group members

� Strengthen producer groups and the production chain within their villages

New color combination and design Master sedge mat producers/trainers in Trangnel Commune

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Table 38: Schedule of the training on kome weaving and mat extension in Tuek Hout Commune

Dates Topic Participants Trainers Co-facilitator

21-25 Sept Kome Weaving

(6 komes)

2 trainers from Prek Tamak Commune, Ksach Kandal District, Kandal Province

26-30 Sept Mat Extension Weaving

(6 extension mat designs)

15 (all women)

- Kouk Sdao: 3

- Tuek Hout : 3

- Trapeang Krapeu: 3

- Preak Sala: 3

- Prek Reang: 3

2 trainers from Samrith Chey, Kompong Tralach Commune/ District, Kg Chhnang Province

- 1 WDC staff

- 1MoWA staff

- 1 WDC Advisor

During the training, six kome mat designs and six extension mats designs were produced on four looms (two kome looms and two extra wide looms). The participants were able to practice and produce mats to respond to orders and the market.

Designs produced during the 10-day workshop:

Phnom (mountain) Kome

Kun (multiple) Kome

Pkay (asterisk ) Kome

Hol Kome

Kvaeng (cross) Kome Tuek Rolouk (wave) Kome

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The training was successfully implemented and all the participants were very interesting in learning kome weaving and mat extension. They said that they would share what they had learned with their producer groups and communities to improve the quality of sedge mat products in their villages. As the project was not able to provide looms and weaving brushes for each participant, the participants borrowed the equipment to share with their community while they looked for a carpenter to make equipment for them. The WDC ordered kome and extension mats from the 15 participants and they felt happy to attend the workshop and satisfied with the order.

Sedge mat weaving training for master producers in Trangnel Commune

A similar workshop focused on Improving the Quality of Sedge Mat Weaving with Kome Design was conducted in Trangnel Commune with 14 master producers (all women). Two trainers were hired from Kompong Tralach District, Kompong Chhnang Province to provide the training. The training was conducted at the house of a producer group member who had adequate space for the larger looms used during the training.

Case Study: Kome and Mat Extension Training Participant

Mrs. Sim Pov from Prek Sala Village is one of 15 producer group leaders in Tuek Hout Commune. She is 39 years old and has two children (one boy and one girl). Her husband is a farmer. Her primary occupation is farming with triangle and sedge mat weaving as secondary sources of income. She has been weaving mats for over 10 years.

Mrs Sim Pov was selected by her producer group as group leader when the WDC Project started working in her village. She is an active woman who always helps her group members. She has attended a number of different workshops organized by the project and recently attended workshops on dyeing sedge, and kome weaving and mat extension at the WDC.

As she is an outstanding leader, the WDC staff informally interviewed her about her feelings and interest in attending project-sponsored workshops thus far and she said, “I was lucky to be a group leader in my village and thank my group members very much for voting for me. I will try my best for them and my village.”

Related to promoting sedge mat handicrafts, she said that she totally supported and agreed with the training provided such as sedge dyeing: “This gave me an opportunity to learn about dyeing techniques and now my group and I have a very good understanding of how to formulate dyes and use color in designs which helps us to improve the quality of our mats to meet the demands of the market and receive a high price; before we knew only a few colors. Also, I recently attended the training on sedge mat weaving (kome) and extension and it was very useful for me to improve my view of sedge handicrafts and I am presently able to practice and produce kome mats and mat extension. Hopefully, what I have learned from these workshops will contribute to my family’s income and my community.

“I will share my experience and knowledge with my producer group and community so that they also understand the market potential and will build up my group members to increase the production of sedge mats. On behalf of my group, I would sincerely like to thank very much the WDC and the project as well the donor who supported this training and is working in our village to help the poor.”

Extension mat (1.8*2.00m) Participants with kome and extension mats

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Table 39: Kome Weaving Training (4 komes)

Dates Village No. of Participants Trainers Co-facilitators

Andoung Ronuk 2

Kleng Por 8

Trangnel 4

2-6 Oct

Total 14

2 trainers from Kla Kraheom village, Kg Tralach Commune/ District, Kg Chhnang Province

- 1 WDC staff

- 1 MoWA staff

- 1 DoWA staff

- 1 WDC Advisor

During the training, four kome mat design were produced on four looms to complete all of the kome designs introduced during the course. The participants were able to practice and produce mats to respond to orders and the market.

The training was successfully implemented and all the participants were very interesting in learning kome weaving. They said that they would share what they had learned with their producer groups and communities to improve the quality of sedge mat products in their villages. The WDC ordered kome and extension mats from the 14 participants and they felt happy to attend the workshop and satisfied with the order.

End of project situation

Sedge mat producers in Trangnel and Teuk Hout Communes were by far the largest group of beneficiaries with the 48 producer groups in these communes comprising 63 percent of producer groups assisted by the project, and 483 members comprising 55 percent of all producer group members. As described above, extensive inputs were provided to up-grade the quality of the mats through the introduction of better dyes, new colors, new designs and new sizes; improved team work; and, sharing of learning with others.

By the end of the project the sedge mat producers reported:

� Increased production of sedge

� Increased mat production

� Increased income from sedge mats

� Broader range of mats (colors, designs, sizes)

� Higher quality products

� Strong interest in new, higher-value products

� Increased demand/linkages to markets

� Increased bargaining power with traders

� Interest from other provinces in sourcing raw sedge

� Better team work

� Common brand for marketing mats produced in Trangnel Commune

Practicing kome weaving during the training

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Traditional Products

New colors and designs

The Poverty and Social Impact Assessment (PSIA) conducted at the end of the project found that 68 percent of the sedge mat producers surveyed reported increased income from their sedge mat

Case Study: Work Together is Important

When the Women’s Development Centers Project first started in 2006, the MoWA Economic Development Department staff conducted an assessment of development activities in the target areas. They found that most farmers and handicraft producers were busy with their own businesses and didn’t have time to participant in other activities. When the MoWA staff tried to find out why they didn’t have time to participant in development activities the villagers a said they were busy with their own activities.

The MoWA and the WDC staff started to organize business association workshops and there were many participants in these workshops. During the workshops in Trangnel Commune, most of the producers asked for training on sedge mat design, quality and marketing but said they didn’t want to work together in groups or associations. They said working individually is very good.

The WDC project team said that they couldn’t provide training to just one or two people. “If you form a group, then we would be able to provide training to your group.” Two weeks later the commune council sent a list of people who wanted to form groups and asked the project to provide training to them as soon as possible. The WDC project was calling these groups ‘business associations’. The producers didn’t like that name and asked that they be called producer groups. They formed their groups by themselves with 10-15 people in each group. The project then conducted a training need assessment with the producer groups and began providing training to meet the needs of both their income generating activities (e.g., dyeing, design, business management) as well as life skills (e.g., home safety, food processing). They are now happy to work together because they learn skills from each other and are also able to exchange experience with each other.

In July 2009, the project’s Management and Training Consultant met with producer groups in Trangnel Commune. Mrs. Sarom asked the master producers “What is the difference between working together and individually?” Master producer Mrs. El Voeun said, “Before the WDC project started we all worked individually, never sharing market information or exchanging experience. Our sedge mats and other products were sold to middleman without any discussion with other producers. We didn’t learn any new designs from outside or from other producers in the village – no one wanted to share skills, experience or knowledge with other producers; they just wanted to keep their skills to themselves. The WDC project helped us to form groups and working together is very good because we share market information with each other and we can sell our products to middleman at the same price (before the middlemen offered different prices to different producers). We’ve changed a lot from the training from the WDC project. We learned how to collect market information and how to design mats to respond to market needs. We know how important it is to work together – we can learn from each other, share experience, help each other, and sell at the same price. Before I produced 30 to 40 sedge mats a year. Now I produce 80 to 100 a year. On behalf of my producer group, I would like to say thank you so much to the WDC project implemented by MoWA that has helped my people to work together and improve the quality and quantity of mats so we are able to earn more income. We will teach our children to produce very good quality sedge mats.”

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production, 94 percent of those who received training felt the training was useful and 80 percent had shared what they had learned with others. The 2009 net earnings of sedge mat producers surveyed ranged from US$ 12 to 293 with an average income of US$ 92 and median income of US$ 73.

The vast majority of producers reported sell their products through traders, mostly individuals based in the community. The WDC plays a very small role in marketing the mats.

Follow-up needed

� Responding to demand from buyers

-Scaling-up production capacity: raw sedge, number of producers, amount of time available, efficiency of production, expanding to other groups/ villages -Maintaining quality standards -Organizing management of large orders -Ensuring year-round availability of products -Wholesaling raw sedge vs. increasing mat production � Follow-up support on formalizing mechanisms for working together

� Follow-up support on design and production of products made from mats (e.g., baskets, placemats, bags, etc.)

� Clarifying and strengthening role of WDC in promoting sedge mats and facilitating access to markets

PSIA Case Study 1: Woman Direct Beneficiary from Sedge Mat Weaving

Mrs. Un Khean is 55 years old, a widow with two children and is one of the beneficiaries of the WDC Project. She is currently residing in Klaeng Por Village, Trangnel Commune, Kompong Leaeng District, Kompong Chhnang Province. She is a member of sedge mat producer group in her village.

The main income of her family has been the cultivation of rice on 1.2 hectares of land that she owns. Other income comes from the cultivation of their upland farm or chamkar, from her vegetable garden, cattle raising and income from sedge mats products. She said that before the project her income was just enough to support a whole family. During that time, her living standard was beset with difficulties. The primary use of income was medical treatment. In addition, the rice yield was low – only 1.5 tons per hectare. This was not enough to support the four members in the family. Her crop also suffered from insect infestation, which destroyed her crops and some of her cattle became sick. There was little income from her production of sedge mats and with the daily expenses she was not able to save money.

By becoming a member of the sedge mats producer group, which was supported by the WDC Project, she learned a lot, including technical skills, the use of many colors and ornate kome design which improved her weaving skills and improved the quality of her mats. She produced six or seven mats per year that were sold to DoWA and the WDC, with one mat having a price of 40,000 Riel. At the same time, she produced traditional sedge mats as usual, a total of 30 to 40 mats per year at prices that varied according to size - one mat generally selling for 25,000 Riel. The number of sedge mats produced depends on the availability of sedge resources.

She likes this new method because it allows the joining of short sedges which before she would throw away. Therefore, the new designs are more economical. She seemed happy with her work, as it can command higher prices, uses less material, increases the number of products and produces items of good quality. Moreover, she has introduced this new method to other members in her group and her relatives. All the products she was able to produce were bought by DoWA and the WDC.

The project also offered her many other livelihood options. She learned about producing jam made from tamarind and making deserts for sale using sour fruit cooked in sugar. She has focused on sedge mats weaving and her children have also gotten involved in these other income-earning activities which added to the family’s income. She estimated that she can make around 100,000 Riel or US$24 per month.

Un Khean has high hopes that her life will improve further because she had been diligent in pursuing livelihood and income-earning activities. Her personal view is that the WDC Project implementation was satisfactory and that it enabled many people like her to participate, learn things and apply them to earn income. The training provided by the project was relevant as it improved the sedge mat products and is linked to what the market demands. She felt confident that she can increase the volume of mats if there is a strong demand for them. She suggested that the WDC Project should continue to support her village and should conduct other training workshops which are useful for increasing villager income.

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4.5.4.2 Triangle sedge mats and bags, Toek Hout Commune

Context

In addition to mats made from round sedge, traditionally villagers in Toek Hout Commune, Rolea B'ier District also produce mats made from 'triangle sedge', a type of grass with a triangular stem which grows near a small lake in the commune. No dye was used and the mats were only produced for home use and local sales. Given the soft quality of the woven mats, it was believed that the mats could be transformed to make higher value products as had been seen in Thailand.

Overview of project interventions The project worked with the producer groups formed in each of the five villages selected in Toek Hout with a total of 50 members. Most of the members of these groups were engaged in both round and triangle sedge mat production and several of the group members had received training in dyeing round sedge which could be readily used with triangle sedge.

Development of new products started with studying the triangle sedge production process and identifying requirements for producing good quality mats. The master producers from this commune then provided dyeing training to the other members of their groups. The mats produced during the training were then transformed into handbags and other products by a Phnom Penh-based entrepreneur with expertise in designing and sewing handbags. This expert then provided handbag sewing training at the WDC.

PSIA Case Study 2: Woman Direct Beneficiary of Sedge Mat Weaving

Mrs. Meas Sarum is 52 years old and married with four children. She lives in Trangnel Village, Trangnel Commune, Kompong Leaeng District, Kompong Chhnang Province. A member of a sedge mats producer group, she one of the beneficiaries of the WDC Project,

Her main income has been dependent on rice cultivation. She is also engaged in animal raising, sedge mats weaving and cotton weaving. She continues with these activities upon which her earning a living depends. She spoke about the difficulties in her socio-economic situation. She has only a small parcel of land (0.8 hectare) for planting rice and the total of her rice production was around 1,400 kg of rice per year. There has been a chronic low production of paddy rice, and there has never been enough for her family to eat. There is also the constant worry about money whenever someone in the family gets sick, and there is the high cost of supporting her children’s education. She said she copes with the lack of money by borrowing from her neighbor.

When asked about what benefit she got from the WDC Project, she said that the most significant aspect was the training. She undertook training on Home and Work Safety, Food Processing, Post-harvest Processing, Gender and Entrepreneurship Development, Women Worker Rights and training on improving the quality of products. She said she has applied what she had learned from all these trainings; especially on sedge mats production and food processing.

She has changed the style of her sedge mats products from traditional motifs to new sedge mats designs, because the latter command good prices in the market. She also shifted from individual production to working with her group. She said that working as group makes production go faster; they can evaluate the quality of their products, share knowledge, discuss market conditions and share common interests.

With the WDC Project she produced a greater number of sedge mats for sale - about 12 mats of the new design, which she sold to DoWA and the WDC center. One sedge mat sold for 40,000 Riel. She was able to increase her livelihood activities and income throughout the project period. Even though she could not save as much money from this weaving, her income from this work can support some of her daily expenses. She likes sedge mat weaving because she can stay at home, look after children, cook and can earn some money.

She hopes that her standard of living will improve faster through activities, which were supported by the project. Mrs. Sarum suggested that the project should continue to support the women in her community and thus enable them to sustain their livelihood activities and to improve their standard of living. The existing producer groups in each village is a resource that should continue to be used she says, as they have skills, experiences and a network already in place.

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Activities to support the development of new products from triangle sedge are summarized in Table 40 below:

Table 40. Triangle sedge product development interventions

Intervention

No. of participants

Facilitators

on-going

Group strengthening � Meetings on introducing new products, business management and team

work

various

PCU + WDC

09Q2

Product development � Study of the triangle sedge production process

--

MTC + WDC + EDD

09Q2 � Dyeing training 48 Master producers

09Q2+3 � Product development -- P Penh-based entrepreneur + MTC

09Q3+4 � Handbag sewing training 11 P Penh-based entrepreneur

Study of the triangle sedge production process

The Management and Training Consultant worked together with staff from the WDC and Economic Development Department to study the process for producing products made triangle sedge. One of the challenges identified was that the sedge needed to be harvested and woven in the morning or the evening when the sedge is softest in order to produce good quality products.

In the process shown in the box on the next page the traditional production process included steps one, two and four. The project proposed adding steps three (dyeing) and five (making handbags and other products from the mats). The producer groups provided 300 kgs (dry weight) of triangle sedge for making new designs and samples of bags and other products. A Phnom Penh-based woman was contracted to produce sample products. The producer groups were very happy to see the results.

From this. . .

. . . to this

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Expanding the production process for Triangle Sedge in Toek Hout Commune, Kompong Chhnang Step One: Harvest the triangle sedge

Step Two: Cut into small strips

Step Three: Dye (traditional and chemical) The dyeing processing starts with selecting dry sedge of a uniform size. The sedge is then washed, dyed and then dried.

Step Four: Weave basic mat pieces

Step Five: Use mats to make handbags and other products

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Triangle sedge dyeing training

Three workshops on triangle sedge dyeing were held at the Kompong Chhnang WDC for the Toek Hout Commune producer groups. 47 producer group members attended this training facilitated by key persons from this commune who had previously received training in dying round sedge with guidance and support from WDC staff. The project provided the dye and equipment, and the participants brought their own sedge to be dyed.

The objectives of the training were:

- Improve sedge dye techniques to meet demands of market

- Build up ideas in color design

- Strengthen production chain and working as a group

Criteria for participants: - Producer group member - Want to learn and improve sedge mats - Willing to share what they learn and spread to the community

Table 41. Basic information on triangle sedge dyeing training

Participants Date Village

Female Male Content Facilitators

Kouk Sdau 8 -- 8-9 May 2009

Preak Reang 8 --

12 colors (185 kg of sedge )

Preak Sala 12 -- 15-16 May

Toek Hout 4 --

9 colors (175 kg of sedge)

Trapeang Krapeu 10 -- 22-23 May

Toek Hout 6 --

21 color (177 kg of sedge)

Total 5 villages 48 --

Trainers: Master producers (6) Organizers: WDC staff: Meas Sothy, Ke Sopheary, Chhim Moeun - 1 MoWA staff - 1 WDC Advisor

The participants were satisfied with the training provided. Before they knew only three or four colors but after the training, they were able to dye many different colors to order. They were happy to attend this training course which allowed them to improve their sedge mat products by adding color and weaving new designs. They expect that their sedge mats will command a higher price as they can make them more attractively through dyeing and weaving. They are committed to sharing their experience and knowledge to other communities.

Product development

The Management and Training Consultant took an active lead in developing new products and working with the producer groups to assess the interest in and feasibility of producing new products. She first tried to develop triangle sedge products in a process similar to that introduced with romchek in Siem Reap however the producer groups in Toek Hout didn’t like the new designs as they found these difficult to weave and the income was low. They wanted to produce traditional designs.

Triangle sedge dyeing training participants Dyeing triangle sedge

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The project contracted with a Phnom Penh-based expert (Mrs. Sem Sothy) in sewing handbags and other products to prepare proto-types and provide training to producers in both Siem Reap (romchek) and Kompong Chhnang (triangle sedge). Mrs. Sothy made a number of proto-types using triangle sedge dyed and woven by the producer groups. Samples are shown in the box on page 77. In September 2009 the Management and Training Consultant introduced a new design combining triangle sedge with cotton (see photo at right). The results were beautiful and can be used to make many different types of women’s handbags.

Handbag sewing training

Sarom worked with Mrs. Sothy to develop the training program and provided guidance on reporting on training activities. The outline of the training is shown in the box on the next page. Mrs. Sothy provided training to eleven trainees (10 women), primarily WDC contract staff and two producer group members. Only four of the trainees had had any previous experience with sewing and only one had experience with sewing women’s handbags. During the training the participants produced 51 bags with varying degrees of quality as shown in the table below:

Table 42: Handbag training, Kompong Chhnang

No Name Number products Percent good

quality products Prior sewing experience

Prior handbag sewing

experience

1 Rith Chantha 9 75 % x

2 Neang Chanly 5 55 %

3 Pin Botha 3 - 40 %

4 Pin Crey Mom 3 - 50 %

5 Sim Crey 6 - 50 %

6 Sim Im 5 - 70 % x

7 Bi Chomneat 3 - 45 %

8 Chim Rasy 6 - 50 % x

9 Eoun Srey La 6 - 50 %

10 Loy Lock 3 50 %

11 Poav Sopeak (M) 1 75 % x x

51 50 % 4 1

Although most of the participants at the Kompong Chhnang WDC had no prior sewing skills they worked very hard to learn how to make women’s hand bag. The training evaluation showed that half of the participants learn how to make handbags and 50 percent of the production was of good quality. They still needed to improve skills in design and ensuring good quality.

End of project situation

As the producers making triangle sedge mats were for the most part also engaged in producing round sedge mats it is difficult to assess the impact of interventions related to triangle sedge separately. The PSIA combined the two types of products in its survey and analysis. It is interesting to note the diversity of livelihood strategies used by the producers as reflected in the case studies on the next two pages and the overall PSIA findings.

Additional observations can be made related to the handbag sewing training and weaving of cotton/triangle sedge mats: As the majority of the trainees were WDC staff they should be able to train producer group members. In practice, the trained staff have been engaged in production themselves using the WDC facilities and equipment. Village producers would need access to sewing machines and looms to take advantage of such training. The dyed and woven mats are sourced from the producer groups however much of the value added in producing handbags would accrue to the WDC and its staff.

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This situation highlights one of the tensions facing the WDCs: using the facilities for training vs. serving as a common production center which producers from the community can use for the own production vs. using the facilities to support the financial viability of the centers themselves. Use of the centers as a production facility either by producer group members or center staff is constrained by the number of sewing machines and looms available. This leads to risks of abuse in the use of facilities. Community-based production allows for a broader group to benefit – and is also preferred by the producers.

Follow-up needed

In addition to the measures recommended for sedge mats in general in the previous section, specific measures should be taken to broaden the benefits from the introduction of higher value products. This would include:

� Exploring options for expanding training on cotton/triangle sedge and handbags:

-Training for interested producer group members -Open access courses at the center

� Exploring options for facilitating access to sewing machines and looms

-Facilitating access to credit from MFIs

-Establishing revolving funds for sewing machines and looms

Handicraft Sewing Training How to make women handbags and other products

Step 1: Look at the design and measure the size

Step 2: Make sample with paper

Step 3: Drawing (follow sample)

Step 4: Sewing follow the drawing

Step 5: Cutting follow the sewing

Step 6: Sewing inside part (put zipper and pocket)

Step 7: Sewing inside part with plastic

Step 8: Sewing handbags

Step 9: Sewing all together

Step 10: Frame around bags Initial training

Day 1 - Prepare and organize sewing machines and other materials needed for sewing women’s handbags. - Meeting with all trainees and introductions - Introduce training objective and program - Pre-tested the capacity, skills and experience of trainees (how much do they know about how to sew) - Introduce the new heavy-duty sewing machine

Day 2 - Introduce all equipment and materials used for sewing women’s handbags and other product and places to buy these

materials - Ask the participants to practice how to use material and what to use for what - Introduce the theory of making women’s handbag and other products - Ask the participants to practice sewing a straight line

Day 3 - Participants to practice sewing the frames for placemats and other products - Introduce the methods of measuring handbags and other product - Ask the participants to practice

Day 4 - Participants continued to practice measuring handbags and sewing frames for placemats and other products - Introduce how to select women’s handbag design. Introduce how to measuring the material to produce the selected

design - Ask the participants to practice measuring material for handbags.

Day 5 - Review of all training topics and evaluation of workshop

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PSIA Case Study 3: Woman Direct Beneficiary of Sedge Mat Weaving

Mrs. Sim Sok, a beneficiary of the WDC Project, is 56 years old, married with eight children and lives in Trapeang Krapeu Village, Toek Hout Commune, Rolea B’ier District, Kompong Chhnang Province. She is now a member of a producer group in her village. She produces sedge mats and triangle sedge mats. Her livelihood depends on rice cultivation on her two hectares of land, producing sedge mats for sale and planting vegetables.

Before the WDC Project started, she said her income was not good because her rice production was low yielding with 1.5 tons per hectare. This is not adequate for a 10-member household. Her family has (expensive) health problems, there are too many children to support and she is in debt. She didn’t save any money during that time and there was not enough money for the inputs needed by her paddy field, such as fertilizer, diesel to pump water into rice field or plow rental services.

The WDC Project supported her in producing sedge mats. She attended the skills training provided by the WDC Project. She is happy to have new technical skills in producing sedge mats of good quality, with good colors and knowing the way of designing kome which she can sell at a good price. Her income has risen to around 1,000,000 Riel, or US$256, per year.

She has produced a new type of sedge mat with some five to six mats produced per year, with one mat selling for 40,000 Riel. At the same time, she also produced 100 traditional round sedge mats with each mat selling for 16,000 Riel to 25,000 Riel depending on its size. The income from selling woven products along with her main income from rice production has allowed her to send her children to school, pay off her debts, buy bicycles for her children to go to school, buy agricultural materials and purchase some household assets.

In addition, she has tried to save some money from selling her sedge mats and used the money to raise livestock such as chicken, ducks, pigs and now five cows. She hopes that in the years to come her standard of living will continue to improve, since she has been able to diversify into several livelihood activities. Currently, she can send her children for higher education in Phnom Penh. These improvements and new possibilities can be attributed to the training activities conducted by the WDC Project.

Aside from the training in skills that have improved the quality of her products, Mrs. Sim Sok also received training in Home and Work Safety, Gender and Entrepreneurship Development, Food Processing, Post-harvest Processing and Women Workers Rights. She is happy with the training and has shared her knowledge with other members in the group. She also applied the knowledge gained in food processing.

She is working with a group on sedge mats weaving. She said the benefit of working as a group is that it is possible for members to share knowledge together, discuss matters concerning pricing and work more efficiently. Even though the WDC Project has finished she will continue to strengthen her group and continue her weaving.

PSIA Case Study 4: Woman Direct Beneficiary of Sedge Mat Weaving

Mrs. Ben Orn is 50 years old, a widow with two children and lives in Kouk Sdau Village, Toek Hout Commune, Rolea B’ier District, Kompong Chhnang Province. She is now a member of sedge mats producer group which was supported by the WDC Project.

Her main income is from rice cultivation on 1.5 hectares of land that she owns. Other income comes from the weaving of sedge mats. Before the WDC Project started she produced normal sedge mats and triangle sedge mats with traditional designs. She estimated that she produces around 130 to 150 mats (both types of sedge mats) per year. The number of products varies according to the volume of sedge resources available each year. The price of sedge mats also varies according to its size. One triangle sedge mat will sell for 5,000Riel and 25,000Riel for one round sedge mat. Materials come from the sedge plants she has transplanted although during this past year her plants were destroyed by floods. Because she is a widow and has a low income from rice cultivation her life was fraught with difficulties. She sometimes had no money when she was ill and as a result went deeper into debt.

When the project started, she was asked to join as a member of the producer group in her village because she already had weaving skills. During that time, the project provided new technical skills of producing sedge mats, improving the quality of products with varied colors and by using an intricate kome design which allows mats to be sold at a good price (1 mat = 35,000 Riel). She can produce some 10 mats in a year. With the knowledge and skills gained, she has been able to change and diversify her product portfolio. All products she produced were sold to the WDC and to other middlemen.

In her family there are two other members who help produce sedge mats. They work on this every day. She said she likes weaving because she can stay at home, look after her grandchildren and produce mats in her free time. She appreciates not just the knowledge gained from the project but also the added income from selling mats. Although her income is not high, she is able at least to afford food and some daily expenses. She is now trying to increase the number of mats she can produce and sell so that she can save some money. She estimated that her income was around 900,000 Riel or US$220 per year. She was able to pay off her debts and earn enough money to cultivate a dry rice crop. Even with all these activities, she still has free time at home and ventured into commercial food processing, utilizing skills and knowledge gained from the project.

Since the project, her family members were able to engage in more livelihood activities than before. She hopes that through these activities her standard of living will improve in the future. She suggested that the project should continue supporting her producer group in order to strengthen them so that they can become independent entrepreneurs. She especially appreciated that the project has supported livelihood activities for widows and female-headed households as this demographic’s economic situation is poor and has no other income except rice cultivation.

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4.5.4.3 Bamboo products, Chheung Krio Commune

Context

The villagers in Chheung Krio Commune, Rolea B'ier District, Kompong Chhnang Province have been engaged in producing bamboo baskets for generations. Nearly all of the households in the commune produce bamboo products with each village tending to specialize in a particular type of traditional basket. In recent years much of the production in many of the villages was low quality, low value baskets exported to Thailand through Poipet. Higher quality products were sold in local markets. Unlike sedge, most of the raw material is bought, mostly from outside other provinces. Capital is therefore needed to buy the bamboo. Typically the producers receive advances from market intermediaries and agree to sell their finished products to the intermediaries at a lower than market value price. When advances are received the net income of the bamboo handicraft producers is very low.

Assistance with improving and marketing bamboo baskets was identified as a high priority in site selection discussions and the community resource assessments in Chheung Krio. Although there are NGOs working in this commune, no assistance had been provided on bamboo handicrafts. Local government officials were highly supportive of such assistance.

Overview of product interventions

The project team first investigated the market for bamboo handicrafts in Thailand and Phnom Penh to gain a better understanding of market opportunities. The project team and Kompong Chhnang staff then facilitated the formation of 8 producer groups with a total of 101 members in five villages in Chheung Krio Commune. Technical assistance was contracted with Lotus Pond on upgrading the quality of existing products and developing new designs. A series of meetings and workshops were held to introduce new products, new designs, use of color, increasing production capacity, and quality standards.

Activities to support the development of bamboo handicrafts are summarized in Table 43 below:

Table 43. Bamboo product development interventions

Intervention

No. of participants

Facilitators

08Q1

Group formation and strengthening � Meetings on formation of producer groups

279

PCU, WDC and PDWA

09Q4 � Study tour 15 PCU

on-going � Meetings on introducing new products, business management and team work various Lotus Pond and PCU

07Q4

Product development � Investigated of markets in Thailand and Phnom Penh

4

Lotus Pond

08Q1 � Developed new products and tested at Phnom Penh Night Bazaar n/a PCU

08Q1-3 � Developed recommendations for upgrading products n/a Lotus Pond + WDC + producer groups

08Q4 � Investigated handicraft production in Kampot 3 PCU

09Q2 � 3 10-day workshops on bamboo product development 45 master producers + WDC

09Q4 � 5 2-day workshops on dyeing bamboo 75 master producers

Investigation of markets in Thailand

Concerns about the extremely low profitability of bamboo baskets produced in Rolea B’ier Commune for export to Thailand stimulated interest in learning more about this market. As the JFPR Project was not able to fund international travel, other resources were found to cover travel expenses for an investigative visit to Thailand.

The objectives of the trip were:

� Increased understanding of the market for Cambodian bamboo and rattan baskets in Thailand.

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� Increased understanding of bamboo and rattan handicraft production in Thailand at the village level, products, markets and marketing channels.

� Identification of potential sources of equipment for food processing and handicraft production.

� Increased understanding of the Thai/international export market including designs, finishing, quality standards and pricing.

The Technical Coordinator (Veasna), Management and Training Consultant (Sarom), Project Management Consultant (Cheryl) and the owner of the Phnom Penh boutique Lotus Pond (Sompen, who organized the visit) traveled by road from Phnom Penh to the border crossing at Poipet in Banteay Meanchey Province, the reported destination of bamboo baskets from Rolea B’ier. Directly across the border is the Rong Kluear Market which serves as a distribution point for baskets in Thailand, not only from Cambodia but also from a number of Thai provinces and other countries.

The majority of shop vendors in the Rong Kluear Market are Cambodians who live in Poipet and cross the border daily. They reported that Cambodian products are of very low quality and difficult to sell and that the market for Cambodian low-quality, low-priced products had declined in Thailand. This was later confirmed by wholesalers and retailers visited in other places visited. The low-quality Cambodian baskets are reportedly bought by intermediaries selling directly to communities in Thailand’s poorer areas.

The One Tambon-One Product (OTOP) program introduced under the former Thai Government appeared to have had stimulated an upgrading of products and expansion of markets. The increased availability of higher quality Thai-made products may have been contributing to the reported decline in demand for baskets from Cambodia. Never-the-less, access to large scale export markets even for OTOP-supported producers and intermediaries was reported to have become more difficult in recent years. The study team purchased a sample of products to show to village-based producers in project areas to introduce new ideas about quality and design.

An additional finding from visits to enterprises and intermediaries in various locations visited is that the Thai bamboo and rattan products industry appears to be nearly completely reliant on raw materials from other countries, particularly Cambodia, Burma and Laos but also from Indonesia. This clearly suggested that Cambodia is not making the best use of its own natural resources and that there should be opportunities for increasing the value-added of products produced from locally available materials.

The Management and Training Consultant also visited three markets in Phnom Penh selling bamboo handicrafts. The vendors reported that good quality products are easier to sell and received better prices in the local market. For the tourist market, small items such as miniature fishing equipment made from bamboo are easy to sell.

Survey of Phnom Penh Market

Conducted assessment of the local market for bamboo and rattan products directed at identifying marketable designs which could be introduced to producers in project areas. Based on observation and discussions with handicraft vendors, products which are in demand were identified as shown in the photos below:

Central Market

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Tuol Tom Pong Market

Many of these products are imported from neighboring countries.

Handicraft development consultancy

A handicraft development consultant (Sompen Kutranon, Lotus Pond) was contracted to assist the PCU with recommendations on upgrading products, increasing production capacity and improving product quality in the project villages in Kompong Chhnang. For bamboo products she recommended that the bamboo products should be changed from household products to souvenirs for sale in the tourist market.

It was felt that opportunities existed to adapt existing bamboo products for different purposes – moving beyond basic kitchen equipment to higher quality products for sale to hotels and restaurants, producing miniature baskets based on tradition designs as souvenirs or using existing skills to produce other types of products such as place mats, trays, bags, etc. Bamboo could also be combined with clay pottery (for which Kompong Chhnang is also well known) to produce new types of products for decoration or packaging.

Discussions with bamboo product producers revealed a strong desire for better prices for their work however a reluctance to change the way they work (i.e., shift from individual to group production) and lack of interest in engaging more actively in marketing.

The consultant recommended that sample makers be identified to produce proto-type products and train others to produce these new products. Identifying producers willing to make new designs proved to be difficult. The Management and Training Consultant took on this task to a large extent and master producers from other villages were also brought in to assist.

Producer group meetings

The introduction of new designs for bamboo products in Chheung Krio Commune was initially problematic. The Management and Training Consultant met with the WDC staff in January 2008 to discuss the problems and reach agreements on how to move forward. After this meeting, one-day producer group meetings were organized in each of the five villages in Chheung Krio Commune where the project had been working. The objectives of the meetings were:

- To strengthen the producer groups and leadership

- To strengthen understanding of marketing and product improvement

- To increase productivity and the production chain

Basic information of these meetings is shown in Table 44 below:

Table 44. Bamboo producer group meetings, Chheung Krio Commune

Date Village Participants Facilitators

27 Jan Loung 15

28 Jan Pring Kong 10

29 Jan Andoung Chek 25

30 Jan Toek Chenh 30

31 Jan Sophy 18

- 1 WDC staff - 1 WDC advisor - Woman from Commune Council

Total 5 villages 98 (M:0)

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Product development and market testing

The Management and Training Consultant) also developed and introduced new designs to the bamboo producer groups. The designs introduced are shown in the photos below:

These products were introduced to the market through the Phnom Penh Night Bazaar and proved to be marketable however very few producers knew how to make these new designs and were unable to meet the demands of the market. It was felt that the place mats had particularly strong potential to reach a wider market.

Product development workshops

Three 10-day workshops on improving the quality of bamboo products were organized with a total of 45 participants (all women) in Chheung Krio Commune. The workshops built on existing skills to produce new and higher quality products. These workshops were facilitated by four local master producers (all women) who had experience working with NGOs.

The objectives of the training were: - To improve the quality of bamboo products

- To upgrade skills and creative thinking in making bamboo products

- To increase productivity and strengthen the production chain within producer groups

Basic information on these workshops is shown in Table 45 below:

Table 45. Workshops on improving the quality of bamboo products, Cheung Krio Commune

Dates Village Topics Participants Facilitators

26 Mar-3 April Loung + Pring Kong Baskets, tissue boxes

15 - 2 trainers - 1 WDC staff - 1 PDWA staff - 1 DoWA staff

20-30 April Andoung Chek + Toek Chenh Baskets, tissue boxes

15 - 2 trainers - 1 WDC staff - 1 PDWA staff - 1 DoWA staff

4-14 May Sophy Rice baskets 15 - 2 trainers - 1 WDC staff - 1 DoWA staff

Total 5 villages 45 (M:0)

The facilitators began the workshops by introducing the training objectives, expectations and training materials, and provided an overview of methods for making bamboo products. In the second step, the

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facilitators asked the participants to prepare the raw materials (cut and clean the bamboo) and cook dye the bamboo pieces with traditional Khmer or chemical dyes. Next the facilitators introduced new designs and demonstrated how to make these. The participants then practiced making the new designs one by one. The facilitators provided advice to each participant on techniques for producing new designs and ensuring good quality as they worked.

By the end of the workshops the producer groups were able to demonstrate improved quality of existing products and produce new designs. Most of the participants were very happy to have received training in bamboo product development and expressed confidence in their ability to produce good quality products and new designs.

At the end of each workshop the participants were asked to select a product to practice making at home. The results of these assignments are shown in the photos below:

Reflections on the Product Quality and Design Workshop

Ms Ten Sokly is the leader of producer group in Andoung Chek Village in Chheung Krio Commune, Rolea B’ier District, Kompong Chhnang Province. She is 27 years old and married with one son. She has been making bamboo products for 10 years however this was the first time she had received any training on product quality or new products.

She was interested in this training as she learned new product designs and use of color which were completely different from existing products. “All of the products are beautiful and use less raw material which is very important now that bamboo is expensive and more difficult to buy.”

“Luckily, I attend this training where I learned more about bamboo products and how bamboo can be made into different products. Our group can now respond to orders from the market for seven different types of products and we will try to make other types of bamboo products to meet orders from middlemen.” She hopes that she can earn more income from these products however said that it would be quite better if the project can order the products or help contract other people to order this product. “We will make it with high quality.”

She added, “Again, on behalf of my group, I would like to thank you very much for the project that provided this training to our group. We are working together to improve the products with the expected result of having more income and sharing what we have learned with other communities.”

Participants from Loung and Prinkong Villages with products produced during workshop

Different products produced during the three workshops

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Bamboo dyeing training

Five two-day workshops on bamboo dyeing were held with producer group members in the five villages in Chheung Krio Commune. A total of 75 producer group members attended these workshops which were facilitated by key persons from this commune with guidance and support from WDC staff. Six master trainers were divided into two groups each comprised of three trainers supported by a WDC staff member who had supporting sedge dyeing training the Trangnel Commune. The master trainers are producer group leaders in each village who were trained as trainers by WDC staff. The participants brought their own bamboo to be dyed and the project provided the dye and equipment.

The objectives of the training were:

- Improve bamboo dyeing techniques to meet the demands of the market

- Build up ideas in using color in basket designs

- Strengthen production chain and working as a group

Criteria for participants:

- Producer group member

- Want to learn and improve bamboo products

- Willing to share what they learn and spread to the community Table 46: Bamboo dyeing training in Chheung Krio Commune, Kompong Chhnang

Participants Date Village

Female Male Practice Result Facilitators

2-3 Nov Sophy 15 - 7 colors

Loung 15 - 4-5 Nov

Pringkong 15 -

12 colors

Andoung Chek 15 - 6-7 Nov

Toek Chenh 15 -

21 color

Trainers: Master producers (6) Organizers: WDC staff: Leng Soboran, Chhim Moeun Observers: 1 MoWA staff 1 WDC Advisor

Total 5 villages 75 -

The participants were satisfied with the training provided. Before they knew only three or four colors but after the training they can dye many different colors to order. They were happy to attend this training which allowed them to improve their bamboo products by adding color and weaving new designs. They expect that their bamboo products will command a higher price as they can make them more attractive through dyeing and weaving. They are committed to sharing their experience and knowledge with others. Most importantly, the group leaders were able to demonstrate that they can facilitate this type of training and were able to share their knowledge with their group members. They could also organize and lead their groups which further strengthens and unites the groups.

Dyeing bamboo Rinsing the bamboo after dyeing

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Study tour for leaders of bamboo handicrafts groups

A 3-day exposure visit to Takeo and Kandal Provinces and Phnom Penh was organized for 15 leaders of the bamboo producer groups in October 2009. The objectives of exposure visit were to:

- See and understand different bamboo products and their its markets

- Increase initiative in making bamboo products and improving product value chains, quality and management

- Share and disseminate what they learned with their members and use what they have learned in their production

Criteria for participants:

- Group leaders

- Key person who are active in group facilitation

- Willing to learn and improve the bamboo product and its quality

Table 47: Study tour for bamboo handicraft group leaders

Village No. of Participants Facilitators

Sophy 3

Pringkong 3

Andoung Chek 3

Tuek Chenh 3

Loung 3

5 villages 15 (all women)

- 1 MoWA staff - 1 PDWA staff - 1 WDC staff - 1 WDC advisor - Ms Sompen

The participants visited 10 sites: - Takeo Province (2 sites): Khmer Women's Bamboo Handicraft Association and community

bamboo producer group

- Kandal Province (3 sites): private shops along the national road which sell different types of bamboo products

- Phnom Penh (5 sites): Night Market, Toul Tompong Market and 3 private shops

The participants were very happy to see and learn more about different bamboo products in the market. The owners of the shops and the association shared their knowledge, experience and information related to business management, challenges and success. They participants learned a lot from the exposure visit which they could use to share and apply within their community. It was a good experience which built their ideas and understanding of bamboo products and the bamboo handicraft business.

Meeting with Khmer Women's Bamboo Handicraft Association in Takeo Province

Visiting Community Producer Group in Takeo Province

Visiting Night Market in Phnom Penh

Visiting private shop in Phnom Penh

Visiting Tuol Tompong Market Reflection and planning meeting at WDC after visit

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Market linkages

Market intermediaries were very interested in the new and higher quality products produced with the assistance of the project. Given the findings from the initial assessment of the Thai market it was particularly encouraging to hear reports of higher value orders from producers for this market. The need for advances from intermediaries (and subsequent reduced bargaining power of producers) did however remain a concern.

In January 2009 the project's handicraft consultant received an order for 200 ‘chicken’ baskets for export to Australia. After discussions with producer groups in Chheung Krio, a group of producers agreed to and successfully filled this order.

Later that same year the consultant facilitated contact with a buyer seeking baskets for export to Japan. The high quality standards demanded by this market were particularly challenging. Assistance was sought from a master producer from a neighboring community to produce proto-types and train producer group members to meet the specifications. 500 pieces each of three different types of baskets were produced to fill the order.

End of project situation

Bamboo producer groups in Chheung Krio Commune were the second largest group of producers assisted by the JFPR project: 8 groups with a total of 101 members (17 percent of total producer group members). The assistance provided was somewhat more complex than that provided to sedge mat producer groups with a stronger emphasis on new types of products in addition to new designs and use of color.

By the end of the project the bamboo product producers reported: � Increased income from bamboo handicrafts

� Higher quality products

� Greater diversity of products

� Better understanding of markets

The PSIA found that 50 percent of bamboo handicraft producers surveyed reported increased income from their bamboo handicrafts work, 97 percent of those who received training felt the training was useful and 79 percent had shared what they had learned with others. The 2009 net earnings of bamboo handicraft producers surveyed ranged from US$ 7 to 122 with an average income of US$ 53 and median income of US$ 49.

Most producers reported selling their products through traders within their community (50%), from the district (28%), and from other provinces (48%). One-third reported selling their products through the WDC.

Traditional products

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New products

PSIA Case Study 5: Woman Direct Beneficiary from Bamboo Handicrafts

Mrs. Phan Sopha is 53 years old and lives in Luong Village, Cheung Krio Commune, Rolea B’ier District, Kompong Chhnang Province. One of the beneficiaries of the WDC Project, she is now a member of a bamboo handicraft producer group in the village.

Her living had depended on paddy rice cultivation on a 0.7 hectare piece of land whose annual yield is around 1,400 kg per year. She also raises cattle and produces bamboo handicrafts for sale. Her living condition before the WDC Project started was difficult because she had only a small parcel of land with low crop yield and her family experienced rice shortages every year. The bamboo products she sells were selling at the low prices set by middlemen. She says that many of the families in her community are in debt and usually need to borrow money.

The WDC Project supported her in producing bamboo handicrafts. She had attended many training sessions that were provided by the WDC Project. With new techniques and skills she learned she has applied these in her work and improved the quality of her products and also started producing new type of products. She reported that there was slightly more income when compared to the time before the project started. She estimated that her income was around 60,000 Riels or US$14 per month. With this income she can meet her family’s daily expenses and also buy more raw materials.

Besides the training skills, she also learned many things on Home and Work Safety, Gender and Entrepreneurship Development, Food Processing, Post-harvest Processing, and Women Worker Rights. She said she greatly appreciated these trainings and she has shared the knowledge gained with other community members.

She worked with a group producing bamboo handicrafts. She said that group work encourages members to share their knowledge, allows them to talk about their work experiences, discuss pricing, and enables them to complete the work faster. When the WDC Project is finished, she will continue the craft because she likes this work. They will make an effort to strengthen their group and try to find new markets for their products.

As result of the WDC Project, she has been able to increase the livelihood activities of her family. She continues to raise livestock, make cakes for sale and produces other products made from bamboo. She hopes that her living standards will continue to improve in the future through these livelihood activities. She suggested that the WDC Project should continue supporting the producer groups in bamboo handicrafts because they need to be strengthened, especially as regards their ability to save money and find both clients to buy their products and a steady market for their goods.

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Follow-up needed

� Strengthening links to markets

-Scale up marketing through WDC and other fair trade buyers

� Improving access to capital for inputs

-Strengthen bargaining power of producers with market intermediaries -Facilitate linkages with MFIs operating in the area

-Provide advance payments to producers on orders from WDC

� Increasing supply of raw materials

-Establish community forest with high quality bamboo

� Responding to demand from buyers

-Scaling-up production capacity: number of producers, amount of time available, efficiency of production, expanding to other groups/ villages -Maintaining quality standards -Organizing management of large orders -Ensuring year-round availability of products

� Follow-up support on formalizing mechanisms for working together

� Follow-up support on design and production of products

� Clarifying and strengthening the role of the WDC in promoting bamboo handicrafts and facilitating access to markets

PSIA Case Study 6: Woman Direct Beneficiary from Bamboo Handicrafts

Miss. Pho Phalla is 21 years-old, single and lives in Tuek Chenh Village, Chheung Krio Commune, Rolea B’ier District, Kompong Chhnang Province. She is a member of a bamboo handicraft producer group which was established and supported by the WDC Project.

Her main income is from rice cultivation on the 1.6-hectares plot of land that supports the five members of her family. Other income comes from bamboo handicrafts. Before the WDC Project started, she produced bamboo handicrafts using traditional designs that she learned from her family. She sells these to middlemen who set prices that are always less than the current market value - one basket at 1,600 Riel. It is the practice of the middlemen to advance the money first and the producers must meet the required quota in return. She observed that in most cases she had spent the money advanced to her and still owed the middlemen in terms of the number of baskets she needed to produce. So, she never had any chance to save money and went deeper into debt. In fact, she had borrowed many times and from different middlemen.

This practice is prevalent in her village and among other villages. Even her parents borrow money in advance from the middlemen. She said she didn’t like this practice at all, but she had no other choices, as there is a strong need for money to support their lives. Villagers did not know how to calculate the cost and-profit on their woven bamboo products. They spent more time trying to produce more, but found that the price continued to be low. For instance, in the last two years, Miss. Pho Phalla received 200,000 Riel (US$48) from middlemen and she had to produce 125 baskets in order to pay it back. She spent four months trying to produce this number of baskets. This must be compared to other women who are not in debt who spend only 2.5 months producing baskets with a unit price of 2,500 Riel per basket. So, it may be said that this system requires her to work an extra 45 days with no pay.

Later on, when the WDC Project started, she was asked to join in as member of a producer group because she already had skills in bamboo weaving. The project provided new techniques, such as lantern-type product design, the use of color, ensuring quality weave, producing according to market demand and setting product price. The WDC Project also explained how to make a profit from their bamboo handicraft products.

Since acquiring the new knowledge and skills from the project she has changed her products. The new types of bamboo products she produced were sold to WDC and to other middlemen. Although she has other duties that need her attention, she has been able to produce an average of around 80 baskets per year. Each basket sells for 4,000 Riel for a total of 320,000 Riel. She said she was able to reduce her loans from middlemen to at least half of what she used to borrow. She has also been able to save some money. She said her income has averaged around 40,000 Riel or US$9 per month.

She said she likes doing bamboo handicrafts. It provides traditional work already present in her village and uses bamboo resources locally available. She works with her group now, sharing the knowledge gained from the training. Right now, she is still busy producing bamboo products. She has high expectations that through her weaving her living situation will improve. She has suggested that the WDC Project should continue to support her producer group and continue to buy the villager’s products so that the groups will be strengthened. The WDC Project, she believes, should continue to link with other NGOs who can sustain what was already initiated and establish sustained markets for handicrafts.

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World Bank Resource-based Initiative

As the WDC Project was coming to an end field work on the World Bank's Resource-based Initiative (RBI) promoting women's economic empowerment focused on bamboo handicrafts was starting. This regional project had been in the planning phase for two years and the WDC Project had had periodic discussions with various members of the RBI team during project start up. UNIFEM is the executing agency for this project, Prosperity Initiative (PI) is the technical coordinator, and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is responsible for impact monitoring. The project originally expected to work with an NGO to implement activities. For various reasons this did not work out and the project ended up contracting with MoWA and the Kompong Chhnang WDC/PWDA. This is note worthy in that in the initial planning phase of the RBI the WDC was not seen as a viable implementa-tion partner. As well as a reluctance to engage with a government institution on a private sector development initiative there were also concerns about the capacity of the center to carry out the work. By the time the project was ready to commence field work MoWA and the WDC were seen as a viable partner.

There were and remain some concerns about the RBI project design. The RBI focuses on introduction of new technologies for more efficient preparation of raw bamboo for weaving. The RBI design called for control and intervention villages. Initially the RBI was moving towards working in the same villages were the WDC project had been working for over a year. Given the scientific research approach being followed by the RBI it did not seem appropriate for the RBI to work in the same villages and with the producer groups which had already been formed with assistance from the WDC Project. Neither would it have made sense for the WDC Project villages to be in the control group. Concerns were also expressed about differences in approaches which could be confusing as well as time-consuming for the producers.

Ultimately the start up of the RBI's field work was near the end of the WDC Project implementation period and concerns about conflicting demands at the community level became less of an issue. Concerns about the validity of working with producer groups established by the WDC Project in the RBI's scientific research approach remain. MoWA's role in the RBI also had some impact on the WDC project as the WDC Project Technical Coordinator was assigned by MoWA to manage the RBI project reducing the amount of time she had available for the WDC Project. Never-the-less, the RBI is providing support to build on the work with the bamboo handicraft producers initiated under the WDC Project and introducing new technologies to the reduce time needed to process bamboo for handicrafts and improve quality. With the introduction of new technologies, facilitating access to capital and strengthening team work become even more important in ensuring broad-based benefits to producers.

4.5.6 Product development in Siem Reap

As noted earlier in this report, the situation in the Siem Reap project villages was very different from that found in Kompong Chhnang. While the project communities in Kompong Chhnang had large numbers of households engaged in the same types of secondary occupations (i.e., sedge mats and bamboo handicrafts) the project communities in Siem Reap had smaller numbers of households engaged in a number of different secondary occupations (i.e., rattan baskets, bamboo handicrafts, romchek mats, vegetable production, casual labor, etc.) scattered across the communities. As such, the 'producer group' members themselves were engaged in a number of different activities and were not necessarily organized around specific products.

Informal visits to tourist-oriented markets early in the project implementation period found that the vast majority of products being sold in tourist-oriented markets were imported from other countries. While this had also been the situation in Phnom Penh markets a decade earlier, few of the new products being produced in Cambodia were found in Siem Reap. Even enterprises seeking to work with local producers were reported to be importing their products from outside the country when local producers were unable to meet their quality and timeliness requirements. Never-the-less, given the proximity of the project's communities to the Angkor historic district there seemed to be potential to develop products for the tourist market.

While the WDC Project sought to upgrade existing products and skills for the rapidly growing tourism market it also recognized the need to introduce new products and develop new skills.

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Product development assessment

The WDC Advisor in Siem Reap (Kat Bunheng) together with three PDWA staff members conducted a training needs assessment for handicrafts in the three project communes. The aim of the TNA was to identify producer leaders who were interested in strengthening their own product quality including color and designs.

The TNA found that:

1. Most of producer groups in Svay Chek Commune want to improve rattan and romchek product quality and learn new designs.

2. The producer groups in Leang Dei Commune wanted to learn cotton weaving, carpet making and how to improve mat quality.

3. The producer groups in Samrong Commune want to learn post harvest processing, food processing, vegetable marketing and how to improve soil and pest management.

As follow up to the TNA, the Technical Coordinator, Assistant Technical Coordinator and the Management and Training Consultant visited Siem Reap to study the processing of raw materials for rattan and romchek products; identify materials and equipment for carpets, cotton blankets, romchek mats and rattan products; and, identify local trainers to teach producer groups new designs.

4.5.6.1 Romchek and prao handicrafts, Svay Chek and Leang Dai Communes

Context

Villagers in Leang Dai and Svay Chek Communes in Angkor Thom District, Siem Reap Province had been making romchek and prao mats for generations, primarily for their own use and for sale in the local market. The mats are made from plants which are readily available in the district; 83 percent of prao product producers source their raw material from community forests, 75 percent of romchek product producers buy their raw material from suppliers. Although much time is needed to make romchek and prao mats, the price was low. The raw materials can however be used to produce a wide variety of other products. The WDC project sought to improve the income of romchek and prao mat producers by introducing new types of products made from these materials. Some villagers had been working in construction in Siem Reap town as there were few employment opportunities in the commune. As the construction industry has contracted in recent years, other sources of livelihood were particularly important.

Overview of project interventions

The project initially organized workshops with on dyeing and making new products from romchek. While the women were very excited about the new colors, they were less enthusiastic about the more complex and time-consuming process of making baskets as opposed to simple mats. To address this concern, the project contracted with a Phnom Penh-based entrepreneur to design and produce proto-types of products made from romchek and prao mats. In the first stage, the producer groups dyed their romchek and prao then made mats which were turned into handbags and other products by the entrepreneur. Next, a group of producers were trained in sewing bags themselves.

Activities to support the development of romchek and prao products are summarized in Table 48 below:

Table 48. Romchek and prao product development interventions

Intervention

No. of participants

Facilitators

09Q1

Product development � 2 6-day workshops on making new products from romchek

45

KHWA

09Q2 � 10-day workshop on dyeing romchek 45 KChh WDC

09Q2 � Develop proto-types for new products -- P Penh-based entrepreneur

09Q3+4 � 1-month handbag sewing training 12 P Penh-based entrepreneur + student from K Chh

09Q4 � 10-day prao product development workshop 20 MTC + Master producers (2) from Chheung Krio, K Chh

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09Q4 � 9 1-day follow-up workshops on dyeing romchek and prao 86 Master producer from Chheung Krio, K Chh

Romchek baskets

Two six-day workshops on ‘Romchek Handicrafts’ were held with 45 participants (all women) in Svay Chek Commune. The project contracted the Khmer Women’s Handicraft Association (KWHA) in Takeo province headed by Mrs. Meas Savory to provide the training. Mrs. Savory and her two assistants have extensive experience in designing and producing a wide range of high quality smok (traditional basket) products. Although the products produced in Takeo use a different type of leaf (kok), the designs could be readily adapted to romchek.

The objective of the training was to increase the income of producers through development of new products using romchek such as different types of mats, smok, handbags and baskets. The new products were designed for sale in both domestic and international markets.

The criteria for selecting participants included: 1) poor or vulnerable families within existing producer groups; 2) families with three or more children; and, 3) women with some skills and experience with working with romchek.

Basic information on the workshops is shown in Table 49 below. The training process is described in the box on the next page.

Table 49. Basic information on ‘romchek’ workshops in Svay Chek Commune

Participants

Dates

Village Female Male

Svay Chek 4 -

Kouk Kak 8 -

9-14 February 2009

Kandaol 12 -

Bos Ta Trav 9 - 15-20 February

Ta Trav 12 -

Total 5 villages 45

During the training the facilitators give participants assignment to make differences type of smok. Raw materials and some equipment were provided to the participants. Some participants were able to make very good quality smok from the beginning however most needed to try many times to improve the quality of their smok. Some smok designs are very difficulty to make such as smok Takeo and Kbach.

The photos below show the results of assignments: most of the participants were able to finish all of the assignments. A few of the participants were able to make good quality products however most were unable to consistently produce good quality products and needed further practice.

Most of participants were very active and worked hard at making romchek smok. This was the first time the participants tried to make smok from romchek and they were very happy to learn and didn’t even want to stop for lunch. During the training, the WDC project staff agreed that the project would provide materials and labor costs for home assignments. The results from the first assignments were not very good and the WDC project staff agreed to give one more assignment after the training however the project would only pay for labor.

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Romchek Training Process

The facilitators introduced the participants to five main steps: Step 1: Preparing and storing romchek leaves for very good quality products

The romchek leaves should be cut when not too young and not too old. Next, the leaves should be cut to the needed size and dried for one or two days until very dry. The leaves can be dyed or put in the water over night and then dry again. Once they are very dry, the leaves should be stored in a dry place. Step 2: Preparing material and equipment

The facilitators introduced the equipment need to make smok (see photo below), explained how to use the equipment and let the participants practice.

Step 3: Basic principles for making smok and practice with simple design

A fundamental principle for all types of smok is to select romchek leaves of the same size with an equal number of leaves in each direction. Smok Takeo and new designs start differently from other smok. See diagrams below on how to start making smok.

Step 4: How to make good quality smok, combine colors and produce new designs

To make good quality smok you need to prepare good quality romchek leaves, cut the leaves evenly, and use good quality dye. When you start to weave you should soften the leaves by spraying them with a little water.

Step 5: Evaluate quality of each participant’s work and make home assignments

Prepare Romchek Leaves

Romchek Plant

The equipment to make smok includes a knife, measuring tape, wood to smooth the romchek leaves, small pieces of wood to shape design, and scissors.

Starting point

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The producers from each village are shown with the products they produced in the photos below:

Romchek dyeing workshop A ten day workshop on dyeing romchek and design development was held with a total of 45 participants (all women) from the five project villages in Svay Chek Commune. WDC staff from Kompong Chhnang who have become master trainers in dyeing facilitated the training (Mrs. Meas Sothy, Mrs. Sopheary and Mrs Mouen). The Management and Training Consultant provided training on design.

As the project is particularly interested in strengthening village-based livelihood opportunities for young women, the age distribution of the participants was very interesting: 44 percent of the participants were 19 to 25 years old; and, 27 percent were 26 to 30 years old.

The participants were very pleased with the new colors they were able produce and excited by the introduction of products which can be made from romchek mats. The mats they wove with the dyed romchek were made into handbags by a Phnom-based entrepreneur contracted to produce proto-types for new products and provide sewing training.

Prao product development workshop

Prao is very good raw material which can be used for mats, room decoration, women's handbags, and other purposes. In the past, the villagers only used prao to make simple mats for sale in the local market and some exports to Thailand at very low prices. The WDC project sought to improve the existing products in Leang Dei and Svay Chek Communes. Towards this end, the Management and Training Consultant organized a workshop to discuss improving prao products in Leang Dei Commune. The workshop focused on new weaving designs, use of color, quality and creation of new products using prao. The WDC project invited two masters producers from Cheung Krio Commune in Kompong Chhnang to provide bamboo product designs which could be adapted to prao (bamboo and prao are similar to each other). A total of 20 producers (all women) from four villages participated in this workshop.

Table 50: Prao product development workshop

Village No. of Participants Facilitator Resource Persons

Doung Ov 5

Samrong 5

Taprok 5

Phlong 5

Management and Training Consultant

2 bamboo handicraft master producers from Chheung Krio Commune, Kompong Chhnang

Total 20

Kandaol Village Svay Chek Village Kouk Kak Village

Tatrav Village Participants and Facilitators Bos Tatrav Village

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At the beginning of the workshop it was difficult to facilitate discussions because most of the participants only had experience with the traditional uses of prao and it was difficult to change their attitudes. The Management and Training Consultant made samples of new designs using prao which incorporated use of color and good quality and showed these to the participants. She explained that the WDC project wanted to help the producers improve their prao products in order to increase their income. Four new designs were introduced: 'wave', 'pineapple ice', 'soft', and 'bird foot'. The WDC project team offered to buy good quality products from the producers at 11,000 riel per square meter if they could make them.

The participants had agreed that the workshop should be held from 8.00-11.00 am and 2.00-4.30 pm, but in practice most of the participants came to the WDC at 6.30 am, brought their lunch with them and stay until 6.00 pm. Although the Management and Training Advisor asked them to rest, they wanted to finish their mats.

By the end of the workshop, all of the participants were very happy, wanted to learn more designs and asked if they could bring the new designs that they had made to show their relatives in the village. Nine of the participants said that they like this workshop very much: 'When I started making new designs with prao I couldn't sleep because my mind was on the new designs and I was very happy to learn new things. If my children came around when I'm weaving mats, I got impatient because I want to finish my work on time.'

At the end of the workshop all of the participants promised to make good colors, good quality and good designs to sell to the WDC and others. A week after the workshop ended, the Management and Training consultant visited the WDC and stayed overnight at the center. Most of the producers who participated in the workshop brought the prao mats they had made with new colors and designs to sell to the WDC. The participant each focused on one design. All of the mats were of medium to good quality: 12 of the 20 trainees were able to make good quality mats and 8 medium quality.

Preparing the raw materials

Weaving

The participants with their new colors and designs

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Follow-up training on dyeing romchek and prao

Earlier, the WDC Project had provided dyeing training to producer groups in 10 villages in Svay Chek and Leang Dai Communes. The producer groups requested further training to learn how to dye new colors that they had never seen before. The project agreed to provide follow-up training in the nine villages expressing interest however explained that this would be the last training and it would then be up to the groups to use what they had learned. The project team also told the groups that they would need to buy the dyes themselves in the future (the producer groups wanted the WDC project to provide this for free) however the WDC could help them to purchase the dyes from suppliers in Phnom Penh. Some of the producer groups arranged to pool their funds to buy dyes.

A total of 86 participants from nine villages participated in a series of one-day workshops held in each of the nine villages. The producer groups in five of the nine villages were very active and worked hard to learn: Doung Ov, Phlong, Samrong, Bos Ta Trav and Ta Trav. The other groups were somewhat less engaged.

Photos from the training are shown below: Handbag sewing training

Handbag sewing training was provided to 12 trainees (11 women), 10 from Leang Dai Commune, one from Svay Chek Commune and one WDC staff member. This training was facilitated by Mrs. Sothy together with Mrs. Rit Chantha, the top student from the training in Kompong Chhnang. Heavy duty sewing machines were procured for this training and this was the first workshop to be conducted at the new WDC facilities in Siem Reap. All but two of the trainees had prior experience with sewing and learned how to make handbags very quickly. The training followed the same process as in Kompong Chhnang as described earlier in this report except using romchek and prao mats rather than triangle sedge.

Table 51: Handbag sewing training in Siem Reap

No Name Age Village Number of products

Quality of products

Prior sewing

experience Comments

1 Koy Yong 21 Plong 9 70% x Doesn't have much time to concentrate on sewing.

2 Sem Reksa 22 Plong 9 85% x Committed to making good quality products.

3 Seng Sopeak 18 Plong 9 75% x Medium quality production.

4 Leoum Sokim 18 Plong 9 75% x Medium quality production.

5 Tom Sna (male) 21 Plong 9 80% x Committed to making good quality products.

6 Tav Hean 48 Plong 9 75% x Slow to learn something new.

7 Trob Sot 22 Doung Ouv 9 85% x Committed to making good quality products.

8 Sing Ti 30 Doung Ouv 9 85% x Committed to making good quality products.

9 Reang Sorei 19 Doung Ouv 9 75% x Medium quality production.

10 Phon Sin 23 Spean Thmei 9 70% x Poor quality production.

11 Run Srey Sor 19 Kandaol 10 80% Tries hard to learn new

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things and has strong commitment.

12 Chhun Sopean 35 WDC staff 7 65% x Doesn't have much time to try something new.

Total 107 10

The participants were very active and the quality of their products by the end of the training was mostly quite good. A total of 107 women's hand bags were produced by the trainees during the training. The participants were asked if they wanted to practice making handbags and the project agreed to pay them for their labor at 10,000 Riel per bag. Most of the participants were very happy to take up this offer. Following the training, the trainees made 250 bags for an Asia regional conference on violence against women organized by UNFPA and MoWA in Siem Reap at the end of November.

Different from the handbag sewing training in Kompong Chhnang, the vast majority of trainees were from the project villages. Never-the-less, the number of producers engaged in handbag production is constrained by access to the heavy-duty sewing machines needed to produce handbags. There also seemed to be a perception by some that the WDC was 'employing' them to sew handbags. Expanding benefits beyond the 12 individuals trained under the project will require facilitating access to sewing machines for more producers.

End of project situation

The romchek and prao mat producers in Leang Dai and Svay Chek Communes learned how to make a wide variety of new products with the assistance of the WDC Project. It was particularly interesting to observe the growing interest amongst young women in producing the new products.

By the end of the project the romchek and prao handicraft producers reported: � Increased income from romchek and prao handicrafts

� Higher quality products

� Greater diversity and increased marketability of products

� Better understanding of markets

The PSIA found that two-thirds of the prao handicraft producers surveyed reported increased income from their handicrafts work. The 2009 net earnings of prao handicraft producers surveyed ranged from US$ 7 to 195 with an average income of US$ 59 and median income of US$ 49. Few romchek product producers were surveyed (4) however all reported an increase in income from the romchek products.

The training participants and their new products

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The local community is the primary market for the proa handicraft products (88%) although two-thirds of the producers surveyed also reported selling their products through traders, primarily private individuals from Siem Reap.

Traditional products

Young women very interested in making new products from romchek

When the WDC Project first started, the participants in workshops and meetings were mostly older men and women. Since the introduction of new designs and other training directed at improving household income, more young people are now participating in project activities. The romchek dyeing training in Svay Chek Commune in Siem Reap provides a good example of this trend: 44% of participants were 19-25 years old; 27% were 26-30. Only 11% were older than 40.

The Management and Training Consultant asked the young women, “Why do you like to attend this training program?” They said that the new designs made from romchek (pandanus) are so beautiful and they wanted to have beautiful handbags for themselves. They also wanted to do something useful and earn income for their families. “The new designs are very useful for my family and easy to sell in the local market.”

Focus on income generation, follow up and responsive support

In August 2009 when the WDC Project was conducting workshops on nutrition and hygiene, the Management and Training Consultant had an opportunity to talk with the Ms. E Eouy, Vice-chief of Kouk Kok Village in Svay Chek Commune, Angkor Thom District about project activities and other development activities in her village. She asked her, “What do you know about the WDC Project? What development activities do people like to participant in the most? Why?” Ms Eouv responded, “there are many project activities in my village such as the Economic and Social Relaunch of the Northwest (ECOSORN), a project working around the Tonle Sap Lake with 11 subcontracts with NGOs; Plan; CREDIT; Padek, Vattanak, etc. Most projects provide training two or three times and then just disappear. I never see they come back. Or they just provide training but don’t follow up with us. We are expecting to get some skills and experience from them but nothing happens. There are very few project activities related to income generation in my village.”

“I’m very happy with the MoWA project activities (WDC Project supported by ADB/JFPR) and most of the producer group members are very happy to participate in activities supported by the WDC Project. The reason we all like to participate in the WDC Project is because all the training provided is so important to our daily life such as improved rattan production related to market needs, improved dyeing, design and quality of romchek products, food processing, nutrition, gender and enterprise, home safety, and women’s worker rights. I like the WDC Project the most because they have follow-up training and other activities. What makes me most happy now is that most of the producer group members are able to make romchek products of very good quality and design which are very easy to sell at very good prices.”

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New products and designs

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Follow-up needed

� Strengthening links to markets

-Scale up marketing through WDC and other fair trade buyers

� Maintaining supply of raw materials

-Expand and replant community forest with high quality romchek and prao

� Exploring options for expanding training on sewing handbags

-Using trained producers as trainers for others -Training for other interested producer group members -Open access courses at the center

� Exploring options for facilitating access to heavy duty sewing machines

-Facilitating access to credit from MFIs

-Establishing revolving funds for sewing machines

� Responding to demand from buyers

-Scaling-up production capacity: number of producers, amount of time available, efficiency of production, expanding to other groups/ villages -Maintaining quality standards -Organizing management of large orders -Ensuring year-round availability of products

� Follow-up support on formalizing mechanisms for working together

� Follow-up support on design and production of products

� Clarifying and strengthening role of WDC in promoting romchek and proa handicrafts and facilitating access to markets

PSIA Case Study 7: Woman Direct Beneficiary of Prao Mat Weaving

Mrs. Sin Kay is a villager in Samroang Village, Leang Dai Commune, Angkor Thom District in Siem Reap Province. She has two small children in school. She was selected to be a group member of a producer group because her main occupation is prao mat weaving. She has long experience in weaving and has no desire to move to another type of employment.

Before the WCD Project started, her main income came from prao mat weaving. Her husband is employed in the construction industry and sometimes receives sub-contracting jobs from the main contractors. She grew a few vegetables and herbs in her residential lot, mainly for home consumption. She also raised livestock, such as pigs and chickens, to supplement her income. Mrs. Kay is also engaged in rattan weaving. It is difficult to obtain the raw materials for this work, so she takes charge of collecting raw materials from the nearby community forest, which is far from her residence. She must do this herself, as her husband is not involved in the rattan work. Generally she buys raw materials from other people, because she cannot always go to the forest, as she has domestic chores and must send her children to school.

Proa mats are generally woven during the wet/cool season, because during the dry season weaving must be done in the early morning (4 a.m to 9 a.m.) as the prao material is fragile when it is dry. She spends four to five days to weave one mat and is able to produce four mats per month. This is part-time work, because of her other domestic work. A bunch of raw prao material costs 10,000 Riel and can produce one woven prao mat. The price of a woven mat 1.2m by 2m is 25,000 Riel and smaller sized mats are priced 15,000 Riel. For each mat, she is able to earn a net profit of about 7,000 Riel to 8,000 Riel per mat. Her products are bought by middlemen, who make the purchases at her residence when the mats are completed.

As a result of the WCD Project, she has learned dyeing, using 20 to 30 color pigments, more about prao woven mat weaving, and the more ornate dyed style [kome]. Before the project she used natural colors and techniques that have been handed down through the generations in her family. Her relatives and neighbors have also shifted to the newly learnt techniques.

A 1.4m by 2m woven prao mat can be sold for 50,000 Riel. This is a higher price than the traditional design she used to do. However, she only sold two prao woven mats to the WDC made after 10 days work in the Center.

She has suggested to the WDC to buy the new products/prao woven mat with [kome] from her in order to ensure her an income that can support her family. The WDC could play an important role to ensure a fair price for her products and thus, reduce or eliminate the arbitrarily low pricing set by middlemen who often drive down buying prices.

PSIA Case Study 8: Woman Direct Beneficiary of Cotton Weaving and Handbags

Mrs. Thao Heap is 47 year old and lives in a small hut made of palm leaves and bamboo. A widow with four children, she also lives with one other female and an elderly mother. She lives in is a vulnerable household in Phlong Village, Leang Dai Commune, Angkor Thom District in Siem Reap Province. She has 2,600 square meters (1/4 hectare) of paddy land from which she harvests approximately 300 Kg of rice per year/season. This is well below her family’s rice requirement for a year and the household experiences a rice deficit at least eight months a year. Her son helps by catching fish for food from the stream during the night. She told us of instances when her family members sometimes ate only two meals per day.

She was selected to be in the group of cotton weaving & handbags as the WDC provided training in prao mat weaving. Mrs. Heap seized the opportunity to learn prao mat weaving, as have the other members in the prao mats group. The reason why she tried to learn Proa mat weaving is because, since she was 17 years old she has been engaged in prao mat weaving which is a traditional craft occupation in her family. This skill is useful and can be used for making money. She is a practical woman and has shared her knowledge with neighbors on proa mat weaving with decorative [kome] designs.

She is presently employed part-time by the WDC in Angkor Thom district in Siem Reap Province as a handbag tailor. She earns US$1.00 for every handbag completed. She has expressed her feelings that, coming from a poor household, she is very satisfied with any kind of job that provided income to her household. She appreciates receiving new knowledge and techniques from training and workshops provided by the Project.

She has taken up jobs in prao mat weaving, palm leaf weaving, handbag tailoring, and selling cakes. She has stressed that, for the prao mats, if raw materials are available she can produce around four woven mats per month. The raw materials for a bundle of prao cost 10,000 Riel from which she can produce one mat (1.4m by 2m). She has sold the ornate mats [kome] to the WDC at the price of US$10 each, sometimes up to US$13. At the time of our interview, she still had two prao mats that the WDC had not bought.

Generally she has sold the mats within the community and to the WDC in Angkor Thom District. It was difficult for her to tell us her net income from the products sold because, as she has described, she is earning "from hand to mouth". However, she did say that if she sells one prao mat, she is able to use the income to buy what her family needs.

Overall she feels the people in this community receive benefits from the project implementation, receiving orders from the WDC. She is particularly satisfied with the project and has suggested that the WDC should get more clients to order the products.

She says that her livelihood before and after the implementation of the WDC Project has remained the same. Despite being unable to determine if her household has become poorer or not, she stated that the people in this community have received benefit from the WDC Project. It enabled several households to be gainfully employed from the orders of WDC clients. Personally, she is satisfied with the WDC Project. She also suggested that the WDC should work to ensure that there are clients who will order products and create additional employment for her community.

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4.5.6.2 Rattan baskets, Svay Chek Commune

Context

Households in Svay Chek Commune were also producing rattan baskets sale in local markets and low value exports to Thailand. These were generally of low quality – and low profitability. The rattan is gathered from forest areas some distance from the commune and was reported to being increasingly difficult to find.

Overview of project interventions

The project contracted with trainers from Baskets of Cambodia to upgrade the skills of basket makers to make products which could meet export standards. Although many of the trainees initially found it difficult to consistently produce high quality products, with the incentive of being able to sell their products to Baskets of Cambodia at a good price, more of them are now able to produce high quality products. The project also worked with the commune office to re-plant rattan in a community forest.

Activities to support the development of rattan baskets are summarized in Table x below:

Table 52. Rattan basket product development interventions

Intervention

No. of participants

Facilitators

09Q1

Product development � Collected information on the market for rattan products in Phnom Penh

--

MTC

09Q1 � 2 10-day workshops on improving the quality of rattan baskets 44 Baskets of Cambodia

on-going � Follow up -- WDC

09Q3 � Rattan planting 100 WDC

Rattan baskets training

Two 10-day workshops were organized with a total of 44 participants (all women). The project contracted Baskets of Cambodia to provide two trainers for the workshops. Both trainers had learned how to make rattan baskets from their parents since they were young. They upgraded their skills and improved the quality of their baskets when they were 12 years old. Both have been rattan basket trainers for seven years. They make very beautiful baskets in several different designs.

The objective of the training was to increase the income of producer group members through improved quality and new designs of rattan products for local and international markets.

The selection criteria for training participants included: 1) poor or vulnerable families within existing producer groups; families with three or more children; and, 3) women with skills and experience with working with rattan.

Basic information on the workshops is shown in Table 53 below.

Table 53. Basic information on ‘Rattan Basket’ workshops in Svay Chek Commune Participants

Date Village

F M

Ta Trav 12 - 14-23 February

Bos Ta Trav 8 -

Svay Chek 4 -

Kouk Kak 8 -

16-25 March

Kandaol 12 -

Total 44 -

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The participants during the training. . .

The trainees with their baskets. . .

Most of participants were very active and worked hard throughout the training. This was the first time the participants learned how to make good quality rattan baskets. They are very happy to learn and didn’t even want to stop for lunch. During the training it was agreed that the WDC project will not provide materials to the trainees but will buy the baskets from the participants. In the first assignment, the participants were asked to make one of each of six different kinds of baskets.

The WDC project staff from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap displayed these baskets at the International Women’s Day exhibition held 3-5 March 2009 in Siem Reap town (see below). Local people were very interested in buying the baskets even though the baskets were still rather poor in quality and the designs are limited. Baskets of Cambodia had however said that they would buy baskets from the training participants for export if quality standards can be reached. Contact was also made with other middlemen and wholesalers, and the producers were introduced to the middlemen.

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Rattan planting

Following on the training in rattan product development and quality there is an increased interest in producing rattan products in Svay Chek Commune. Availability of raw material was however a constraint. The PIU team met with the rattan producer groups members to discuss rattan re-planting activities in a community forest of approximately 230 ha. The producer group with PIU team support discussed this plan with commune and forestry authorities and it was agreed that planting will be done in August 2009. Approximately 100 women participated.

End of project situation

The rattan basket producers in Svay Chek Commune learned how to make higher quality baskets with more efficient use of raw materials.

By the end of the project the rattan basket producers reported: � Increased income from rattan baskets

� Higher quality products

� More efficient use of raw materials

The PSIA found that 70 percent of the rattan basket producers surveyed reported increased income from their basket work, 89 percent of those who received training felt the training was useful and 89 percent had shared what they had learned with others. The 2009 net earnings of rattan basket producers surveyed ranged from US$ 10 to 110 with an average income of US$ 48 and median income of US$ 43.

All of the producers surveyed reported selling their baskets through traders, primarily from their own community (65%) or within the province (25%). Traditional products

The price for one set of baskets (3 pieces) was 12,000 Riel ($4)

New products

The price for one basket is 10,000 Riel ($2.50)

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PSIA Case Study 9: Woman Direct Beneficiary of Basket Weaving

Mrs. Run Srey Mao is 24 years old and is a squatter residing in a small palm leaf and bamboo hut beside her parent's house in Kandol Village, Svay Chek Commune, Angkor Thom District in Siem Reap Province. She is married with no children yet. Her main income is from paddy agriculture. Even before the WDC Project commenced she was engaged in rattan sieve-basket weaving. She said she was invited to be a producer group member because she is a good producer, has rattan weaving skills taught to her by her parents which she has never forgotten, does not waste raw materials and pays careful attention to the quality of her product.

Before the WDC Project, she was employed as a construction worker whenever work was available in Siem Reap town, which is about 35 km away, which she traveled to by bicycle. Her parents are naturally concerned about her working away from home and her safety on the road. She had no savings. All her payment from construction work is spent and there are delays in receipt of her daily wages. So she and her husband decided to focus on rattan basket weaving.

The WDC Project sent a trainer from Kompong Chhnang Province to train the weavers in Siem Reap. The local weavers used to weave baskets in a loose woven style. The trainer taught and coached them to weave in a more compact woven manner creating a more luxurious product which can fetch a higher price and how to minimize wastage of the raw materials. Srey Mao has taken the knowledge and skills gained from such training and transferred them to two other weavers outside the producer group

Except during farming and harvesting seasons, she is engaged in rattan basket weaving throughout the year. She produces around 15 baskets per month, which was more than her pre-project production of around nine baskets per month. The products usually can be sold in the community, and the WDC has a standing order for good quality of baskets. The WDC has set aside a fund for the purchase of products and, if the weavers complete the product or are near to completing the baskets, they can withdraw money from this account.

Mrs. Srey Mao earns a net income of approximately US$20 from basket weaving for a period of 50 days, or approximately US$120 per year. If the WDC places continual orders during this year she can make more than US$120. Her concerns regarding her crafts are that the raw materials are getting scarce. At present, in her community they can only harvest the short rattan. They have to obtain the longer rattan farther away in Stoung District in Kampong Thom Province, which means some 10 days for harvesting and travel.

Mrs. Srey Mao's perception is that her livelihood is better than before the WDC Project started. She was able to save money in her piggy bank for future expenditures. She sees the benefit of working as a group in terms of their being able to learn from each other and helping each other when there are problems in their production. She also sees the need for WDC to be able to sustain orders for their products. Without sustained WDC orders, they will go back to producing loose-woven baskets and be prey to the low-pricing middlemen who buy wholesale. She suggested that the WDC in Angkor Thom District/Siem Reap Province serve as a center for capacity building (refresher training) for producer groups.

PSIA Case Study 10: Woman Direct Beneficiary of Basket Weaving

Mrs. Soy Prang is 37 years old, residing in Ta Trav Village, Svay Chek Commune, Angkor Thom District in Siem Reap Province. She has three children and her main income is derived from paddy farming. Before the WDC Project she was engaged in rattan basket weaving, traditional pandanus mat weaving, and also employed as agricultural labor in order to supplement her main income. She experiences food insecurity seven months/ year.

She has been selected to be in the producer group of rattan basket weaving and trained for weaving good quality baskets. Mrs. Soy Prang is very satisfied with the weaving skills and is happy as she can start and stop working whenever she feels the need or is not comfortable to work. She added that if she was employed full time by an employer she could not relax or stop work during working hours.

Presently, she weaves baskets at home and her husband helps in harvesting the rattan from the forest and helps wotj splitting the rattan. She also says that the rattan is now scarce due to fact that many people are competing for the material and also slash and burn agriculture practiced in her community destroys some of the rattan.

Through training and workshops for improved production techniques of high quality rattan basket weaving provided by the Project she has learned techniques that she applies in her own household and has taught these skills to two of her neighbors. However, she said that these good products are somewhat limited as only WDC orders provides a market for these products. Middlemen do not place orders for these kinds of baskets. Since the commencement of the WDC Project she has sold the good quality baskets to WDC once or twice. Since then the WDC has not made any orders. As a result (for selling purposes), she makes traditional baskets (loose woven baskets).

She is engaged in basket weaving the entire year except during the transplanting and harvesting seasons in her own paddy or is employed by neighbors or in the community/district. Before the project, she weaved traditional loose woven baskets, which sold for a cheap price in her village (each basket being 0.5m by 0.4m by 0.8m selling for 3,000 Riels). Some households in her community that receive money advances from middlemen sell their products at the cheapest price to the middlemen. They have to produce the products to sell for middlemen or else they must re-pay all the money received in advance from them.

During the interview, she could not tell us whether her livelihood had improved or not because the income from basket weaving and other activities is spent for food. Even though the price that can be received for baskets or other products may be a bit higher, the price of food is also higher.

Although, she spoke well of the WDC Project and said that working as a group had provided benefits to women in her community in terms of capacity building, introducing the new techniques and technology such as compact basket weaving, using and saving raw materials in producing baskets, she also suggested that the WDC should order the good quality baskets at a higher price. She frankly does not want to weave the traditional basket that sells at the cheaper price, prices set by middlemen who export these products through Poipet on the Cambodia-Thai border.

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Follow-up needed

� Strengthening links to markets

-Continue to support upgrading of quality in order to be able to sell to Baskets of Cambodia

� Maintaining supply of raw materials

-Follow up on management of community forest

� Responding to demand from buyers

-Scaling-up production capacity: number of producers, amount of time available, efficiency of production, expanding to other groups/ villages -Maintaining quality standards -Organizing management of large orders -Ensuring year-round availability of products

� Follow-up support on formalizing mechanisms for working together

� Follow-up support on design and production of products

� Clarifying and strengthening the role of the WDC in promoting rattan baskets and facilitating access to markets

4.5.6.3 Carpets for Communities, Leang Dai Commune

Context

The Architect/Design Consultant (Nivana Cheng) introduced the project to Carpets for Communities (CfC), an Australian-based social enterprise which had been supporting a group of poor women in Banteay Meanchey to producer carpets made from garment factory remnants. The Director of CfC presented the CfC project to the Minister of MoWA (see box on the next page for an overview of the project). The Minister was very interested in CfC and expressed her support for the WDC project to cooperate with CfC in expanding the project to Siem Reap.

After further discussions with the project team, it was agreed that CfC should prepare a project proposal for consideration by the WDC project, and proceed with registering the organization in Cambodia. Once CfC was registered, the Ministry would be able to proceed with an MoU.

Overview of project interventions

After a visit to CfC's project site in Banteay Meanchey, the WDC Project team organized a training of trainers for women from Leang Dai Commune. Although the training was successful and the products were met with great interest in local market testing, delays in registering CfC and negotiating an MoU unfortunately meant that the project was unable to enter into an agreement to work together beyond the initial training.

Activities to support the development of carpets are summarized in Table 54 below:

Table 54. Carpets for Communities interventions

Intervention

No. of participants

Facilitators

08Q3 � Visit to CfC project site in Banteay Meanchey 5 PCU

09Q1 � 2 5-day training of trainers sessions 16 CfC

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Visit to CfC project in Poipet The Project Coordinator, Technical Coordinator, Assistant Technical Coordinator, Management and Training Consultant and Siem Reap WDC Advisor visited CfC’s project in Poipet in September. The WDC project team found that CfC project was going very well. CfC staff reported that the carpets are more marketable in Australia nowadays. A total of 20 families are engaged in producing carpets – all were very poor and with many children. Project staff includes three social workers and one manager. Photos of sample products and producers are shown below:

The CFC project was only supporting income generating activities and was not providing other types of information or services such as reproductive health information, particularly related to family planning, or other skills related to markets. The CfC project had had some problems including difficulties in sourcing raw materials, transport, slow cash flow and limited capital.

CARPETS FOR COMMUNITIES

CfC is focused on enabling families to keep their children is school. Interventions -Providing employment producing carpets for Australia market -Support for uniforms, etc. for school -Health and hygiene education Current status -Currently working with 20 women in Banteay Meanchey province -Market through volunteers in Australia -Have orders for one container per month Expansion to Siem Reap province -Planning to open an office in Siem Reap -Will hire a Country Manager by end on month -Hope to begin working in Siem Reap late-September/early-October 2008 -Will start with a survey to identify women which fit their criteria (many children not in school) -Will provide training (relatively easy to learn) Possible WDC project support for start-up -Assist with survey -Production coordinator to work out of WDC -Purchase sewing machines -Salary for production coordinator Could explore entering into a joint venture with the WDC investment including the sewing machines, salary for production coordinator for an initial period, and possibly purchase of initial stock of raw materials.

Carpets for Communities, Poipet

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The project team concluded that should the WDC Project collaborate with CfC it would integrate income generating activities with reproductive health, women’s worker right, home safety, domestic skills, family management, and business management.

Training of trainers

Two five-day sessions on carpet production were organized for 16 participants (all women) in Leang Dei Commune, Angkor Thom District, Siem Reap. Experienced trainers/facilitators from Carpets for

Communities in Poipet provided the training with support from the CfC country director in Siem Reap. All were highly skilled in design, selecting colors and quality control. The training was organized by the WDC Project Technical Coordinator (Veasna) and Assistant Technical Coordinator (Sithon).

The overall objective of CfC is to keep children in school by empowering their mothers to earn income by producing carpets made from fabric remnants from garment factories. The objective of the training was to train local women as producers and trainers of others. The training process is described in the box on the next page.

The criteria for selection of participants were: 1) poor or vulnerable families with three or more children; 2) families with children of school age who are working to help support their families; and, 3) families with children who are often absence from school because of inadequate support from their family.

Information on participants and results are shown in Table 55 below: Table 55. Participants and results from ‘Carpets for Communities’ training of trainers

Participants Dates

Village

Female Male

Comments

Spean Thmei 2 - Both became trainers

Phlong 3 - One became very good trainer

Doung Ov 4 - Two became good trainers

Ta Prok 3 - One became trainer

Samrong 4 - Two became good trainers

Module 1: 9-13 February

Module 2: 16-20 March

Total 5 villages 16 -

Most of participants were very active and worked very hard throughout the training. As this was a new skill and fairly easy, they were very happy to learn and didn’t even want to stop for lunch. During the training WDC project staff discussed follow-up assignments with the participants and agreed that the project would provide materials to the producer group and pay them for their labor. For the first assignment, each person was asked to make three carpets. Four days after the training, all of the participants had completed their three carpets. The producers from each village are shown with the carpets they produced in the photos below.

Spean Thmei Village

Phlong Village

Ta Prok Village

Samrong Village Doung Ov Village

Participants & Facilitators

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Carpets for Communities Training Process

Module One

The first module focused on selecting and preparing materials for carpets and basic production techniques. In step one, the facilitators taught participants how to select colors which go together and choose the carpet size (most participants chose 40 x 50 cm using 3 kg of materials). After the participants selected the size and materials they cut the material into 5 x 10 cm pieces (step two). Then the participants starting rolling the material into ‘strings’ (step 3) to produce bundles of strings in each color to be used in the carpet (step 4). Next, the participants starting make the carpets, attaching the ‘strings’ to recycled rice bags (steps 5 and 6). In this first module, the participants produce 60 carpets. All the participants learn how to make good quality carpets very quickly. Module Two

The second module focused on color combinations, design and finishing for international and domestic markets. Eight of the participants (50%) demonstrated the capacity to train others. Four of the participants had the sewing skills needed to finishing the carpets.

The WDC project staff from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap displayed these carpets at the International Women’s Day exhibition held 3-5 March 2009 in Siem Reap town. Both Cambodians and foreigners were very interested in buying the carpets suggesting that the carpets would be marketable in both local and international markets.

End of project situation

The PCU responded to a request from CfC for clarification on various issues related to the working relationship between CfC and the WDC and requested a revised proposal in early April 2009. Questions were raised about the proposed staffing levels and marketing costs in the proposal as well as marketing of the carpets within Cambodia. Several months passed before a response was received

Step 4: Bundled carpet pieces

Step 1: Selecting material Step 2: Cutting material Step 3: Rolling material

Step 6: Finishing Step 5: Starting

Colors combinations Finishing

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by which time it was too late in the project to enter into an agreement. Sourcing of raw materials from garment factories had also become more difficult in the context of the global economic crisis and its impact on the garment industry in Cambodia. This was unfortunate as the carpets had proven to be easy to produce at the community level and had good potential for marketing.

4.5.6.4 Cotton blankets, Leang Dai Commune

Context

Woven cotton blankets were suggested as a potentially marketable product early in the project by the project's architect/design consultant. Weaving of fabrics is not however a traditional livelihood activity in Siem Reap. As there were limited opportunities to build on local products and expertise in Leang Dai Commune, the project explore other possibilities for introducing new products and processes in this commune. This included both cotton blankets and carpets.

Overview of interventions

Project interventions focused on a three-month course conducted at the WDC.

Cotton blanket training

A master producer from Battambang, Mrs. Vuthat, was hired to provide training. The original plan was to conduct training on cotton blanket weaving for six months however ordering the equipment and preparation of the training was slow and the training was only able to run for three months before the project ended. The cotton weaving trainer helped the Assistant Technical Coordinator (Mrs. Soth Sithon) to buy equipment and materials in Phnom Penh and Battambang, and helped to order some materials from Vietnam.

The participants were selected for the training based on the following criteria: � Producer group members interested in learning how to weave

� Producer group members with basic weaving skills or experience with silk or cotton weaving

� Daughters of producer group members interested in learning how to weave

Many young women who were interested in learning cotton weaving however the project was only able to accept 12 for this training as only six looms were available. The participants were selected from four villages: Phlong, Samrong, Doung Ov and Ta Prok.

The training started on the 21st of December 2009. The trainer introduced herself and described her skills, knowledge and experience. The participants were also asked to share their experience with each other. Next, the trainer introduced the weaving equipment and materials and explained how to use these. The participants were asked to form groups of two to work on one loom. By the end of the first month, all of the participants had started weaving cotton blankets, some with good quality however others needed further practice to improve the quality of their products. The participants learned very fast and were interested in learning more about cotton weaving and new designs. Table 56: Participants in cotton blanket training (all women)

Village No. Name Age Prior weaving experience

Phlong 1 Teab Roung 30 Learned silk weaving and worked with Artisans d’Angkor in 2000

2 Houng Sor 35 Learned cotton weaving from her mother since she was young

Samrong 3 Tlan Cheach 17 Learned cotton weaving from Banteay Srei in 2009

4 How Poa 25 Learned silk weaving from Japanese organization in 2003

5 San Kao 25 Learned silk weaving from Japanese organization in 2004

6 Laov Sokhouen 25 “

7 Khon Voun 23 “

8 Chhut Sam 25 Learned silk weaving from Japanese organization in 2005

Doung Ov 9 Kwey Mean 16 Learned cotton weaving from Wattanak in 2009

10 Keoun Khon 17 “

Ta Prok 11 Kong Sa Em 16 “

12 Chat Houen 17 “

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Preparing materials to weave cotton blankets

Each team specialized in a particular design: khong ming, black pepper seed or wave. The trainees made a total of 83 blankets and 85 scarves during the training.

A stock of cotton (300 kgs, sufficient for 250 blankets) was procured at the end of the project to ensure access to materials to continue production.

End of project situation

By the end of the training, two of the producers were able to make very good quality blankets independently and wanted to learn new designs, two were able to make better quality blankets independently, and the remaining eight were able to make good quality blankets however still needed some assistance from the trainer.

Production is constrained by the number of looms available at the center. Ideally, the producers should be assisted with obtaining their own looms so that the equipment at the center can be used to provide training to others. Good quality looms can be procured for approximately $150. Wider blankets also have good market potential however would require wider looms.

Follow-up needed

� Strengthening links to markets

-Scale up marketing through WDC and other fair trade buyers

Samples of finished blankets

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� Exploring options for expanding training on blanket weaving

-Using most skilled producers as trainers for others -Training for other interested producer group members -Open access courses at the center

� Expanding product line

-Introducing wider looms

-Providing technical support for new designs

� Exploring options for facilitating access to looms

-Facilitating access to credit from MFIs

-Establishing revolving funds for looms

� Responding to demand from buyers

-Scaling-up production capacity: number of producers, amount of time available, efficiency of production, expanding to other groups/ villages -Maintaining quality standards -Organizing management of large orders -Ensuring year-round availability of products

� Follow-up support on formalizing mechanisms for working together

� Follow-up support on design and production of products

� Clarifying and strengthening the role of the WDC in promoting cotton blankets and scarves and facilitating access to markets

4.5.6.5 Post-harvest processing, Samroang Commune

Context

Sotr Nikom District is different from the other project sites in that very few households are engaged in handicraft production of any sort however they are very actively engaged in vegetable cultivation. The community in Samroang Commune expressed a strong interest in improving the quality and marketing of their products in the site selection and CRA processes. Although there are projects in Siem Reap focused on vegetable production and marketing (e.g., ECOSORN, NZAID, CIDA, GTZ), the villagers in Samroang Commune had not yet benefited from these projects.

Overview of project interventions

WDC Project interventions focused on increasing understanding of harvesting methods to obtain higher quality and yields, identifying techniques for storing products for longer periods after harvesting, and increased familiarity with the variety of crops which can be grown for household consumption and sale.

Activities to support the vegetable producers in Samroang Commune are summarized in Table 57 below:

Table 57. Post-harvest processing interventions

Intervention

No. of participants

Facilitators

09Q4 � Study tour to the Per-Urban Agricultural Centre in Kompong Speu Province

20 PCU + PUAC

09Q4/10Q1 � 3 2-day workshops on post-harvest processing 60 Agronomy Office, K Chh

Study tour

On 16-17 November the WDC project team organized a study tour for 20 producer group members from Samroang Commune to visit the Peri-Urban Agricultural Centre (PUAC) in Chamkar Daung Village, Chbar Morn Commune, Chbar Morn District, Kompong Speu Province. Two WDC staff members and one DoWA staff member joined the study tour organized by the project's Assistant Technical Coordinator Ms. Soth Sithon. The study tour visited the PUAC in Kompong Speu, a producer group in Chamkar Daung Village and supermarkets that sell vegetables from PUAC.

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The producer group members learned a lot from the PUAC about how to form groups to work together for marketing and technical support. The producer groups in Samroang Commune were interested in studying vegetable marketing in Siem Reap however they felt that they didn't have a strong enough leader to lead them in this work. Samroang Commune is also far from Siem Reap City and they didn’t have enough money pay for transport to the city and they still needed more information about vegetable production.

Post Harvest Processing Workshops

The project organized three community-level workshops on Post Harvest Processing for a total of 60 participants (50 women) from three villages in Samroang Commune. The workshops were facilitated by two trainers from the Agronomy Office in Kompong Chhnang (Mr. Lock Savat and Mr. Chim Neat).

At the end of the year when the workshops were held most of the producer group members were very busy with vegetable cultivation and had to get up early (around 4.00 am) to water their vegetables. Young women helping their parents to take care of the vegetables and were particularly interested in participating in the workshops. Although the workshops were primarily intended for women, a few men in each village were allowed to join the workshops.

Table 58. Post Harvest Workshops in Samroang Commune

Participants Dates Village

Male Female

28-29 Dec Angkong 4 16

30-31 Dec Bat Dangkao 3 17

01-02 Jan Svay Chrum 3 17

Total 10 50

The training contents:

1. Introduction to post harvest processing 2. Rice 3. Vegetables 4. Root crops 5. Fruits 6. Secondary crops

The facilitators adapted the training contents to fit local conditions: The participants from the three villages were primarily engaged in vegetable cultivation and thus the training focused on vegetables. The facilitators also responded to specific requests from the participants such as technical advice on growing and harvesting cauliflower, a common crop in the district.

The workshops proved to be very useful for the participants who are now able to grow higher quality vegetables to meet market demands, reduce losses due to poor storage, and keep their produce in a good condition for a longer time. After the workshops, all of the participants were able to apply their new skills, knowledge and experience to real practice.

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End of project situation

The relatively low level of interventions had very good results. The producers immediately applied what they learned from the study tour and training workshops and the PSIA found that 75 percent of the vegetable producers surveyed reported increased income from their vegetable production, 100 percent of those who received training felt the training was useful and 94 percent had shared what they had learned with others. The net earnings of vegetable producers surveyed ranged from US$ 12 to 512 with an average income of US$ 214 median income of US$ 207.

All of the producers surveyed reported selling through traders, primarily from their community (55%) but also from other parts of the province (40%) and other provinces (20%).

PSIA Case Study 11: Woman Direct Beneficiary of Vegetable Growing

Mrs. Moeun Pok resides in Svay Chrum Village, Samroang Commune, Sotr Nikom District in Siem Reap Province. She is a leader of a producer group, selected because she is experienced, very active and was perceived to have the ability to manage the group members.

Before the start of the WDC Project the main income of her family came from their rice paddy crop and her selling of vegetables. Her household owns about 3.5 hectares of paddy land. The harvest has been just enough to supply the family’s rice needs for the year.

With the implementation of the WDC Project, she had increased the volume of vegetables grown from her garden by twice the original volume, and has started growing sugar cane too. From the income earned from her vegetables she has saved money to build and operate a new grocery shop in front of her house. This is a visible investment, which she hopes can further increase her income.

With the changes described above, she has not discontinued her growing of vegetables. This year (2009) she received a price of 1,300 Riel (US$0.3) per kilogram for cabbage, earning more despite the cost of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticide bought from Sotr Nikom/Dom Dek market at high prices. The vegetables were bought at her residence. Middlemen came to reserve for purchase all the vegetables cultivated at a price flexible to the prevailing market price, and collected the stock after it was harvested. If the volume of the harvest is larger and there is a surplus beyond the middlemen’s demand, she brings it to sell in the district or provincial town markets. She mentioned that she has the choice of who her middleman will be. She can change them if the given price is not appropriate or when there is difficulty in getting payment from her regular middlemen.

Usually, vegetable farming is done from September to February each year. For her household, she grows vegetables in December because her land is lower and water cannot reach her plot from September to November. For the period covering late 2009 to early 2010, she has doubled the volume of vegetables planted. But next year, she plans to maintain the same production level since the land and labor are limited. She said that her parents assist in cutting grass and fertilizing the vegetables.

The major relevance of the WCD Project for her is that she has used her knowledge, experience and understanding from the training, study tours, and workshops and applied it to her growing of crops and vegetables. She has shared her experiences and knowledge with other group members, relatives, and neighbors who have expressed curiosity about these activities. The main lessons she learned related to natural pesticides usage, fertilizers usage and the uses of nylon nets to create shade for her vegetables and herbs.

The challenge to vegetable growing is that, while she obtained more income compared to last year, she had to spend more on inputs such as seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers. She also spent more money on food and household consumption needs because of inflation. However, a bright spot was that from her total income of the last years she was able to save and was able to buy 1.5 hectares of arable land and one pumping machine for irrigating the vegetables. She was also able to build a new toilet for her house and built a grocery shop.

Moeun Pok felt that the other people in her community could benefit from the project by using the new technology and techniques for growing vegetables and also suggested that the donor continue supporting, strengthening and raising the awareness of group members in obtaining the refresher training/capacity building, as well as some basic vegetable inputs.

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Follow-up needed

While it is beyond the mandate or expertise for the WDCs to directly provide post-harvest processing training, the centers could play a role in broadening access to such training as well a formation and strengthening of producer groups.

� Exploring options for expanding training on post-harvest processing

-Collaborating with the local Agronomy Office -Using most skilled producers as trainers for others

� Follow-up support on formalizing mechanisms for working together and forming new groups

� Clarifying and strengthening the role of the WDC in facilitating access to post-harvest processing training and group formation and strengthening

PSIA Case Study 12: Woman Direct Beneficiary of Vegetable Growing

Mrs. Srey Ny lives in Bat Dangkor Village, Samroang Commune, Sotr Nikom District in Siem Reap Province. She has six dependents and her main income comes from paddy agriculture on a land area of more than one hectare. From September to February each year she is engaged in growing vegetables, mainly cabbage and cauliflower, to supplement her income.

She is the group leader of the producer group of vegetable farming, having become the leader after being selected by her group who saw in her an ability to manage things well. She manages her family’s finances, she has sent her children to attend higher education and she is actively involved in all aspects of civil society, such as community meetings and NGO activities. She is an intrinsically curious person.

Prior to the start up of the Women’s Development Center Project, Mrs. Srey Ny’s main income came from her paddy crop, with some from vegetable farming and selling fish. She borrowed money from private agents in order to supplement her family needs when there was a shortfall.

Her main income still comes from her paddy crop. But there is an increasing amount coming from her vegetables. The harvest volume from her vegetable crop has doubled, as she had followed the project training and advice on producing higher-quality vegetables, improving storage and on keeping produce fresher. She has also been able to engage in pig raising, and is now producing wine in order to use the residue from wine production as part of the feed for the pigs. She also works cooking breakfast for school children.

Srey Ny says that her income has significantly increased. Her vegetable growing provided good income for this year, earning her US$1,000. This was because the crop grew well and she was able to get good prices for her produce. Her main customer is a trader from Kampong Cham province who comes and buys her vegetables at her place of residence.

However, she said that while her income grew, her expenses have also increased. Sending her children to university and spending a great deal on health costs for her ill husband consumes a great deal of her income.

She thinks that the project has provided her with the knowledge and experiences she has gained. She has used these new tools and shared them with her relatives and neighbors. Her training included an understanding of the appropriate season for planting her vegetables, the use of fertilizers, appropriate pesticide usage and ensuring that her vegetables are free of toxic substances and thus healthy/safe for the consumer. The seeds, fertilizers and pesticides for her gardens are bought from the district market of Sotr Nikom.

To increase her growing area, she has used the land that belongs to her brother-in-law. This has doubled the size of the area planted with vegetables. She would really like to increase the growing area further however she has not been able to afford land or the labor as prices are always going up. Land to purchase for cultivation is also limited and, again, very expensive.

She acknowledges that she cannot continue to increase of her plot and that the cost of labor is increasing. She is considering buying land for vegetable growing, as her current landholdings are small. Regarding the benefits to other people in her community, she feels that most people have benefited from the project. There are households in the community not participating in the producer group who grow their own vegetables. Srey Ny revealed that these people have no concern about the health of consumers. As an example, she said they harvest vegetables even after the recent spraying of pesticides. For this reason she has suggested that the WDC Project should provide awareness-raising on the ill effects of pesticide use on people’s health while encouraging the shift to safer vegetable growing techniques.

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4.5.6 Marketing support

4.5.6.1 Market promotion and exhibitions

Phnom Penh Night Bazaar

In late 2007 the Phnom Penh Municipality opened the Phnom Penh Night Bazaar near the Tonle Sap water front, a key tourism venue as well as popular destination for Phnom Penh families and young people. When the Municipality offered MoWA a booth at the Night Bazaar this was seen as a good opportunity to introduce the Trangnel sedge mats and other products from Kompong Chhnang to the Phnom Penh market as well as an opportunity to provide the Kompong Chhnang WDC staff with exposure to higher value markets. Initially it had been hoped that representatives of producers from Trangnel Commune would use this as an opportunity to learn more about the Phnom Penh market however they were reluctant to do so and at that point were not yet organized in a manner which could enable a representative to sell products on behalf of other producers. Never-the-less, the high quality of the Trangnel mats was very much appreciated by all buyers and potential buyers—although the younger generation didn't care much for the traditional colors and designs.

As the stock of products was constrained by the seasonal nature of production, after a few months the ministry gave up its booth. While this was unfortunate, the Kompong Chhnang WDC staff who had been managing the MoWA Night Bazaar booth had learned more about market interests and potential.

Siem Reap International Women's Day exhibition

As part of International Women’s Day celebrations, MoWA organized an exhibition in Siem Reap 3-5 March 2009. Assistant Technical Coordinator Soth Sithon and Leng Soboran from the Kompong Chhnang WDC organized a display of products from

producers assisted by WDCs including rattan baskets, romchek products, sedge mats, carpets and bamboo products.

The Siem Reap provincial authorities estimated that approximately 10,000 people visited the product fair. This provided an excellent opportunity to test market the products and most of the products displayed were found to be marketable particularly:

1. Carpets (small, any color)

2. Sedge mats (some new designs and some old designs)

3. Bamboo products (particularly placemats)

4. Rattan baskets (new designs, good quality) The customers were most interested in the placemats made from bamboo, bamboo baskets (large and small), and good quality equipment for use in the kitchen.

Soboran (above) and Sithon (right) with products displayed at the Siem Reap product fair

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Launching products at Asia Pacific Conference in Siem Reap

On 25-26 November 2009 MoWA hosed the Asia-Pacific Conference on Prevention of Violence Against Women and Children: Focus on Urban Youth with participants from 23 countries in the region with funding support from UNFPA. The Minister of MoWA invited the WDC Project to use this as an opportunity to launch the new products developed with the assistance of the project. A product display was set up at the conference venue and the conference organizers ordered romchek handbags to be given to all conference participants.

Special bags were prepared for the guests of honor, H.E. Bun Rany Hun Sen, wife of the Prime Minister, and H.E. Men Sam An, Deputy Prime Minister. The special guests and the conference participants were impressed with the products on display: romchek and prao products, carpets, rattan and bamboo products, processed foods, and cotton blankets. H.E. Bun Rany Hun Sen bought a lot of sedge mats made by producers in Kompong Chhnang. The conference participants were also interested in buying the products. Product display

Presentation of gift to H.E. Bun Rany Hun Sen

Bamboo products displayed at the Siem Reap product fair

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National Trade Fair in Phnom Penh

Cooperating with the Provincial Department of Commerce, two staff members from the Kompong Chhnang WDC participated in a National Trade Fair held at the Mondial Center in Phnom Penh from 14-18 December. During this five-day trade fair over US$ 600 of products developed with the assistance of the WDC Project were sold including bamboo products, handbags, sedge mats, and food processing products. The WDC staff were also able to learn more about markets and products as well as customer interests and needs.

Establishing links with the private sector tourist industry

There is good future potential to attract tourists to the Siem Reap WDC to see how products are made and to buy product made by women assisted by WDCs in Siem Reap and other provinces. Contact was made with tour companies to introduce the WDC and gauge their interest in bringing tourists to the center. Two companies visited the center, APEX Tours and Indochina Service Tours. As the product display area had not yet been completed, the companies suggested that the center needed to have products and a site that would be attractive to tourists. They will contact the center to discuss future cooperation.

Product promotion at the inauguration of the WDC in Siem Reap

The inauguration of the Siem Reap WDC provided an excellent opportunity to exhibit and sell products in the WDCs beautiful new showroom. Nearly US$ 1,000 of products were sold in just a few hours after the official ceremony.

Producers were also available to demonstrate how they made their products.

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Product showrooms

The showrooms in both Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang have been beautifully designed with a combination of traditional architectural features and layout designed by the project's Architect/ Designer, Nivana Cheng, and story boards and photographs designed by Graphic Designer, Bronwyn Brown. Views of the Siem Reap showroom are shown above. Views of the Kompong Chhnang showroom are shown below:

As the WDC Project was coming to an end, both centers had accumulated income from the sale of products. Most of the products sold had been produced as part of training workshops. As the stock of goods in the showrooms had been greatly depleted by successful sales at trade fairs and other exhibitions, it was agreed that the income should be used to order more products and raw materials.

The Siem Reap WDC had accumulated approximately US$ 1,000 from product sales. After discussions with the Siem Reap WDC staff facilitated by the Assistant Technical Coordinator (Sithon) and Management and Training Consultant (Sarom), the WDC agreed to order sedge mats (30), bamboo place mats (5 sets) and small bamboo baskets (50) from producer groups in Kompong Chhnang. They also ordered a stock of cotton for weaving blankets (300 kgs = 250 blankets), romchek mats for making handbags (100 pieces) and materials for making handbags.

The Kompong Chhnang WDC had accumulated approximately US$ 600 from product sales. Discussions with the Kompong Chhnang WDC were facilitated by the Technical Coordinator (Veasna) and Management and Training Consultant (Sarom). The WDC agreed to order sedge mats and bamboo products from producer groups, and ordered cotton for making kromas, triangle sedge for weaving with cotton, and materials for making handbags.

Procedures were put into place for recording sales, controlling inventory and safeguarding cash at both centers.

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4.5.6.2 Product branding

The Project Management Consultant (Cheryl) designed a logo to be used for marketing products developed with the assistance of WDCs as shown to the right. The Khmer translation of the word ‘wise’ (Chilirwei) is also being used in marketing materials. The logo was approved by the Minister of Women’s Affairs and has been registered with the Ministry of Commerce. The logo was used to produce product labels and a draft catalogue.

Additional marketing materials were prepared with the assistance of graphic designer, Bronwyn Brown. This included a brochure (see left and Annex 3), swing tags and a webpage. The webpage can be found at www.wisewomen.com.kh

4.5.7 Family livelihood and income generation workshops

The final major event in each province was 'Family livelihood and income generation workshops'. These two-day workshops were designed to strengthen coordination of WDC and MoWA staff with NGOs, local government institutions and the private sector in providing support to producer groups.

The objectives of the workshops were:

� Increased understanding the WID Center history and the WDC Project

� Increased understanding the WDC's role and responsibilities

� Increased awareness of producer group problems

� Learning from experiences in addressing producer group problems related to income generation for the family

� Increased cooperation and support from MoWA management and the WDC Project to develop life skills, business strategy and action plan for community women

� Identification of recommendation for responding to life skills and family income generation activities for community women

The workshop was held in Kompong Chhnang 22-23 February 2010, and in Siem Reap 25-26 February. There were a total of 226 participants in the two workshops (155 women and 71 men). Details are shown in Table 59 below:

Women in Small Enterprise Cambodia

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Table 59. Participants in family livelihood and income generation workshops

K. Chhnang Siem Reap No.

Organization F M F M

Total

1 MoWA senior management 10 2 10 3 25

2 PDWA staff 3 - 5 1 9

3 WDC staff 6 - 6 - 12

4 Producer group members 45 - 41 1 87

5 Provincial line departments 4 6 3 4 17

6 Local government authorities 1 19 4 14 38

7 NGOs 3 5 11 8 27

8 Private sector - - - - -

9 ADB staff 2 3 1 - 6

10 Press (CTN, APSARA, TVK, Bayon) - 2 - 3 5

Total 74 37 81 34 226

The workshops were opened by H.E. Chan Sorey, MoWA Secretary of State responsible for economic development programs. H.E. Chan Sorey's opening remarks were followed by a presentation on the aims, objectives and expected outputs from the workshop. The Project Technical Coordinator (Veasna) then made a presentation on background of the WID Centers and the WDC Project's strategies and activities. This was followed by a presentation on the Community Resource Assessment findings by the Assistant Technical Coordinator (Sithon). The WDC Director then provided an overview of the assistance provided by the WDC Project in each province.

One representative of producer groups from each commune was then invited to share their impressions of the WDC Project. Most of them focused on the benefits they had received from the project and the WDC such as strengthened capacity and skills, product development, and marketing. They did not mention any problems. Most of the producer group representatives said that they were very happy with the WDC Project's activities. And that they had all received good benefit for their family such as increased income; new designs for romchek, proa, rattan, sedge and carpets; food processing; and, home safety as well as skills such as self confidence. The producer groups in Siem Reap requested that all agencies and other institutions continue to provide new designs for their products, assist them with finding markets and job opportunities, and assist with improving product quality.

At the end of day one, the participants were invited to visit the showroom and product demonstrations at the WDC.

The second day of each workshop was primarily small group discussions focused on three questions:

1. What are the problems faced by the producer groups? How could your institution help to support the producer groups in the community?

2. What should be the strategy to sustain the WDC?

3. What are the roles and responsibilities of the producer groups in using the community production centers in each commune? Who will manage these centers and how they should they manage the centers?

The participants were divided into three groups for these discussions. Table 60 below shows the groupings for Kompong Chhnang. Similar grouping was used in Siem Reap.

Table 60. Groups for small group discussions in family livelihood and income generation workshops

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3

Kampong Leang District Governor Rolea B'ier District Governor MoWA official

NGOs Related Provincial Departments MFI

Producer groups from Trangnel Commune

Producer groups from Toek Hout Commune

Producer groups from Chheung Krio Commune

Commune councilors and village chiefs Commune councilors and village chiefs Commune councilors and village chiefs

District women's focal point District women's focal point District women's focal point or female commune councilor

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1. Producer group problems

Problems identified by the producer groups included: - Techniques in producing bamboo, round sedge, triangle sedge, rattan, romchek, proa, carpets, cotton

blankets and reed products are still limited and do not yet meet quality standards

- Capital for investment

- Shortage of raw materials to produce products (all kinds of bamboo, round sedge, triangle sedge, hemp and reed)

- Limited business skills

- Materials for producing products

- Lack of cooperative work

- Lack of market for products and low prices

- Lack of support from clients to purchase local products

- Lack of water in dry season (water use for dyeing)

- Quality of products is low standard

- Lack of management skills

- Managing the production chain (used to work as individual) Suggested support for producer groups

WDCs - Building relation with other stakeholders/institutions, especially the private sector

- Establish business network within community and throughout the country

- Display products in the WDC and in the producers' communities

- Should have enough information related to business, technique and MFIs

- Continue support for skills training and capacity building

- Provide training related to product development

MoWA - Provide skills training and capacity building

- Help to find financial to support for the WDCs and producer groups

- Facilitate on issues related to requests to establish businesses and business associations

Related government institutions - Provide relevant information on time - Help to buy products from the producer groups - Facilitate on issues related to requests to establish businesses and business associations - Provide technical and financial support to the WDCs and producer groups

Private sector - Dissemination of products

- Provide technical skills

- Provide support on raw materials

- Find markets for products outside the country

- Support on finding skilled persons to check the quality of the products

- Help to check product quality before sale in the market

- Provide business counseling to producer group

NGOs - Establish saving groups within producer groups

- Provide technical support and experience (local and international study tour) on business operation

- Link products to the market

- Provide techniques and skills on product development

- Provide capacity building training

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Producer groups - Good collaboration with local authorities

- Contribute earned money to reserve in the group

- Work as a cooperative group and support each other

- Improve planting of raw materials and take care of existing raw materials (bamboo and reed)

- Establish business groups and products on time

- Ensure quality of products

- Clearly label products with contact information

- Not just depend on outside support

Local authorities - Dissemination and provide ideas to the producer groups

- Facilitate to provide the community with land/pond to plant raw materials

- Take good care of raw materials within the community

- Create a community forest or take good care of existing community forest

- Work together with the producer groups to plant raw materials 2. Strategy to sustain the WDC

WDCs - Learn more about production skills, product design, find markets to support the producer groups

- Provide information at the WDC

- Display all kinds of local products

MoWA - Provide skills training and capacity building

- Find financial support for WDCs and producer groups

Related government institutions - Provide skills training

- Disseminate products

- Find sources of financial support

Private sector - Find international markets

- Form a skilled quality checking group

- Provide market information

NGOs - Provide technical support and experience on business operations (local and international study tours)

- Link products to the market

- Provide techniques and skills on product development

- Provide capacity building training

Producer groups - Improve quality of products

- Work as a cooperative group, support each other and maintain good collaboration with WDC

- Improve marketing of products by themselves

- Each producer group needs to produce products which fit to the market

- Display products with good quality in WDC

- Take responsibility for the production chain themselves

- Set reasonable prices for products

- Conduct market study themselves

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3. Roles and responsibilities in managing the commune centers

Producer groups

- Producer groups are responsible for managing the centers

- Disseminate community products

- Use as a meeting place and for skills training for producer group members

- Display products for selling

- Establish clear roles and responsibilities within the team

- Follow the center's structure and regulations

WDC - Guide on how to implement the center's structure and regulations

- Follow-up on producer group activities as needed

MoWA - Provide support on management skills

- Assist in developing center structure

- Assist in developing the center's regulations and statutes

- Introduce the center to other stakeholders and institutions

Local authorities (commune council and village) - Provide advice and ideas - Support and encouragement - Security support The workshop outputs showed that everyone was very happy with the WDC Project's benefits to the producer groups including increased income; improved relationships within the family; and, the new skills, knowledge, experience, techniques and technology which enabled improved product quality and increased production. The use raw material is now more economical and efficient, doing away with the wasteful practice of throwing away short lengths of raw materials. The producer group members did however identify the need for more market information, improved product quality, and increased availability of raw materials such as bamboo, rattan, proa, romchek, etc. They also identified the need for further technical support, access to capital and markets, and expanded employment opportunities.

4.5.8 Overall assessment of Component C

4.5.8.1 Achievements

The monitorable deliverables/outputs for this component were:

i. Acquired entrepreneurial skills in micro- and small enterprise development for 3,000 women, including equipment

ii. Provision of a facility for business resources and information, to include a business startup referral service

As defined in the GIM, activities under this component were expected to consist of (i) entrepreneurial training, microenterprise development training, and possibly retraining for former garment factory workers; (ii) providing an information resource center that serves as a referral for micro- and small enterprise development; (iii) business and technical support, such as provision of common facility and/or business incubator units and equipment; intermediary services linking the center with provincial departments to secure common licensing for business startups; social and financial intermediation; and partnering with NGOs and government agencies to provide information on product development, design, procurement, and marketing; and, (iv) upgrading of existing skills and knowledge.

Project interventions placed emphasis on activity (iv) upgrading of existing skills and knowledge, in partnership with NGOs, other government agencies and the private sector; and, activity (i) entrepreneurial training/microenterprise training, through both direct training and as part of

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interventions with producer group leaders. The WDCs followed a community-based, participatory approach to MSE development rather than generic business startup referral services (Activity ii); information and services need to be relevant to the needs of specific types of businesses. Business and technical support (Activity iii) also included provision of common facilities and equipment at both the WDCs and commune levels as discussed in Component A. The reluctance of producer group members to form formal associations precluded placing any emphasis on common licensing, although the groups in Trangnel Commune were beginning to move in this direction by the end of the project.

Emphasis was placed on product development, product design, upgrading skills and expanding production capacity. For the most part, production was limited by the time producers had available for non-agricultural livelihood activities, product quality and access to markets, and not access to capital. The main exception would be those bamboo handicraft producers in Chheung Krio Commune who rely on advances from market intermediaries to procure raw materials and are then forced to accept lower prices for their products. Access to capital for producers to purchase their own equipment (i.e., looms and heavy-duty sewing machines) also became an issue as new products were introduced (e.g., cotton blankets, handbags, etc.).

The outputs achieved included:

ii. Enhanced entrepreneurship and livelihood skills for at least 1,500 producer group members or their family members including9:

a. Entrepreneurship and enterprise development skills training for 574 participants (550 women)

b. 433 members of sedge mat producer groups in Trangnel Commune, Kompong Chhnang

c. 50 members of sedge and triangle sedge mat producer groups in Toek Hout Commune, Kompong Chhnang

d. 101 members of bamboo handicrafts producer groups in Chheung Krio Commune, Kompong Chhnang

e. 106 members of prao, cotton blankets and carpet producers groups in Leang Dai Commune, Siem Reap

f. 155 members of romchek and rattan basket producers groups in Svay Chek Commune, Siem Reap

g. 45 members of vegetable producer groups in Samraong Commune, Siem Reap

iii. Indirect benefits to at least 5,000 family and community members

iv. Provision of facilities for business resources and information

As with life skills activities, MSE development interventions achieved both more and less than originally planned. It would theoretically have been possible to have reached a larger group if the project had placed greater emphasis on generic enterprise and entrepreneurship development training and traditional vocational training. It was decided however, to pursue a more intensive participatory, market-oriented approach to enterprise development building on existing skills, resources and interests in the target communities. This proved to be a challenging process involving nine value chains or product lines (round sedge, triangle sedge, bamboo, romchek, rattan, prao, cotton blankets, carpets and processed foods) however the results were generally much appreciated by all.

In introducing new production skills into communities the project generally focused on ‘key’ producers, most often the head of the producer group. These producers were trained to be master producers with the expectation that they would then train the members of their group and others; this meant that a single key producer may have participated in as many as eight project-sponsored activities. True master producers emerged and successfully provided training to others.

9 Producer group members often nominated members of their families to participate in specific interventions. The total number of direct beneficiaries is thus greater than the total number of producer group members.

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4.5.8.2 Future directions

The WDC Project's community-based, participatory approach to MSE development as well as individual Component C interventions were well recognized as appropriate and beneficial in the PSIA and as well as in feedback from beneficiaries and other stakeholders. Recommendations for follow-up for each value chain have been discussed in sections 3.5.4 and 3.5.5 of this report. The outputs from the 'Family livelihood and income generation' workshops provide further guidance on priorities for the future from the perspective of major stakeholders (see section 3.5.7).

The main questions and challenges lie in the roles and capacities of the WDCs in Kompong Chhnang and Siem Reap, and the MoWA Economic Development Department (EDD) to provide or facilitate the needed follow-up support to producer groups established under the WDC Project, and the expansion of the community-based, participatory approach to MSE development to other centers and communities.

As noted earlier, the WDC Project's approach to MSE development was significantly different from more traditional approaches to vocational training and enterprise development prevalent in WID Centers and the country as a whole (see sections 1.2 and 3.5.1). The project actively sought to develop and pilot an alternative approach to women's economic empowerment and MSE development based on international best practices. Implementation of project activities explicitly sought to actively engage and strengthen the capacity of WDC/PDWA staff in project activities as a means of demonstrating to them and engaging them in an alternative way of working, and shifting existing attitudes from a center-oriented to a beneficiary-oriented approach to service delivery.

Beneficiary-lead identification of priorities for assistance, and community-based training and support is radically different from the center-lead and center-based vocational training provided by traditional WID centers. Product development interventions tailored to the needs and capacities of the producer groups entailed inputs from numerous external resource persons as well as intensive engagement of the project's Management and Training Consultant (Sarom). External financial and technical support would be needed to enable the WDC staff to provide follow-up support to the producer groups. Staff incentives which support service delivery priorities are also needed to maintain a beneficiary-oriented approach.

The capacity of the WDC staff to effectively manage and promote product sales through the center showrooms also remains a question. The Aide Memoire for the final ADB review mission strongly recommended: "Contract or outsource the retail stream of WDC operations to a competent NGO or private social enterprise. Retail should not be the job of a government line ministry. This should be left to private sector entities or NGOs that have a comparative advantage in socially responsible retail and marketing and that operate on fair trade principles. Without competent management, marketing, and restocking, the beautiful WDC retail spaces are sure to gather dust and cobwebs."

Issues related to overall WDC management and capacity are discussed further in section 3.6.

Funding and other support has been or is being mobilized from a number of sources for MSE development and support activities:

� Modest funding has been approved for 2010 to support WDC development activities with all centers under the mandate of MoWA under the Ministry of Economy and Finance's 'Program Budget' modality.

� MoWA has entered into an agreement with GTZ for collaboration on activities under the handicraft component GTZ's Green Belt/RED program in Siem Reap.

� MoWA's Economic Development Department is working with the World Bank on bamboo handicraft development in Kompong Chhnang.

� The UNDP PGE project is supporting the development of the center in Kompong Speu.

� The EDD has also submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Commerce Trade Sector Support Program to support follow-up activities in Kompong Chhnang and Siem Reap.

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� The EDD is also advocating for a shift in responsibility for funds allocated for traditional vocational training in the National Budget from the Finance and Logistics Department to EDD to enable more strategic use of these funds.

� An enterprise development plan has been drafted for the Siem Reap WDC to support resource mobilization.

Much more is needed and these various initiatives need to be integrated within the framework of a program-based approach.

An expected output in MoWA's strategic plan for 2009-2013, Neary Rattanak III is "Business development services for MSMEs established for women". While no specific targets have been set, activities to be carried by the EDD and WDCs in cooperation with other relevant agencies and the private sector include:

1. Transform WID Centers to WDCs – from supply driven vocational training centers to demand driven enterprise development centers providing technical training, enterprise development services, life skills and empowerment support.

2. Pilot community-based activities to promote employment opportunities for women in urban and rural areas.

3. Facilitate formation of MSME producer groups and networks of women entrepreneurs and linkages with financial service providers.

4. Strengthen information dissemination on MFI and micro-credit among female entrepreneurs.

The EDD needs to further elaborate a program-based strategy and plan to guide and support resource mobilization, harmonization of the various projects, and preparation and implementation of annual operating plans. Technical assistance is likely to be needed to support preparation of the strategy and plan.

The WDCs in Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang need to carefully review the follow-up needed by producer groups in each commune in consultation with the producer groups, and develop strategies and plans for providing or facilitating access to the needed support. The EDD should be actively engaged in encouraging and guiding the community consultations and preparation of plans.

4.6 COMPONENT D: CAPACITY BUILDING

ADB TA No.3947-CAM provided capacity building support to PDWAs in six provinces and WID Centers in five of these provinces 10 as well as staff of what is now the MoWA Economic Development Department. At the final workshop for ADB TA No. 3947 the Minister of Women’s Affairs, H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi, clarified the differences between the types of activities which should be carried out by the PDWAs and WID Centers/WDCs: the PDWAs should promote gender-responsive policies and programs in cooperation with line departments to better meet the needs of women in the province while the WID Centers/WDCs should focus on skills training for women, and helping women to gain employment and become entrepreneurs.

The PDWAs have an advantage over the WDCs of somewhat higher capacity staff as well as officers at the district level. In their role as advocate for gender-responsive policies and programs they were well positioned to assist with mobilizing support from line departments for WDC activities. Thus, while the project was focused on the WDCs in provincial level activities, it was also very important to engage the PDWAs in project activities.

At the beginning of the project the WID Centers/WDCs officially reported directly to MoWA, although government funding was channeled through the PDWAs. Keeping responsibility for WDC management separate was seen as a way to provide greater autonomy to the centers with the long-term vision of establishing the centers as autonomous or semi-autonomous entities. There were also political considerations as some of the centers (including the center in Kompong Chhnang) were viewed as 'Funcinpec' centers while nearly all PDWA Directors were CPP. Given the nature of the

10 Kompong Chhnang, Kompong Speu, Kompong Cham, Banteay Meanchey, Pursat, and Takeo (PDWA only)

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WDCs' work, it was hoped that greater autonomy would provide more flexibility in the recruitment of more business-minded staff and minimize politicizing of staffing decisions.

Mid-way through the project, direct responsibility for WDCs was shifted from MoWA to the PDWAs. The Economic Development Department was made responsible for technical support while the General Directorate for Administration and Finance was given responsibility for personnel matters. The WDC Directors were officially designated as deputy directors of the PDWAs. In more established centers such as the Kompong Chhnang WDC this was not a major change, particularly since extensive effort had been made to establish and maintain good relations between the PDWA and WDC under this and previous ADB assistance. The situation in Siem Reap was complicated by the fact that the three PIU members were selected from PDWA staff and no new staff were recruited for the center until the project was coming to an end. This made institutional and staff capacity building particularly difficult.

4.6.1 WDCs and PDWAs

4.6.1.1 Institutional and staff capacity assessment

Kompong Chhnang WDC profile

The institutional strengthening processes started with the preparation of a profile of the WDC including information on the current operations and activities of the center and potential local partners (local government, NGOs, private sector). A preliminary profile had been prepared for the Kompong Chhnang center in 2003 under an ILO-supported project. This tool was revised and the profile updated in June 2006. Interviews were conducted with all center staff and a sample of former students. Consultants from the UNDP/PGE project and members of the Policy Unit PMG assisted in gathering information for the WID center profile.

Highlights of the profile:

Center Personnel: 11 staff (10 women) Management (2): Director and Deputy Director (also training coordinator and wedding trainer) Trainers (5): sewing (2), weaving (2), hairdressing/wedding fitting assistant (1) Administration (1) (also food processing trainer) Accountant (1) Cook (1) Guard (1)

Only two of the nine professional staff (excluding cook and guards) had completed upper secondary school ( Grade 12). One had completed Grade 10, five Grade 9, and one Grade 6.

The Director and Deputy Director are government staff. The rest were contract employees—six under an allotment from MoWA and three contracted directly by the center.

All of the staff with the exception of the cook participated in workshops organized under ADB TA No. 3947-CAM on facilitation skills, data gathering and analysis, and gender and enterprise. Some of the staff received training from other sources including the Director and one staff member who attended a 6-week workshop on leadership and enterprise management; two who attended 3-week workshops on village-based food processing; and, one who attended a 6-week workshop on introduction to career development.

Staff knowledge and skills: All of the professional staff had an average to good understanding of basic gender concepts, facilitation skills, data gathering and analysis, and basic gender and enterprise concepts and were able to provide training to community women. One of the trainers had been asked to provide training on gender and enterprise for staff of an international NGO. In order to transform the WID Center into a WDC, the staff needed to strengthen their knowledge and skills in communication with other government institutions, NGOs and the private sector; problem solving; information storage and retrieval; marketing; and, business counseling. Facilitation skills also needed further strengthening.

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Training services offered: From 2000 to 2005 training services centered on traditional women’s skills including sewing (46% of trainees), weaving (26%) and wedding fitting (21%). Food processing training was added in 2004 after three staff members received training in food processing under a MoWA project supported by FAO. Figure 2 below shows the number of students per year in each skill area in the five years prior to the inception of the WDC Project. The staff had also organized three workshops on gender and enterprise for community women enrolled in vocational training courses at the center.

The center had also organized a course on pig-raising for 30 farmers in 2004 in collaboration with the Provincial Department of Agriculture.

The majority of former students had not been able to apply the skills they learned and most were employed in garment factories. Some had been able to apply the skills they learned and established successful businesses however felt that technical skills alone were not enough and they also needed to develop skills in client relations, marketing, budget management and business operations.

Income and expenditures: Government funding through MoWA was by far the most important source of income for the center (62% of total income for 2000-2005 and 86% of income in 2005). The center received funds from the National Training Fund until 2004 and was receiving funding for training sponsored by other organizations (i.e., PRASAC, LWS). Income from the sale of products provided 5.7% of total income in 2005. See Figure 3 on the next page.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Sewing Weaving Wedding fitting Food processing

No.

of

stu

den

ts

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Figure 2. Training provided by the Kompong Chhnang WID Center, 2000-2005

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Figure 4. Composition of total expenditures 2000-2005

Food for the trainees was by far the largest expenditure category (Figure 4) – and was generally viewed as an incentive which needed to be provided to attract students.

The Director directly managed all income and expenditures.

Training needs assessment of the Siem Reap PDWA/PIU staff

As the Siem Reap WDC did not yet have staff of its own, the Management and Training Consultant prepared a Training Need Assessment (TNA) questionnaire and send it to the then PIU Manager Mrs. Em Phalla Mony at the PDWA in Siem Reap in May 2007. This questionnaire was completed by the three WDC PIU members (all women) and 14 PDWA staff (13 women).

Analysis of the TNA showed that the PDWA/PIU staff needed and were interested in learning more about: 1. Facilitation Skills 2. Data Gathering and Analysis 3. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) Skills

Trainees' food

65.1%Training materials

9.1%

Administration

12.7%

Staff salaries8.5%

Other support for trainees 1.0%

Closing ceremonies 0.5%

Transportation 1.7%

Debt repayment 0.6%Medication 0.8%

Figure 3. Center income by source, 2000-2005

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

$ '0

00s

Product sales

Sponsored training

National TrainingFund

Government (MoWA)

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4. Community Resources Assessment (CRA) facilitation 5. Gender and Development

� Gender Awareness � Gender Analysis Frameworks � Gender Responsiveness in Planning Cycle � Gender Responsiveness in Monitoring and Evaluation � Gender and Agriculture � Gender and Enterprise

6. Communication skills 7. Management skills 8. Administration skills

As the first four areas were considered critical important for the implementation of the WDC Project, these were given initial priority. Other skills areas were to be addressed as the project proceeded.

4.6.1.2 Core skills

Staff of the Kompong Chhnang WDC had received training in basic skills under ADB TA No. 3947-CAM at were thus at a different starting point than the Siem Reap staff. This had included facilitation skills, data gathering and analysis and, participatory rural appraisal (PRA), as well as gender and enterprise.

Review workshop on data gathering and analysis and participatory rapid appraisal (PRA) in

Kompong Chhnang

The WDC Project sponsored a review workshop on 'Data Gathering and Analysis' and 'Introduction

to PRA Methodologies' for WDC and PDWA staff in Kompong Chhnang 2-7 April 2007. There were a total of 13 participants in this workshop (all women). This was in preparation for conducting Community Resource Assessment workshops. This workshop was facilitated by Veasna (Technical Coordinator), Sithon, Chanthy and Kimsouen (MoWA staff) with support from the Management and Training Consultant.

Facilitation skills workshops in Siem Reap

The WDC Project sponsored a five-day workshop on 'Facilitation Skills' for PIU and PDWA staff in Siem Reap in June 2007 with a total of 16 participants (14 women). The workshop was facilitated by Kimseoun, Veasna, Pharavy and Sithon (MoWA staff). An assessment of participants at the end of the workshop found that three staff members had very good knowledge, skills and experience and six had good knowledge but needed more experience. The remaining six staff members were assessed as poor to fair. Details are shown in Table 61 below. Table 61: Assessment of facilitation skills, Siem Reap PDWA and WDC PIU

Very good knowledge, skills and experience

Good knowledge, but need

more experience Fair Poor

Mrs. Tan Kimchan Mrs. Chhun Sophon Mrs. Heng Kim Ms. Roseal Vantheon

Mrs. Oum Rin Mrs. Seon Sa Yon Ms. La Oun Ms. Vearn Sovan

Mrs. Em Phalla Mony Ms. Loy Ratana Ms. Ay Setha

Mr. Plang Peakdey

Ms. Mao Sameun

Ms. Luch Khunthea

Workshop on participatory rural appraisal in Siem Reap

The WDC Project organized a four-day workshop on Participatory Rural Appraisal Methodologies in July 2007 in Siem Reap to introduced the basic principles and methodologies need for the CRA workshops. The participants included 16 PDWA staff (14 women). The workshop was facilitated by Kimsoeun, Chanty and Sithon (MoWA staff). An assessment of staff capacity to facilitate PRA processes is shown in Table 62 below.

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Table 62: Assessment of PRA skills, Siem Reap PDWA and WDC PIU

Very good knowledge, skills and experience

Good knowledge, but need

more experience Fair Poor

Mrs. Tan Kimchan Mrs. Chhun Sophon Mrs. Heng Kim Ms. Roseal Vantheon

Mrs. Oum Rin Mrs. Seon Sa Yon Ms. La Oun Ms. Vearn Sovan

Mrs. Em Phalla Mony Ms. Loy Ratana Ms. Ay Setha

Mr. Plang Peakdey

Ms. Mao Sameun

Ms. Luch Khunthea

Workshop on facilitating community resource assessment workshops in Kompong Chhnang

The WDC Project organized a four-day workshop on 'Facilitating Community Resource Assessments' in May 2007 in Kompong Chhnang. The participants included 6 staff from MoWA (4 women); 5 WDC staff (4 women) and 3 PDWA staff (2 women). The workshop was facilitated by Sarom, Sithon, Kimseoun and Chanthy (MoWA staff). An assessment of staff capacity to facilitate CRA workshops is shown in Table 63 below (including MoWA staff who participated in the informal workshop held at MoWA in April 2007 discussed in Section 3.6.2.1). This assessment was used to identify the facilitation teams for the CRA workshops held at the commune level as reported in Section 3.2. Table 63: Assessment of MoWA and WDC/PDWA K Chhnang capacity to facilitate CRA workshops

Able to facilitate without MTC support

Able to facilitate with MTC support

Not able to facilitate

MoWA 1. Mrs. Veasna 2. Mrs. Sithon 3. Mrs. Kimsouen 4. Mrs. Chanthy

1. Mrs. Pharavy 2. Mr. Sothon 3. Mr. Phiseth 4. Mrs. Bunheng 5. Mr. Chang

1. Mrs. Thipdavy 2. Mrs. Phaliny 3. Mrs. Vanak 4. Mrs. Leakhena

WDC K.Chhnang 1. Mrs. Men En 2. Mrs. Sothy 3. Ms. Ngeab

1. Mrs. Pheary 2. Mr. Neang 3. Ms. Vean

PDWA K.Chhnang

1. Mrs. Dara 1. Ms. Channa 2. Mr. Rath

Workshop on facilitating community resource assessment workshops in Siem Reap

The WDC Project organized a four-day workshop on 'Facilitating Community Resource Assessments' in July 2007 in Siem Reap with 16 PDWA staff (14 women). The workshop was facilitated by Sarom, Veasna and Pharavy (MoWA staff). An assessment of staff capacity to facilitate CRA workshops is shown in Table 64 below. This assessment was used to identify the facilitation teams for the CRA workshops held at the commune level as reported in Section 3.2.

Table 64: Assessment of CRA skills, Siem Reap PDWA and WDC PIU

Very good knowledge, skills and experience

Good knowledge, but need

more experience Fair Poor

Mrs. Hean Kimseak

Mrs. Em Phalla Mony

Mrs. Seoun Sa Yon

Mrs. U Sophea

Mr. Plang Peakdey

Ms. Mao Sameun

Mrs. Chhun Sophon

Ms. Loy Ratana

Ms. Sok Kunthea

Mrs. Heng Kim

Mrs. Tan Kimchan

Ms. Sam So Yen

Workshop on data gathering and analysis in Siem Reap

The WDC Project organized a four-day workshop on 'Data Gathering and Analysis' in September 2007 for 16 PDWA staff (15 women). The workshop was facilitated by Sarom (MTC), Kanthouen and Chanthy (MoWA staff). An assessment of staff capacity on data gathering and analysis is shown in Table 65 below.

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Table 65: Assessment of Data Gathering and Analysis Skills, Siem Reap PDWA and WDC PIU

Very good knowledge, skills and experience

Good knowledge, but need

more experience Fair Poor

Mrs. Tan Kimchan

Ms. Souphoun

Mrs. Oum Rin

Mrs. Em Phalla Mony

Mrs. Seoun Sa Yon

Mr. Plang Peakdey

Ms. Mao Sameun

Mrs. Chhun Sophon

Ms. Loy Ratana

Ms. Soeun Siyon

Ms. Sok Kunthea

Ms. La Oun

Ms. Vearn Sovan

Ms. Ay Setha

Computer and English language training for WDC staff

Eight Kompong Chhnang WDC staff members were sponsored to attend computer courses at a private training institution in Kompong Chhnang town focused on Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. In Siem Reap, the WDC Advisor provided initial training to the PIU manager on Microsoft Word and document management. Later, the three PIU members were sponsored to attend a course at a private training institution. Four Kompong Chhnang WDC staff members also studied English on weekends at the Provincial Department of Commerce organized by the DED-GTZ Private Sector Promotion Project.

4.6.1.3 Training of trainers

Gender and enterprise refresher training in Kompong Chhnang

In preparation for facilitating community level workshops, a refresher workshop on 'Gender and

Enterprise' was conducted with nine Kompong Chhnang WDC staff, three Provincial Department of Women’s Affairs (PDWA) staff and staff from MoWA’s Economic Development Department from 28 August to 1 September 2006. This workshop was facilitated by the Project Technical Coordinator and other key members of MoWA’s Economic Development Department (Veasna, Sithon, Kimsoeun, Chanthy and Sopheap) with guidance and support from the Management and Training Consultant.

Training of trainers workshop on gender and enterprise in Siem Reap

The WDC Project organized a five-day training of trainers workshop on 'Gender and Enterprise' in September 2007 in Siem Reap for 16 PDWA staff (14 women). The workshop was facilitated by Sarom (MTC), Kimsoeun and Bonheng (MoWA staff). An assessment of staff capacity on data gathering and analysis is shown in Table 66 below.

Table 66: Assessment of Gender and Enterprise skills, Siem Reap PDWA and WDC PIU

Very good knowledge, skills and experience

Good knowledge, but need

more experience Fair Poor

--

Mrs. Tan Kimchan

Mrs. Em Phalla Mony

Mrs. Oum Rin

Ms. Souphoun

Ms. La Oun

Mrs. Seoun Sa Yon

Mr. Plang Peakdey

Ms. Mao Sameun

Ms. Loy Ratana

Mrs. Hean Kimseak

Ms. Sok Kunthea

Ms. Vearn Sovan

Ms. Ay Setha

Gender and enterprise workshop for PDWA staff in Kompong Chhnang

At the request of the PDWA Director in Kompong Chhnang, the Management and Training Consultant, Technical Coordinator and Assistant Technical Coordinator facilitated a five-day workshop on ‘Gender and Enterprise' for 23 staff (19 women) of the Kompong Chhnang PDWA. All of the participants were very happy to receive this training because they learned how to start a business for themselves and their families, and would be able to share these skills with community women. After the training they demonstrated increased understanding of how to start a business, business management, financial management, and marketing.

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Other training and support

WDC/PDWA staff also received training as facilitators of 'Home Safety', 'Food Processing', 'Good

Nutrition and Sanitation', and 'Women's Worker Rights' workshops as discussed in Section 3.4 of this report as well as in dyeing, mat weaving and handbag sewing as discussed in Section 3.5. In several cases training was on-the-job working with external resource persons in the delivery of community-level training.

In addition to formal training of trainers workshops, MoWA staff and the Management and Training Consultant provide on-the-job training and mentoring support to the WDC/PDWA staff facilitating community level workshops.

4.6.1.4 Capacity building for advocacy for gender-responsive action

Gender analysis workshops

A five-day workshop on 'Gender Analysis' was held in Kompong Chhnang with 25 participants (21 women), 20 PDWA staff and 5 WDC staff in May 2008 facilitated by Sarom, Veasna and Sithon. A second workshop was held in Siem Reap with a total of 20 participants (19 women): 15 PDWA staff (14 women), 4 DoWA staff (all women) and the WDC advisor (male) in August 2008 facilitated by Sarom, Veasna and Pharavy. The workshop content is shown in the box on the next page.

Although the PDWA is responsible for mainstreaming gender in local development, only three of the staff in Kompong Chhnang were familiar with more than just basic gender concepts and tools, and less than half of the staff in Siem Reap were familiar with even basic gender concepts and only two were familiar with more than basic gender concepts prior to the workshop. The participants said that they knew how to collect data and use gender analysis but they didn’t how to do gender analysis themselves or use their findings in planning or policy making. After the workshop they were better able to analyze data and to identify gender gaps and gender inequality in difference situations.

Pre- and post-tests showed a significant increase in understanding of tools for gender analysis in both provinces:

Table 67: Test before and after the Gender Analysis workshop in Kompong Chhnang

Before workshop

After Workshop

n % n %

Comments

1. Gender Concept 18 72 25 100 Most participants understood very well.

2. Concept and Frameworks for Gender Analysis

· Harvard Analysis Framework 7 28 17 68 Most of them understood very well tools like access to and control over resources and gender role but still had limited knowledge of other tools.

· Moser Analysis Framework 4 16 13 52 Most of them understood very well tools like strategic gender needs but not other tools.

· Gender Analysis Matrix 1 4 9 36 They said that nobody had taught them this tool at all

· Capacities and Vulnerabilities Analysis Framework

1 4 6 24 This was the first time for them to learn this tool.

· Women Empowerment 1 4 10 40 This was the first time for them to learn this tool.

· Social Relations 0 0 8 32 This was the first time for them to learn this tool.

3. Gender Analysis in Practical

· Gender Condition 1 4 19 76 The first time for them to learn, but they said it was the easiest to learn.

· Gender Position 1 4 17 68 Most of them understood better how to analyze gender position.

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Table 68: Test before and after the Gender Analysis workshop in Siem Reap

Before workshop

After Workshop

n % n %

Comments

1. Gender Concept 10 44 15 65 Most participants understood very well although some of the new staff still had difficulty with the basic gender concept.

2. Concept and Frameworks for Gender Analysis

· Harvard Analysis Framework 3 13 10 44 Most of them understood very well tools like access to and control over resources and gender role but still had limited knowledge of other tools.

· Moser Analysis Framework 1 4 10 44 Most of them understood very well tools like strategic gender needs but not other tools.

· Gender Analysis Matrix - - 9 39 They said that nobody had taught them this tool at all

· Capacities and Vulnerabilities Analysis Framework

- - 8 35 This was the first time for them to learn this tool.

· Women’s Empowerment - - 12 52 This was the first time for them to learn this tool.

· Social Relations - - 12 52 This was the first time for them to learn this tool.

3. Gender Analysis in Practical

· Gender Condition - - 12 52 The first time for them to learn, but they said it was the easiest to learn.

· Gender Position - - 12 52 Most of them understood better how to analyze gender position.

GENDER ANALYSIS WORKSHOP

Workshop Contents 1. Gender Concepts

� Sex and Gender

� Gender Role and Triple Role

� Gender Relations

� Gender Equality and Gender Equity

� Gender Analysis

� Gender Needs: Practical or Strategic

� Classification of Policies

� Households Arrangement/Structure and Gender Relations

2. Concept and Framework for Gender Analysis 2.1 Harvard Analysis Framework

· Activity Profile

· Access and Control Profile

· Influencing Factors

· Checklist

2.2 Moser Analysis Framework

· Gender Role

· Gender Needs Assessment

· Disaggregated Data at the Intra-Household Level

· Linked Planning for Balancing the Triple Role

· Analysis the Policy Aim, Using the WID and GAD Policy Matrix

2.3 Gender Analysis Matrix

2.4 Capacities and Vulnerabilities Analysis Framework

2.5 Women Empowerment

2.6 Social Relations

3. Gender Analysis in Practical

3.1 What is Gender Analysis?

3.2 Why do Gender Analysis?

3.3 Gender Analysis Focus on Major Questions

3.4 Gender Condition

· Tools to Analyze Gender Condition

3.5 Gender Position

· Tools to Analyze Gender Position

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The fact that less than half of the workshop participants in Siem Reap were familiar with even basic gender concepts prior to the workshop was a particular concern. PDWAs across the country are increasingly being expected to take the lead on mainstreaming gender in a wide variety of donor projects as well as sub-national development processes. If PDWA and DoWA staff are not even familiar with basic gender concepts, much less gender analysis concepts and tools, they will not be able to meet these expectations.

For the most part, donor-funded projects working with PDWAs have concentrated on one or two staff members who are appointed to a project team to carry out specific tasks. They may or may not have received any training to help them carry out these tasks. Often, the expectation has been that anyone who is trained would share what they have learned with their colleagues. This has rarely happened.

What is of even greater concern is that without a shared understanding of gender concepts and priorities within their institutions, the PDWAs and DoWAs can not be expected to develop clear priorities and strategies for mainstreaming gender in their communities. The ADB assistance to MoWA in recent years has given priority to training operational teams in order to help build such a shared understanding. While the WDC Project PIUs were comprised of only three people in each province, the training provided at the provincial level included all WDC and PDWA staff and increasingly, representatives from district offices.

Gender and planning workshops

A four-day workshop on 'Gender and Planning' was conducted in Kompong Chhnang with 25 participants (21 women): 20 PDWA staff and 5 WDC staff in June 2008 facilitated by Sarom, Veasna and Sithon. A second workshop was conducted in Siem Reap with 20 participants (19 women): 15 PDWA staff (14 women), 4 DoWA staff (all women) and the WDC advisor (male) in August 2008 facilitated by the same team.

The workshop content is shown the in the box below.

Most of the participants didn’t know much about broad concepts of gender in planning or the development planning process. This was the first time for them to attend a workshop on integrating gender into the development planning process which included broad concepts that they can apply in different sectors.

Few of the participants knew much about the development planning process or even broad concepts related to gender in planning prior to the workshop. For most, this was the first time for them to attend a workshop on integrating gender into the development planning process including broad concepts which they could apply in different sectors. There were five new PDWA staff in Siem Reap who were not at all familiar with gender or planning concepts and thus the facilitators had to devote more time to basic concepts.

After the workshops, most of the participants had a better understanding of how to integrate gender into commune development plans as shown in Tables 69 and 70 below.

Table 69: Test before and after the Gender and Planning workshop

Before workshop

After workshop

n % n %

Comments

1. Gender Concepts 18 72 25 100 Most participants understood very well.

2. General Concept of Planning 3 12 10 40 The participants understood some part of planning concept.

3. Planning Cycle and Gender 6 24 15 60 Most participants understood well.

4. Terminology in the Logical Framework 8 32 18 72 Most participants understood well.

5. Gender in the Logframe 1 4 8 32 The participants had a very poor understanding of how to integrate gender into a logframe.

GENDER AND PLANNING WORKSHOP

Workshop Contents 1. General concept of planning 2. Planning cycle 3. Terminology in the logical framework 4. Gender in the logframe 5. Logical framework 6. Practice to develop a gender-responsive logical framework

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6. Logical Framework 1 4 8 32 This is the first time for them to be aware of the logical framework.

7. Practice to Develop a Gender-Responsive

Logical Framework

1 4 13 52 After providing theory and examples of how to integrate gender into the logframe they were able to practice integrating gender into planning.

Table 70: Test before and after the Gender and Planning workshop in Siem Reap

Before workshop

After workshop

n % n %

Comments

1. Gender Concepts 10 43 18 78 Most participants understood very well.

2. General Concept of Planning 6 26 10 43 The participants understood some part of planning concept.

3. Planning Cycle and Gender 6 26 12 52 Most participants understood well.

4. Terminology in the Logical Framework 8 35 15 65 Most participants understood well.

5. Gender in the Logframe - - 12 52 The participants had a very poor understanding of how to integrate gender into a logframe.

6. Logical Framework - - 12 52 This is the first time for them to be aware of the logical framework.

7. Practice to Develop a Gender-Responsive

Logical Framework

2 9 14 61 After providing theory and examples of how to integrate gender into the log-frame 40% were able to practice integrating gender into planning.

4.6.1.5 Institutional capacity building

Mentoring and support

On-going mentoring and support was provided by the WDC Advisors in both provinces. This included working with the WDC Directors and staff in identifying priority activities and staff roles and responsibilities for carrying out these activities; facilitating communication and strengthening the relationship between the PDWA and WDC; and, providing guidance and support to staff in the implementation of community-level interventions.

OPERACY workshop

The project arranged a five-day workshop on ‘OPERACY-Key to Personal Success and Leadership’ in January 2009 for WDC, PDWA and MoWA staff facilitated by Mr. Christopher Lee from the Human-Earth Development Center (HEDC). OPERACY is directed at enabling people to understand and overcome their personal barriers to success and choose to do what they know to achieve desirable outputs effectively and consistently. The workshop focused on personal growth, self-mastery and leadership based on the latest understanding of the mind-action connection, grounded in a firm conviction that all women and men are created for success. The workshop used an adult learning approach based on relational and emotional intelligence, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), personal reflection and provocation.

There were a total of 46 participants in the workshop including the director and four staff from the PDWA/PIU in Siem Reap, the director and four staff from the K Chhnang WDC and the director of the K Chhnang PDWA (all women). The WDC advisors from both provinces also participated in the workshop.

By the end of the workshop, the participants were expected to:

o be more productive and effective in the performance of their duties;

o have better collaboration with other team members, counterparts and the community;

o have stronger personal values and integrity; and,

o be better able to deal with personal and interpersonal problems and conflicts.

The course content is shown in the box below:

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At the end of the workshop the participants were invited to provide feedback on the course: 61 percent were very happy with the workshop; the rest were happy. No one was indifferent or dissatisfied. Comments from the participants suggest that most of the participants felt that what they learned in the workshop will be beneficial in their work as well as their personal lives. Some noted that they felt changed, more awake and with a greater awareness of and understanding of how to overcome their limiting habits.

Workshop on strengthening WDCs

A 3-day workshop was organized in Kompong Chhnang in September 2009 which brought together senior PDWA and WDC staff from 13 provinces to share experiences and discuss strategies for more effective and sustainable management of WDCs. This was the first time such an event had been held. The workshop was co-organized and supported by MoWA’s Program Budget (PB) from the National Budget and the WDC Project. The workshop was presiding over by H.E. Chan Sorey, Secretary of State, H.E. Sok Chan Chhorvy, Director General and H.E. Keth Sam Ath, Senior Advisor. Major

donors supporting MoWA’s economic empowerment activities also attended including UNDP/PGE, PYD, and ADB CaRM.

OPERACY – KEY TO PERSONAL SUCCESS AND LEADERSHIP

Day 1. Concept of Success and Development

� Concepts of Success � Personal Success and Leadership � Understanding Human Potential � Self Imposed Limiting Belief � Mechanism of the Mind � Success is a Choice � Emotional Intelligence and Success � Challenges for the 21st Century

Day 2. Universal Laws of Success

� System Thinking and Success � The Law of Universal Governance � Accountability, Gender and the Environment � Stages of Human Development � Taking Personal Responsibility � Habit, Success and Failure

Day 3. OPERACY - Personal Empowerment

� Success and Human Motivation � How People Fail? � 10 Characteristics of Low-Achievers � 6 Limiting Fears � Envy and Jealousy � Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem � Learned Helplessness

Day 4. Personal Empowerment

� How People Succeed? � 10 Characteristics of High Achievers � Emotional Intelligence � Win-Win Paradigm � Improving Self-Image � Managing the Environment

Day 5. From Failure to Success

� From Failure to Success � Breaking the Failure Cycle � Developing Success Habits � Developing and Managing Destiny � Mentor and Networking � Maintaining Success � The Meaning of Life

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The topics discussed included:

1) Presentation of existing WDCs by a representative from each center

2) Sharing two model experiences – ADB/JFPR-funded WDC Project in Kompong Chhnang and the WDC in Pursat

3) Field visit to bamboo handicraft producers in Chheung Krio Commune, WDC activities and product fair

4) Brainstorming and formulating strategies for sustainable management of WDCs The workshop provided an opportunity for all WDCs and PDWAs to share information about their activities, existing management systems and new initiatives in strategic management, services and sustainability of WDCs.

During the presentation of the WDC Project and after the field visit, all the participants expressed their admiration of the WDC Project and some said that they wanted their WDC to be the same as the WDC in Kompong Chhnang in terms of services and management. This would help improve the management of their WDCs and broaden their services in a sustainable manner.

The Management and Training Consultant reflected on the presentations and discussions during the workshop and identified the main problems facing WDCs as follows:

1) Poor management

2) Lack of a WDC work plan or strategy. Implement activities based on what MoWA gives them: if MoWA doesn’t have money, the WDC activities stop.

3) Lack of human resources

4) Lack of clear structure and terms of reference for staff

5) Lack of funds for activities/services

6) Providing vocational training only

7) Poor communication with other institutions, local and international

8) Lack of marketing information

9) Lack of skills to improve product development

10) Very poor data collection and analysis skills needed for WDC development

Three types of WDC management strategies were identified:

1) Business center or management as a private enterprise (e.g., WDC in Pursat supported by H.E Bun Rany Hun Sen)

2) Half business center and half community development (e.g., WDCs in K. Chhnang, Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, and K. Cham)

3) Traditional vocational training center (e.g., WDCs in Kampot, Preah Veng, Sihanoukville, and others)

Based on the workshop discussions, the MTC’s recommendations for strengthening WDCs were:

1) Study the WDC profile and identify the strong and weak points, and opportunities for improving the WDC.

2) Conduct community resources assessment and market chain analysis.

3) Study the potential for product development in each province (e.g., locally available, environment-friendly raw materials, local skills, markets).

4) Facilitate the formation of producer groups (e.g., romchek, rattan, sedge, bamboo, etc.)

5) Develop clear structure and term of reference for staff and build the capacity of staff related to their TOR.

6) Strengthen the capacity of WDC management in human resources development, proposal writing, report writing, data gathering and analysis, communications, product development, marketing, etc.

7) Build communications with other institutions (government, NGOs and private sector).

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8) Ask for help from consultants to develop five-year WDC strategies and annual action plans.

9) MoWA should appoint WDC Directors with good management and business skills.

Business counseling and management workshop

A five-day workshop on 'Business Counseling and Management' was organized in Siem Reap in mid-November 2009. The workshop was facilitated by staff from Artisans d’Angkor, a highly successful social enterprise based in Siem Reap. A total of 24 people (22 women) participated in the workshop including eight staff from Kompong Chhnang (5 WDC, 3 PDWA), eight staff from the Siem Reap PDWA/PIU, one DoWA staff, four MoWA EED staff, two WDC advisors and the Management and Training Consultant.

The objectives of the workshop were to strengthen the capacity of WDC and PDWA staff to:

- Organize and manage the WDC as an enterprise providing good business services

- Understand and be able to effectively provide counseling to community women in addressing business environment challenges, developing business ideas and plans, starting-up a business, etc.

- Be aware of the concept of business development services and current market trends

The topics covered in the workshop are shown in the box on the next page. The workshop used participatory methods such as brainstorming which allowed the participants to share their ideas and experience and discuss how they solved problems in their workplace. The training was tailored to the real situation of the WDCs and the participants were able to gain a very good understanding of business counseling and management and plan to use what they learned from the workshop in their own work.

Enterprise development plan for Siem Reap WDC

Management consultant Mr William Willis drafted an Enterprise Development Plan (EDP) for the Siem Reap WDC in consultation with WDC, PDWA and MoWA management. The EDP provides guidance on services, strategic partnerships and management on the center and is intended to help attract donor and partner support for the WDC. Two key elements of the EDP include recommendations to replace the current WDC Director with an individual with strong experience in management and, ideally, familiarity with business processes; and, contract out the management of product sales and distribution to a handicraft enterprise. It will be up to MoWA senior management to determine whether and how to follow up on these recommendations.

Participants attending the workshop Representatives of each group presented the outputs from small group discussions

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Hand over to WDCs

In the final week of the project the Management and Training Consultant (Sarom) together with the Technical Coordinators (Veasna in Siem Reap and Sithon in Kompong Chhnang) met with the WDC managers and staff to discuss use of funds generated from product sales and responsibilities for follow up. The Project Management Consultant (Cheryl) had suggested that the funds from product sales be used to procure products and materials to re-stock the showrooms as discussed in Section 3.5.6.1.

Decisions also needed to be made on roles and responsibilities for managing the centers, including product sales, pending a MoWA decision on WDC structure and staff roles and responsibilities. Mrs. Sarom proposed that Samouen take responsibility for sales in Siem Reap and Leng Soboran take responsibility the shop in Kompong Chhnang.

In Siem Reap it was agreed that Tan Kimchan as WDC Director would be responsibility for marketing, administration and general management; Sophean and Dany would be responsible for administration and finance; Samouen and Srey Sor responsible for technical support; and, Sar and Sot responsible for product sales. Agreed responsibilities for each unit are shown in the chart below.

Business Counseling and Management Workshop

Day 1 Part 1: Business Counseling

- Definition and objective of doing business

- Profit and non-profit businesses

- Morale of business

- Definition of counseling

- Business counseling

- Role of a business counselor

- Characteristic of a business counselor

Day 2

- Information needed for Business Counselor

- Observing the need of customers

- Empowering Customers

Part 2: Business Management:

- Management

- Business Management

- Opportunity in doing business and community resource

- Cycle of raw materials

- Need of Producer Groups

- Planning a Small Business

Day 3

- Financial Management

- Human Resource Management

- Evaluating Small Business

Part 3: Marketing and Networking

- Market

- Marketing

- Importance of Marketing

Day 4

- Size of Market

- Marketing Activities

- Objective of Marketing

- Marketing Tools

- Marketing Plan Development

- Sale and Promotional strategy

- Product Development

- Marketing Trends

- Marketing Revolution

Day 5

- Packaging management

- Branding management

- Quality management

- Customer service

- Business partners

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The Siem Reap WDC staff and MoWA staff agreed to deposit all proceeds from product sales into a bank account to be established for this purpose. Signatures of both the WDC Director and head of the finance unit would be needed for any withdrawals from this account. A similar structure and staff responsibilities were agreed in Kompong Chhnang.

4.6.2 MoWA/Economic Development Department

Context

“Improved capacity of MoWA staff to deliver better services and facilitate a conducive environment for women entrepreneurs” is a key performance indicator of the ADB/JFPR WDC Project. Strengthening both the institutional and technical capacity of MoWA’s Economic Development Department (EDD) is essential to achieving this objective.

The EDD has been tasked by the Ministry with providing technical support to all WID Centers and supporting the transformation of existing WID Centers into integrated Women’s Development Centers. As the WDC Project executed by MoWA was the most significant donor-funded project working with the EDD the project was well positioned to help shape the Ministry’s overall approach to the transformation and operation of WDCs while also supporting the implementation of the WDC Project. The appointment of the project's Technical Coordinator, Bunchhith Veasna, as Director of the EDD in late 2008 after the former Director retired further strengthened potential synergies between project interventions and broader departmental strategies.

For effective technical implementation, the project needed the skills and expertise of far more than the Technical Coordinator. Most of the EDD staff were trained under ADB TA No. 3947-CAM, Sustainable Employment Promotion for Poor Women” and a core group of capable trainers had been identified and strengthened. To the extent possible, the WDC Project utilized the staff capacity built under the ADB TA to implement project activities as they were familiar with the basic methodologies and tools being use in the project. This freed up the MTC to work on designing new workshops as well as strengthening the capacity of the EDD to fulfill its mandate to provide technical support to WDCs and thus strengthen delivery of services to women entrepreneurs. Several of the more capable members of the EDD were, however, promoted to management positions in other departments in early 2006 and several new staff members were appointed to the EDD. These new, young recruits had a much higher level of education than the existing staff and had tremendous potential however lacked

WDC Director Mrs. Tan Kimchan

Sales - Mrs. Sa - Mrs. Sot

Administration and Finance - Mrs. Sophean - Mrs. Sodany

Technical Support - Mrs. Samouen - Mrs. Srey Sor

Responsibilities - Prepare reports to PDWA

and MoWA - Record letters in and out - Control all equipment - Manage security and guards - Take care of guests - Organize staff meetings - Prepare finance report to

Director - Prepare budget plan and

submit to Director - Control all expenditures and

receipts

Responsibilities - Develop new products - Improve product quality - Find raw materials - Organize training/workshops - Strengthen producer groups - Control training materials - Control product materials - Prepare proposals to Director

Responsibilities - Identify marketable products

(i.e., easy to sell) - Study marketing with Director - Put prices on products - Prepare list of products - Manage $100 for small

change - Report sales to Director

every two weeks - Give proceeds from sales to

finance unit

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practical experience and were unfamiliar with the methodologies and tools used by the WDC Project and thus needed training.

ADB TA 3947 was not able to work with the department as an institutional entity as the staff participating in TA activities were drawn from several different departments and key staff were not part of the EDD and thus had no official supervisory authority over most of the staff involved in the TA activities. With the re-structuring of the Ministry in 2006, the TA’s team leaders were officially transferred to the EDD and appointed to management positions within the department. This enabled the WDC Project to provide more input into strengthening the institutional capacity of the department.

The EDD is also responsible for providing technical input and support to MoWA’s efforts to mainstream gender into policies and programs related to employment creation and economic growth. As the WDC Project was also seeking to strengthen the capacity of MoWA to facilitate dynamic partnerships with government agencies, and promote dialogue between government and civil society on the importance of mainstreaming gender in participatory economic development, the project also supported MoWA in its gender mainstreaming activities, particularly related to women’s economic empowerment.

As noted earlier in this report, while the EDD is responsible for providing technical guidance and support to WDCs it has no direct responsibility for management or staffing of the centers. Never-the-less, in order to effectively carry out its technical responsibilities within the framework of a community-based, participatory approach to enterprise development and women's economic empowerment, a wide range of technical and management skills are needed within the department.

The Management and Training Consultant position was established to provide capacity building and related support at the central level to strengthen the capacity of the department to carry out its responsibilities for supporting WDC development. Over the course of the WDC Project the Management and Training Consultant (Sarom) provided pro-active guidance and support. This included assistance in securing additional staff and funding for the department, training and engaging new staff in project activities to the extent feasible, and working closely with department management and staff in the planning, design and implementation of project activities as on-the-job training.

4.6.2.1 Training and mentoring support

Most of the EDD staff had received training in core skills under ADB TA 3947-CAM (i.e., facilitation skills, data gathering and analysis, PRA, gender and enterprise). As a number of new staff had joined the department since the completion of the TA, initial capacity building efforts focused on strengthening the core skills of the new staff facilitated primarily by EDD staff. New skills were added as the program developed. Interventions included:

Refresher training on gender and enterprise

The Management and Training Consultant and the Economic Development Department prepared and conducted a refresher workshop on gender and enterprise for new staff in the department in August 2006. Staff from MoWA’s Education Department also attended this workshop11. The workshop was held at the MoWA office at Kolab I with a total of 15 participants (13 women).

Gender and economic development workshop

The MTC, working in collaboration with the MoWA Department of Gender Equity, designed and organized a two-day workshop on Gender and Economic Development in November 2007 at the MoWA conference room at Kolab I. There were a total of 45 participants in this workshop (39 women) including staff from the EDD (10), Gender Equality Department (10), Education Department (2), PDWA Siem Reap (2), PDWA Kompong Chhnang (2), WDC Kompong Chhnang (2), and representatives from line ministry Gender Mainstreaming Action Groups (5). UNDP/PGE sponsored participants from the Kompong Speu PDWA (2) and WID Center (2). Topics included gender and economic development theory, Neary Rattanak II, gender and the NSDP, gender issues in the

11 Note: Involvement of staff from other MoWA departments strengthens overall capacity of the Ministry at minimal incremental cost.

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economic sector in Cambodia, the WDC Project and small group discussions. The workshop was facilitated by H.E Keth Sam Ath, Sarom, Veasna, Sithon, Kimsoeun, and Chanthy.

Facilitation skills workshop

Ministry of Planning’s Identification of Poor Household in Cambodia project supported by GTZ requested assistance from the EDD in conducting a workshop on facilitation skills for its project staff. This was seen as a good opportunity to provide facilitation skills training for the new EDD staff without having to organize a separate workshop for a small number of staff. The four-day workshop was held in November 2006 at the Ministry of Planning. The WDC Project supported lunch for the

five participants from the EDD (2 women). The workshop was facilitated by Sithon, Sopheap and Kimsoeun with guidance and support from the MTC.

Data collection and analysis workshop

The WDC Project sponsored a four-day workshop on data collection and analysis for EDD staff directed primarily at new staff in January 2007 at the WDC Project office. There were a total of 13 participants in this workshop (10 women), including ten staff from the EDD and three staff from MoWA’s Planning Department. The workshop was facilitated by Kimsoeun, Sithon and Chanty with support from the MTC.

Participatory rural appraisal workshop

The WDC Project sponsored a four-day workshop on participatory rural appraisal for EDD staff directed primarily at new staff in February 2007. There were a total of 13 participants in this workshop (9 women), including ten staff from the EDD and three staff from MoWA’s Planning Department. The workshop was facilitated by Kimsoeun, Sithon, Chanthy, Veasna and Sarom.

On-the-job training in data collection and CRA design

The MTC provided on-the-job training on data collection to three EDD staff (all women) related to preparation of provincial economic profiles in October 2006, and nine EDD staff (7 women) related to the design of the Community Resource Assessment in March 2007.

Informal workshop on facilitation CRAs

The MTC conducted an informal two-day workshop on 'Facilitating Community Resource

Assessments' with EDD staff in April 2007. There were 11 participants in the workshop (8 women). At the end of this workshop, seven people (6 women) were assessed as having a good understanding of and ability to facilitate CRA workshops at the provincial level however would still need support from the MTC. A more formal workshop was held in May in Kampong Chhnang as reported under Section 3.6.1.2 which included six MoWA participants.

Gender in planning workshop

The MTC conducted a four-day workshop on ‘Gender in Planning’ for EDD and other MoWA staff in October 2007. By the end of the workshop, most of EDD participants felt they understood gender concepts in planning and could apply them to the Cambodia context, and most said that they would be able to transfer these skills and knowledge to WDC and PDWA staff. The participants were very happy with the teaching methods, clear explanations and examples relevant to the real situation in Cambodia. Some of the MoWA staff said that since was the first time they had received this type of training it was still difficult for them to put gender into a logical framework and requested follow up training.

Training of trainers for community-level workshops

EDD staff also received training in facilitating community-level workshops as participants in training of training workshops held at the provincial level including ‘Home Safety’, 'Food Processing', 'Good

Nutrition and Sanitation', and ‘Women Worker Rights’ workshops as discussed in Section 3.4.

On-going mentoring support

The MTC provided on-going guidance and support to EDD staff linked to project activities. This included on-the-job training in the design of new workshops and training materials, and providing feedback and support to EDD and other trainers facilitating workshops at the provincial level.

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OPERACY

As noted in section 3.6.1.5 above, a five-day workshop on ‘OPERACY-Key to Personal Success and

Leadership’ was held in January 2009. Participants from the Ministry included three secretaries of state, three undersecretaries of state, one general director, one deputy director general, nearly all of the staff of the Economic Development Department (14), six directors or deputy directors from five other departments, and three PCU consultants. The high level of interest in this workshop was very encouraging and even the most senior officials participated fully in the workshop. Further details on the workshop can be found in section 3.6.1.5.

Data entry training

The project provided training in 'Data Entry' for seven EDD staff (6 women) in January 2010. Mr Saint Lundy, a data processing specialist from the Ministry of Planning was hired to provide five days of training in data entry and interpretation of data using Microsoft Excel, and use of SPSS to analyze data.

4.6.2.2 Strategic planning and management support

Over the course of the project, the WDC Project provided support to planning and program development efforts of MoWA and the EDD at various points. This included supporting MoWA's ministry level planning efforts, as well as assisting the EDD with preparing departmental plans and proposals.

Logical framework training for MoWA senior management The MTC prepared and conducted training on “Gender and the Logical Framework” for MoWA’s senior management team in May 2006 in Sihanoukville as part of the Ministry’s Annual Planning Workshop, and for members of the priority mission group for legal protection in August 2006 at the MoWA meeting room.

EDD action plans and program budget proposals

The WDC Project assisted the EDD with preparing their action plan for 2007. This action plan provided the basis for proposals to the government for funding for Priority Action Projects (PAP) for food processing training and transformation of the MoWA credit program into a micro-finance institution. The expansion of PAPs (later called Program Budgets, or PBs) is part of the government’s shift to results-oriented budgeting. The project assisted the department with preparing the proposals which were submitted to the Ministry of Economy and Finance at the end of May 2006. In September 2006 the MEF approved the proposal for food processing training.

The transformation of WID Centers into integrated WDCs was a key activity in the EDD strategy for women’s economic development and 2007 workplan. As such, the WDC Project's planned activities were integrated into the department’s workplan and very much shaped MoWA’s overall approach to WDC development. The department’s plan was presented at MoWA’s review and planning retreat held in Sihanoukville in February 2007. The integration of donor-supported projects into the government’s overall framework and plans and strengthening the capacity of government to develop integrated strategies and operational plans is consistent with the Paris Declaration on Aid

Effectiveness to which ADB, the Government of Japan and the Royal Government of Cambodia are all signatories.

In mid-2007, the MTC meet with EDD senior managers (Veasna and Sithon) and staff (Kimsouen) on a PB proposal and workplan for submission for funding under the National Budget in 2008. The group agreed to continue the previous food processing project however in a new target area. The approach to implementing this project was similar to the approach being used by the WDC Project reflecting the experience learned from the project. Steps included gathering secondary data related to potential agricultural products; selecting target areas; conducting CRA workshops; conducting workshop on CRA results and the advantages of food processing for the family; selecting target groups or beneficiaries; conducting food processing training (e.g., fish processing, fruits processing, etc,); and, following up with families using food processing techniques (how are they doing?) and family that don’t do food processing (why don’t they?).

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In mid-2008, the MTC again met with EDD senior managers (Veasna and Sithon) and staff (Kimsouen) to prepare a proposal, workplan and budget for a PB for 2009-2010 for consideration for support under the National Budget. This was approved as part of MoWA’s overall budget. This proposal shifted the PB focus from food processing to WDC development more broadly and included organizing the 'Strengthening WDCs' workshop discussed in Section 3.6.1.5.

In mid-2009, the project consultants provided inputs into the women's economic empowerment component of MoWA's strategic plan, Neary Rattanak III 2009-2013. The key outputs of this component are: 1) employment opportunities expanded and improved for women, including the informal sector, and 2) business development services for MSMEs established for women.

Priority Mission Group

Priority mission groups (PMGs) were a government mechanism for providing pay incentives to key staff based on a proposed work plan. A PMG to support MoWA's WDC development activities was approved by the Council of Ministers on 10 November 2007. The project consultants had helped MoWA prepare the original proposal for the WDC PMG prior to project inception as well as the revised proposal submitted in late 2006.

Ten MoWA staff, nine from the EDD, were appointed to the PMG as shown below. Most of these staff members, including the PMG Team Leader, had been trained under the previous ADB TA and were already actively involved in WDC Project activities. The JFPR Project Coordinator, H.E. Keth Sam Ath, also served as the PMG Director.

PMG Position Name Department

Team Leader Mrs. Sav Kimsoeun EDD

Deputy Team Leader Mrs. Ly Pharavy EDD

WDC Support Officers Mrs. Kim Keo Thyda EDD

WDC Support Officers Mr. Sok Chheng EDD

WDC Support Officers Mr. Hour Sothorn EDD

WDC Support Officers Mrs. Pao Thanbunheng EDD

Communications & Monitoring Officer Mrs. Chhum Phaliny EDD

Communications & Monitoring Officer Mr. Kim Teng Admin Department

Admin Assistant to PMG Director Mrs. Hoeurb Thipthidavy EDD

Admin Assistant to PMG Director Mr. Sok Pisith EDD

PMGs were originally expected to be linked to a donor-funded project, in this case the WDC Project. As the PMG mechanism evolved, the PMG staff were increasingly made responsible for PB activities, broadening the scope of EDD activities however constraining availability of staff for WDC Project activities.

Terms of reference for EDD staff

The MTC provided assistance to the Director and other EDD managers in developing terms of reference for the department staff. As a number of the EDD staff were helping to support implementation of WDC Project activities, clarifying individual roles and responsibilities very much helped to support project implementation as well as strengthen the operations and functioning of the overall department.

4.6.2.3 Other related support within the national and global context

The WDC Project was sometimes called upon to assist with the Ministry’s efforts to mainstream gender. As such assistance contributes to strengthening the capacity of MoWA to facilitate dynamic partnerships with government agencies, and promote dialogue between government and civil society the project made such assistance available.

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Royal School of Administration

The Management and Training Consultant was requested to collaborate with the Minister of Women’s Affairs, H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi and Deputy General Director Sok Chan Chhorvy on a presentation on gender and economic development and MoWA activities on gender mainstreaming at the Royal School of Administration (ERA) in December 2006. ERA provides training for civil servants to prepare them to assume management positions. Sarom delivered a presentation on gender and development theory, Minister Phavi on the gender situation in Cambodia, and Sok Chan Chhorvy on MoWA’s achievements from 1998 to present.

Student debate on households and income

The MTC provided planning support for a joint MoWA-NGO Forum student debate on households and income. The JFPR Project Coordinator was a judge for this debate.

Gender and women in agriculture and rural development

The MTC also assisted in facilitating a workshop on 'Gender and Women in Agriculture and Rural

Development' organized by FAO and MoWA in February 2007 with participants from MoWA (including EDD staff) and NGOs. At the request of the Project Coordinator, the MTC also assisted with facilitating a series of workshops on the FAO CD-ROM-based training on 'Gender and Women

in Agriculture and Rural Development' in May and June 2007. Training was provided to a total of 116 staff of MoWA, MAFF, Kompong Cham PDAFF, ADDA and the Faculty of Agricultural Technology and Management. The core training team was comprised of H.E. Keth Sam Ath, Soth Sithon, Chhoy Kimsour and Uch Sarom.

The MTC also met with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Gender Mainstreaming Action Group (GMAG) regarding a training program on gender in planning in the agriculture sector.

Workshop on gender and aid effectiveness

H.E. Keth Sam Ath (Project Coordinator), Sarom (MTC), and Cheryl (PMC) attended a “Workshop

on Gender Equality and Aid Effectiveness in Southeast Asia” in Bangkok from 2-3 April 2007 organized by DFID, the World Bank and UNIFEM. There were a total of 11 participants from Cambodia, seven Khmer women and four foreign experts. Participation in the workshop was sponsored by DFID. The PMC had prepared a working paper on gender and aid effectiveness in Cambodia under a contract with DFID. Sarom was invited to join the Cambodian delegation based on her experience with mainstreaming gender in the Ministry of Agriculture, the case study presented in the working paper.

VIP delegation to Kompong Chhnang A high level delegation including the Minister of Women’s Affairs, a MoWA Secretary of State, the World Bank Country Manager, two female Ambassadors (Australia and the Philippines), and the wives of two Ambassadors (Malaysia and Indonesia) visited WDC Project activities in Kompong Chhnang in September 2007. They met with handicraft producers making mats and bamboo baskets, women growing organic vegetables, and current and former participants in ‘Gender and Enterprise’ workshops. Local government officials, including a Provincial Vice-Governor, also participated in the site visit and were very supportive. The visitors were quite enthusiastic about what they were able to see and learn from this visit. The Minister of MoWA was very happy and impressed with the project’s activities. The World Bank Country Manager included a report on this visit in World Bank's country office’s monthly newsletter.

Seminar on women and the informal economy

The Technical Coordinator and Management and Training Consultant assisted in organizing and facilitating a one-day seminar on “Women and the Informal Economy in Cambodia” in March 2008 organized by MoWA in cooperation with Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) from the United States. The workshop was attended by MoWA staff, the Directors of PDWAs, representatives from ten line ministry Gender Mainstreaming Action Groups (GMAGs) and NGOs.

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WIEGO presented worldwide experience on women in the informal economy in other countries and reflections on the Cambodian context. The WIEGO team included U.S. experts including Ms. Joanne Vanek, Ms. Marty Chen, Ms. Francie Lund and Ms. Rhonda Douglas, and regional experts Ms. Josephine “Olive” C. Parilla from the Philippines and Ms. Poonsop Tulaphan from Thailand.

Seminar participants suggested that MoWA should take the lead in organizing an informal economy network in Cambodia. Given the importance of the informal economy to women, increased attention to the informal sector at policy and decision-making levels is essential. WIEGO hopes to work with MoWA in organizing an inter-ministerial seminar on the informal economy in the future.

Trade sector development

The Minister of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi, is well recognized in the international community for her efforts to promote gender equality in the economy. The project team has supported her in her advocacy efforts, particularly related to mainstreaming gender in trade sector development.

The Project Management Consultant prepared a presentation on “Trade-Sector Development - Poverty

Reduction - Gender Equality: Bringing These Closer Together” for MoWA Minister H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi for presentation at the International Trade Center (ITC) Joint Advisory Group Meeting held in Geneva, 25 April 2007.

The Project Management Consultant also prepared a paper on “Integrating gender into trade sector policy and priorities: Experience from Cambodia” and accompanied the Minister of MoWA to an Expert Round-table on the Gender Dimensions of the Enhanced Integrated Framework organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Geneva in April 2008. As follow up to this seminar input was provided on integrating gender into the ITC guidelines for preparing Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTIS). The guidelines approved by the ITC Board in November 2009 include language calling for attention to gender concerns in trade sector development as relevant in individual country contexts.

4.6.3 Overall assessment of Component D

4.6.3.1 Achievements

The monitorable deliverable/outputs for this component were:

i. Improved capacity of 100 PDWA and 40 MoWA staff members to deliver services to women through workshops and training

ii. Improved capacity of 20 WDC staff members to plan and implement, monitor, and evaluate WDC activities

iii. Poverty impact assessment

Emphasis was placed on building the capacity of WDC staff to deliver services to women, and PDWA staff as advocates for gender-responsive action. As had been noted in earlier reports, the target for PDWA staff was higher than the actual number of staff in the two provinces. In Siem Reap, the project worked with all of the PDWA's 19 staff (18 women), including the three PIU members plus four new staff recruited as the project was coming to an end. In Kompong Chhnang, all of the PDWA's 20 staff (16 women) benefited from at least one WDC Project activity and several were actively engaged in facilitating community-level workshops. In addition, officers from the four District Offices of Women's Affairs benefited from project activities. All of the Kompong Chhnang WDC's 14 staff (13 women) benefited from project interventions. Increased capacity was reflected in both workshop post-tests and successful facilitation of community-level workshops.

MoWA staff were assisted with planning, designing and monitoring WDC development activities and PDWA and WDC capacity building and support. Capacity building activities were focused on the Economic Development Department's 21 staff (14 women) however approximately 50 other MoWA senior managers and staff from other departments also benefited from WDC Project activities.

A poverty and social impact assessment was conducted in early 2010. This is discussed in Section 5.1.

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4.6.3.2 Future directions

WDCs

WDC staff acquired and demonstrated the capacity to deliver a broader range of services to women at the community level through WDC Project interventions. They also gained experience in a new way of working focused on producer groups at the community level rather than individuals at the center level. As noted in Section 3.5.8.2 the main questions and challenges lie in the roles and capacities of the WDCs and the EED to provide or facilitate the needed follow-up support to producer groups established under the WDC Project, and expand the community-based, participatory approach to MSE development to other centers and communities.

Excluding travel and per diem costs for MoWA staff and consultants, the cost of community level workshops organized by the WDC Project were minimal; unlike many other projects, trainees were not paid honorariums to attend workshops. Never-the-less, funding would still be needed for local travel, workshop materials and snacks if the WDCs are to follow up with producer groups assisted under the WDC Project or expand activities to other communities. Inputs on product design and quality control are also needed. Although it should be possible for the WDCs to generate some income through product sales and marketing of training services to others, it is unlikely that they would be able to generate adequate profits to subsidize other types of MSE development and related life skills training in the near future. Well targeted resource mobilization efforts are thus needed.

In the absence of strong management and adequate financial resources and incentives to encourage and enable the WDC staff to carry out community-based activities there is a risk that the centers will fall back into traditional activities focused on center-based activities (in the case of the Kompong Chhnang WDC) or simply retreat into the local government bureaucratic structure until another project comes along (in the case of the Siem Reap WDC).

The situation in Siem Reap is of particular concern as the center is located some 20 kilometers from Siem Reap town and the WDC Director is quite new to a management role. This center has tremendous potential given its proximity to the most important tourism attraction in the country, (i.e., the Angkor Wat historical district). The institutional capacity of the center to fully realize its potential remains greatly constrained. The GTZ/RED project has entered into an agreement with MoWA to work with the Siem Reap WDC in 2010 however institutional capacity building is not within the remit of the RED project.

Without adequate financing and clear guidance and support from MoWA it will be difficult for either center to carry out the needed follow up activities. Clear and consistent policy guidance and capacity building and implementation support from MoWA as well as support on resource mobilization would be needed to fully realize the potential which has been developed within the two centers under the WDC Project.

PDWAs

Within the context of the government's decentralization and de-concentration efforts it is anticipated that the role of PDWA and DoWA staff will increasingly shift to advocacy for gender responsive services, protection of women's rights, and enabling increased participation of women in policy formulation in sub-national government. The level of expertise in gender analysis and gender in planning was particularly low in Siem Reap at the beginning of the project and is likely to be indicative of the situation in most PDWAs in the country. While the PDWA staff in the two project provinces demonstrated increased understanding of gender analysis and integration of gender into planning processes, follow up training and support would be needed to fully enable the PDWA staff to be effective advocates at the sub-national level. Close cooperation would also need to be established with line department efforts to mainstream gender into sectoral programs.

MoWA

The EDD staff acquired a number of new skills and experience through the WDC Project. The department's success in attracting funding support provides some indication of the increased recognition of its strengthened capacity: allocation of funds for a Program Budget (PB) for WDC development from the National Budget, Spanish funding for a project in Kompong Cham, and the World Bank bamboo project in Kompong Chhnang. UNDP/PGE is also working with the WDC in

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Kompong Speu and a proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Commerce for possible funding under the World Bank’s Trade Development Support Program to support follow up activities in both Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang.

The increasing number of projects within the EDD and perpetuation of a ‘project’ approach to programming does however makes it difficult to pursue a more strategic approach to WDC development. As noted in section 3.5.8.2, the women's economic empowerment component of Neary

Rattanak III needs to be further elaborated into a program-based strategy and plan, including specific targets for transforming existing WID Centers into WDCs, and targets for establishing and assisting producer groups. In addition, additional staff with business-oriented attitudes and skills are needed to effectively scale-up and expand WDC activities, particularly related to product development and marketing.

5.0 PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS

5.1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNITS

As had been the general practice with ADB projects in Cambodia, a Project Coordination Unit (PCU) was established at the ministry level and Project Implementation Units (PIUs) were established in each of the two project provinces. Job descriptions including desired qualifications were prepared for each position. Salary supplements were guided by the 'Merit-based Pay Incentives (MBPI)' scheme being piloted in the Ministry of Economy and Finance under the PFM Reform Program and estimates of time which should be spent on the project by each member of the PCU/PIU.

Personnel assigned to the PCU and PIUs were as follows:

PCU PCU Position Name Position in MoWA

Project Coordinator H.E. Keth Sam Ath MoWA Advisor

Deputy Project Coordinator Mrs Ok Kanthouen Deputy Director General for Administration and Finance

Technical Coordinator Ms Bunchhith Veasna Director, Economic Development Department

Asst. Technical Coordinator Ms Soth Sithon

Deputy Director, Economic Development Department

Administration Coordinator Ms Sao Sokha Assistant to Secretary of State H.E. Kheng Samvada

Financial Coordinator Mrs Kong Sam Aun Director, Dept. of Finance

Project Accountant Mr Yim Saman Deputy Director, Dept. of Finance

Asst. Project Accountant Ms Chea Fung Dept. of Finance

Kompong Chhnang PIU

PIU Position Name Position

PIU Manager Mrs Men En WDC Director

Technical Staff Ms Meas Sothy WDC staff

Administrative Staff Ms Leng Soboran WDC staff

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Siem Reap PIU

PIU Position Name Position

PIU Manager Mrs Tan Kim Chhan Deputy Director, PDWA Siem Reap

Technical Staff Ms Mao Samoeurn PDWA staff

Administrative Staff Ms Chhun Sophoan PDWA staff

PCU/PIUs

As can be seen in the tables above, management, administrative and financial staff greatly outnumbered technical staff (2 out of 8 PCU positions). Initially there was only a single technical coordinator in the PCU. Given the magnitude of the technical work which needed to be carried out by the PCU, an assistant technical coordinator was requested in March 2007. As revised JFPR guidelines limited salary supplements, lengthy negotiations were needed to gain approval of this additional position. The position was approved in August 2007 however two positions were still inadequate for the needs of the project.

The project assisted MoWA with preparing a proposal for a 'Priority Mission Group (PMG)', a RGC effort to better systematize salary supplementation, at least initially linked to donor-funded projects. The proposal was approved and extensive efforts were made to include the PMG members in capacity building and field activities12.

The Royal Government of Cambodia and its development partners have made a commitment to reducing the number of individual project management units as part of the aid effectiveness agenda. Projects should instead be managed within the structure of the relevant government institutions—which in the case of the WDC Project would be the MoWA Economic Development Department and the WDCs in Kompong Chhnang and Siem Reap, with administrative and financial support from the relevant departments. This would be particularly important when institutional and staff capacity building is a key project output as was the case with the WDC Project.

As salary supplements are paid to members of PCU/PIUs, the selection of only a few members of the relevant offices tends to undermine both capacity building and project implementation as individuals who are not part of the PCU/PIU feel no sense of ownership or responsibility for project activities and the project becomes compartmentalized. Appointment to a PCU/PIU position can also be quite politicized, undermining efforts to ensure appointment of qualified staff with clear roles and responsibilities. In addition, qualified staff (trained under earlier ADB technical assistance) were offered assignments on other donor-funded projects as there was no position or incentives available for them in the WDC Project.

Siem Reap WDC management

Former PDWA Deputy Director Mrs. Em Phalla Mony was originally designated as the Siem Reap PIU Manager. After the National Elections in 2008, new Vice Governor positions were created in all provinces which were designated for women. Mrs. Em Phalla Mony was appointed to this position in Siem Reap and Mrs. Tan Kim Chhan was appointed as the new PIU Manager. Although Mrs. Tan Kim Chhan had been involved in the WDC Project capacity building and field activities, the shift to a management role proved very challenging, particularly since the WDC activities were markedly different from the normal work of the PDWA as noted earlier in this report.

PCU/PIU office facilities

A large office space was allocated to the WDC Project at the MoWA Annex at Kolap I in May 2006 which worked very well for the project. Key members of the ministry's Economic Development Department worked out of this office, greatly facilitating communication and coordination of activities. The project consultants were provided with an office within the main project office.

12 At the end of 2009, both the MBPI and PMG schemes were suspended by the RGC pending development of a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to pay incentives. The new approach is expected to be announced in mid-2010.

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In Siem Reap, the WDC Advisor was provided with an office on the PDWA compound. In Kompong Chhnang, the WDC Advisor worked out of the WDC.

5.2 PROJECT CONSULTANTS

The original project budget provided for a half-time regional Project Management Consultant and two full-time national WDC Management Consultants. MoWA requested that a full-time national Management and Training Consultant and full-time national Administration and Finance Officer be added to the project and that the Project Management Consultant be up-graded to an international position. Given the importance of institutional and staff capacity building at both national and sub-national levels and the nature of the project (i.e., changing the activities and role of WDCs) enhanced technical support was deemed necessary. Budget reallocations within the approved budget were requested to support these changes. When it became clear that additional inputs were needed to manage the civil works component of the project, an additional international consultant with the needed expertise was recruited. The consultants added (i.e., Management and Training Consultant, Administration and Finance Officer, and Civil Works and Management Consultant) proved to be absolutely essential to the management and implementation of the project.

The long-term consultants supporting the JFPR WDC Project were:

Position Consultant

Person-

months Effective Dates

Project Management Consultant Ms Cheryl Urashima 12 (intermittent)

19 July 2006 - 13 March 2010

Management and Training Consultant

Ms Uch Sarom 47 17 April 2006 - 13 March 2010

Administration and Finance Officer

Mr Meam Sotan 49.5 1 May 2006 - 13 June 2010

K Chhnang WDC Consultant Mr Ros Va 30.5 13 June 2007 - 31 Dec 2009

S Reap WDC Consultant Mr Kat Bun Heng 28 1 Oct 2007 - 31 Jan 2009

Civil Works and Management Consultant

Mr William Willis 12 (intermittent)

8 Jan 2009 - 13 March 2010

Recruitment of WDC Consultants with the desired combination of expertise in participatory grass-roots development, small enterprise development and institutional development, and willing to be based in the provinces was particularly difficult. The first round of recruitment for Kompong Chhnang was unsuccessful and the position needed to be re-advertized. The top choice for the Siem Reap position unfortunately needed to withdraw due to health reasons. Both WDC Consultants were subsequently recruited by other projects working with WDCs – Va by the UNDP/PGE project working with the center in Kompong Speu, and Heng by the GTZ/RED project working with the center in Siem Reap.

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5.3 IMPLEMENTATION PARTNERS

The project worked with a number of partners from the private sector, NGOs and other government institutions in implementing the WDC Project:

Component A: WDC facility development and upgrading

Position Consultant

Person-

months Effective Dates

Architect/Interior Design/KChh Landscaping

Ms Nivana Cheng lump sum 1 Oct 2006 - ?

S Reap Supervising Engineer Mr Dit Sereyreatana ? 26 Oct 2007 - ?

K Chhnang Supervising Engineer Mr Chey Nary ?

Original Contractor (contracts terminated)

Mohaprum

S Reap Contractor Mr Im Vibol

K Chhnang Contractor Long Leang Heng

S Reap Landscaping Mr Meng Him

Display Materials Ms Bronwyn Blue lump sum

The original budget provision for architectural design and supervision ($20,000 total) proved to be much less than needed. Given the problems encountered with the original contractor for civil works, there was a clear need for full-time supervising engineers for both sites. Component B: Life skills and advocacy support Province Workshop In cooperation with

Home safety People's Association for Development (ToT)

Small engine maintenance & repair Local mechanics

Food processing Local business woman

Good nutrition and sanitation K Chhnang Department of Health

Kompong Chhnang

Women's worker rights

ILO (ToT)

Home Safety --

Small engine maintenance & repair Local mechanics

Sewing machine maintenance & repair Local expert Food processing K Chhnang WDC

Nutrition and sanitation K Chhnang Department of Health

Siem Reap

Women's worker rights --

Component C: MSE development and support Province Workshop In cooperation with

Sedge mats Lotus Pond and others Triangle sedge Master craftsperson from PP

Kompong Chhnang Bamboo handicrafts Lotus Pond

Romchek handicrafts Producers from Takeo and PP

Rattan baskets Baskets of Cambodia

Cotton carpets Carpets for Communities Cotton blankets Master craftsperson from Battambang

Siem Reap

Post-harvest processing Department of Agriculture and Peri-Urban Agricultural Center, K Speu

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Component D: Capacity building Province Workshop In cooperation with

OPERACY Human Earth Development Center (HEDC)

Computer training Private training institutions

Business counseling Artisans d'Angkor

WDC strengthening MoWA program budget

Both

Life skills and MSE development interventions

As noted above

The original project design envisioned extensive contracting of training and other services from NGOs. As there were no NGOs with expertise in the community-based, participatory approach to enterprise development being pursued by the WDC Project, the PCU requested and received authorization to expand contracting to the private sector and other government institutions. Resource institutions and individuals were identified on an as-needed basis. To the extent possible, external resource persons/institutions provided training to WDC staff so that they would be able to delivery services beyond the life of the project. In some cases (e.g., sedge mats) training was focused on master producers at the community level. Much of the most valuable technical input came from master craft persons from different parts of the country who were able to provide practical training and coaching appropriate to the needs and capacity of the producer groups. Identifying such individuals was challenging and required intensive inputs from the Management and Training Consultant and Technical Coordinator.

5.4 FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Overview of financial status

As of 13 March 2010, a total of US$ 1,748,722 (97 percent of the US$ 1,800,000 total grant committed) had been expended: US$ 1,405,373 had been disbursed from the Imprest Account; and, US$ 343,349 had been disbursed directly to the contractor for civil works.

The Project Financial Report is shown in Table 71 on the next page. Budget status by component and expense category is shown in the Budget Status report in Table 72 on page 157. An overview of projected and actual expenditures is shown in Figure 5 on page 158. The gap between projected and actual expenses was primarily due to problems with construction under Component A.

Capacity building

PCU members and project consultants were sponsored by the project to participate in workshops organized by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) including five participants (all men) in a three-day workshop on 'Project Financial Management' held in Sihanoukville in June 2006; four participants (all men) in a three-day workshop on 'Standard Operating Procedures' held in Siem Reap in October 2006; and, five participants (all men) in a two-day workshop on 'The Procurement Manual

for Goods, Works and Services in Externally Assisted Projects' held in Sihanoukville in November 2006.

Financial audits

The Ministry of Economy and Finance contracted with KPMG to conduct financial audits of project accounts. Two audits were successfully completed and the audit of final accounts is underway:

� 9 March 2006 to 31 December 2007

� 1 January to 31 December 2008

� 1 January 2009 to 13 March 2010

The completed audits found the financial statements to 'present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the WDC project'. The management letters identified issues needing attention including control over non-expendable equipment, preparation of annual budgets, payment of VAT out of ADB funds, and transfer of income from sale of bidding documents to MEF. All issues were subsequently addressed.

- 156 -

Table 71: Financial Report 1 January to 31 May 2010

JFPR

Total amount allocated as of 6 October 2009

Component A 689,775

Component B 163,000

Component C 387,500

Component D 545,725

Total 1,786,000

Contingencies 14,000

Total JFPR Costs 1,800,000

Funds received

As of 31 December 2009 1,177,471.98

Funds received this reporting period 240,880.02

Total amount received as of 31 May 2010 1,418,352.00

Direct payments

As of 31 December 2010 343,349.03

Direct payments this reporting period -

Total as of 13 March 2010 343,349.03

Amount of funds utilized to date

Expenditures as of 31 December 2009 1,430,337.55

Expenditures 1 January to 13 March 2010

Component A 78,233.46

Component B 34,558.98

Component C 93,911.85

Component D 111,679.92

Total 318,384.21

Cummulative expenditures as of 13 March 2010

Component A 688,877.20

Component B 140,108.20

Component C 379,563.55

Component D 540,172.81

Total 1,748,721.76

Budget balance as of 13 March 2010

Component A 897.80

Component B 22,891.80

Component C 7,936.45

Component D 5,552.19

Total 37,278.24

Contingencies 14,000.00

Total balance as of 13 March 2010 51,278.24

Balance of funds as at 31 May 2010 15,573.77

Comprised of: Bank/Cash 46,821.27

Less: Outstanding Checks (33,003.47)

Other cash (not yet liquidated) 1,755.97

- 157 -

Table 72: Budget Status as of 13 March 2010

Approved budget (as of 7 May 2010)

Component

A B C D

WDC

Facilities

Life Skills &

Advocacy

Support

MSE

Development

Capacity Bldg &

Prjt Mgt

Support

1 Civil Works 642,325 642,325

2 Equipment & Furniture 25,000 23,000 87,500 24,500 160,000

3 Goods & Consumable Supplies 15,000 32,000 43,000 90,000

4 Training, Workshops & Seminars 105,000 98,000 47,000 250,000

5 Consultancy Services 22,450 - 160,000 29,000 211,450

6 NGO Inputs 20,000 17,000 37,000

7 Management & Coordination 409,225 409,225

Total 689,775 163,000 394,500 552,725 1,800,000

Contingencies -

Total Grant 1,800,000

Expenditures to date

Component

A B C D

WDC

Facilities

Life Skills &

Advocacy

Support

MSE

Development

Capacity Bldg &

Prjt Mgt

Support

1 Civil Works 643,512 643,512

2 Equipment & Furniture 22,915 11,150 93,963 20,300 148,328

3 Goods & Consumable Supplies 18,483 20,632 50,595 89,710

4 Training, Workshops & Seminars 101,121 95,511 37,508 234,139

5 Consultancy Services 22,450 - 142,055 21,680 186,185

6 NGO Inputs 9,355 27,402 36,757

7 Management & Coordination 410,090 410,090

Total 688,877 140,108 379,564 540,173 1,748,722

Balance

Component

A B C D

WDC

Facilities

Life Skills &

Advocacy

Support

MSE

Development

Capacity Bldg &

Prjt Mgt

Support

1 Civil Works (1,187) (1,187)

2 Equipment & Furniture 2,085 11,850 (6,463) 4,200 11,672

3 Goods & Consumable Supplies (3,483) 11,368 (7,595) 290

4 Training, Workshops & Seminars 3,879 2,489 9,492 15,861

5 Consultancy Services - - 17,945 7,320 25,265

6 NGO Inputs 10,645 (10,402) 243

7 Management & Coordination (865) (865)

Total 898 22,892 14,936 12,552 51,278

Contingencies -

Total Grant Balance 51,278

No. Category Total

No. Category Total

No. Category Total

- 158 -

JFPR 9081-CAM: Women's Development Centers Project

Expenditure Indicator

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

1,800,000

Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

US

do

lla

rs

Projected Expenditures (revised 2007)

Actual Expenditures

Actual Disbursements/Liquidation of Advances

Original

construction period

Extended

construction period (including Commune

Producer Group

Buildings

Figure 5: Expenditure Indicator

- 159 -

Budget analysis

The final approved budget for the WDC Project was significantly different from the original budget (see Table 73 on the next page). Most notable was the 53 percent increase in the budget for civil works (from US$ 421,000 to 642,325), most of which was needed to ensure that the facilities would be fully functional with the balance used for the commune producer group buildings added to this component. The budget for equipment was also lower as priority was given to production processes and equipment which would be appropriate in a rural setting.

The budget for NGO inputs were significantly less than originally planned as NGOs and other resource institutions were primarily contracted to provide training of trainers services while the PCU/PIUs directly managed an extensive range and number of workshops at the community level. The final budget for management and coordination was also much higher that anticipated, primarily due to the allocation of the Management and Training Consultant and Administration and Finance Officer to this budget item; this was for the most part off-set by lower expenses for consultancy services and NGO inputs.

5.5 ADB REVIEW AND SUPPORT

ADB missions

The original project officer for the project was Mr. Januar Hakim, Urban Development Specialist, Social Sectors Division, Mekong Department (later Southeast Asia Department). In February 2009, the project was delegated to the Cambodia Resident Mission (CaRM) and responsibility for the project was assigned to Ms. Karin Schelzig-Bloom, Social Sector Specialist.

The ADB conducted a total of seven official missions over the life of the project:

� Inception Mission 17-21 April 2006

� Review Mission 1 26 February-6 March 2007

� Review Mission 2 2-8 August 2007

� Review Mission 3 4-9 February 2008

� Review Mission 4 26 November-1 December 2008

� Review Mission 5 23 June-9 July 2009

� Final Review Mission 11-26 February 2010

All of the review missions included visits to the provinces where the project was working and opportunities to observe project interventions and meet with beneficiaries and other stakeholders. The review missions also provided excellent opportunities for the PCU to discuss and resolve implementation issues. With the delegation of the project to CaRM, it became possible to meet informally to discuss and resolve issues as they arose.

JFPR mission

A mission comprised of Mr. Masakazu Sakaguchi, Executive Director, Office of Co-financing Operations (OCO); Mr. K. Kojima, Financing Partnerships Specialist, OCO/Japan Funds Coordinator (KK); and, Mr. R. Oblepias, Staff Consultant, JFPR (RO) visited the Siem Reap WDC on 27 January 2009. The purpose of the visit was to give JFPR officers a first-hand look at JFPR-funded projects in Cambodia. The visit to the WDC was hosted by H.E. Kheng Samvada, MoWA Secretary of State with support from PCU, PDWA and PIU staff, and project consultants.

H.E Kheng Samvada welcomed the delegation at Siem Reap International Airport together with other ministry and provincial department officials and the Siem Reap vice governor. Although the delegation was scheduled to visit the WDC later in the day, the delegation ended up proceeding directly to the center from the airport.

- 160 -

Table 73. Budget analysis

Original budget

Component

A B C D

WDC

Facilities

Life Skills &

Advocacy

Support

MSE

Development

Capacity Bldg &

Prjt Mgt

Support

1 Civil Works 421,000 421,000

2 Equipment & Furniture 30,000 68,000 127,500 22,000 247,500

3 Goods & Consumable Suppl ies 20,000 48,000 25,000 93,000

4 Training, Workshops & Seminars 54,000 58,000 45,000 157,000

5 Consultancy Services 20,000 34,000 179,000 28,000 261,000

6 NGO Inputs 40,000 160,000 200,000

7 Management & Coordination 240,000 240,000

Total allocated 471,000 216,000 572,500 360,000 1,619,500

Contingencies 180,500

Total grant 1,800,000

Approved budget (as of 6 October 2009)

Component

A B C D

WDC

Facilities

Life Skills &

Advocacy

Support

MSE

Development

Capacity Bldg &

Prjt Mgt

Support

1 Civil Works 642,325 642,325

2 Equipment & Furniture 25,000 23,000 87,500 24,500 160,000

3 Goods & Consumable Suppl ies 15,000 32,000 43,000 90,000

4 Training, Workshops & Seminars 105,000 98,000 47,000 250,000

5 Consultancy Services 22,450 - 130,000 22,000 174,450

6 NGO Inputs 20,000 40,000 60,000

7 Management & Coordination 409,225 409,225

Total allocated 689,775 163,000 387,500 545,725 1,786,000

Contingencies 14,000

Total grant 1,800,000

Change

Component

A B C D

WDC

Facilities

Life Skills &

Advocacy

Support

MSE

Development

Capacity Bldg &

Prjt Mgt

Support

1 Civil Works 221,325 221,325

2 Equipment & Furniture (5,000) (45,000) (40,000) 2,500 (87,500)

3 Goods & Consumable Suppl ies (5,000) (16,000) 18,000 (3 ,000)

4 Training, Workshops & Seminars 51,000 40,000 2,000 93,000

5 Consultancy Services 2,450 (34,000) (49,000) (6,000) (86,550)

6 NGO Inputs (20,000) (120,000) (140,000)

7 Management & Coordination 169,225 169,225

Total allocated 218,775 (53,000) (185,000) 185,725 166,500

Contingencies (166,500)

Total grant -

Percentage change

Component

A B C D

WDC

Facilities

Life Skills &

Advocacy

Support

MSE

Development

Capacity Bldg &

Prjt Mgt

Support

1 Civil Works 53% 53%

2 Equipment & Furniture -17% -66% -31% 11% -35%

3 Goods & Consumable Suppl ies -25% -33% 72% -3%

4 Training, Workshops & Seminars 94% 69% 4% 59%

5 Consultancy Services 12% -100% -27% -21% -33%

6 NGO Inputs -50% -75% -70%

7 Management & Coordination 71% 71%

Total allocated 46% -25% -32% 52% 10%

No. Category Total

No. Category Total

No. Category Total

No. Category Total

- 161 -

When the delegation arrived at the center, they visit the main building where products produced by project beneficiaries were displayed. Sarom and Veasna provided an introduction to the project objectives and activities in the field. The delegation seemed satisfied with the introduction and asked a number of follow-up questions. They inquired about the scope of JFPR support for the facilities and were informed that all of the buildings and activities were being financed out of the grant. Since the center facilities were not then operational, they asked where training was being conducted. As most training is village-based, the lack of center facilities had not been a major constraint. The delegation was also concerned about the location of the WDC in a remote area. The were informed that as land in town is very expensive, it would be difficult to allocate such a large area for the center. Also, the area where the center is located is one of the poorest, so locating the WDC in this area makes it easier to help poor people. At the end of the visit, the delegates were presented with a silk scarf. They seemed happy with this first gift from their trip.

The visit was successfully organized in a very short time. The MoWA, PDWA, WDC and project staff worked together well to prepare for the visit under the leadership of H.E. Kheng Samvada. Photos from the visit are shown below:

ADB Video

In November 2009, ADB headquarters organized the production of a video on ADB projects in Cambodia including the JFPR WDC project. The video production team filmed activities at both the national and local level. At the national they interview the Minister of MoWA, H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi and the JFPR Project Coordinator, Mrs. Keth Sam Ath. At the local level they interviewed producer group members and filmed handicraft and training activities such as food processing training, women’s hand bag sewing, mat dyeing and weaving, and production of prao and rattan products. They were particularly interested in filming the process of making products from romchek starting with the cutting of the romchek to the production of a final product such as a handbag. They also filmed production of prao products. The film crew was very happy with the WDC project’s activities and noted that the project has provided benefits to many poor women. The video was shown during the inauguration ceremonies in February 2010.

- 162 -

6.0 CONCLUSIONS

6.1 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Key performance indicators Achievements

� Development of one WDC and upgrading of an existing WID center into a WDC.

� A new WDC was developed in Siem Reap and the existing WID Center in Kompong Chhnang was upgraded into a WDC. In addition five commune producer group buildings were constructed.

� Direct benefits to about 3,000 poor women through life and entrepreneurial skills programs.

� At least 3,300 individuals, including 2,400 women, were directly involved in project interventions.

� Indirect benefits to about 12,000 household members from improved women’s skills and income; outreach programs in health and sanitation; and, multiplier effect arising from micro- and small entrepreneurial activities.

� A minimum of 12,000 household and community members indirectly benefited from project interventions.

� Improved capacity of staff of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA); staff of Provincial Departments of Women’s Affairs (PDWAs) in two provinces; and, staff of two Women’s Development Centers (WDC) to deliver better services and facilitate a more conducive business environment for women entrepreneurs.

� Staff of MoWA's Economic Development Department, PDWA and DoWA staff in both Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang, and WDC staff in these two provinces were enabled to deliver better services and facilitate a more conducive business environment for women entrepreneurs.

While the total number of women directly benefiting from project interventions was somewhat less than planned, project interventions went far beyond generic life, entrepreneurship and traditional vocational skills programs with its participatory, market-oriented approach to enterprise development and women's economic empowerment. In 2005, the year prior to the inception of the WDC Project, the Kompong Chhnang WDC had trained a total of 130 women in sewing, weaving, wedding fitting and food processing. In 2009, more than 1,600 women benefited from training and other support organized by the Kompong Chhnang WDC on a wide range of topics.

6.2 PROJECT IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

6.2.1 Poverty and social impact assessment

A Poverty and Social Impact Assessment (PSIA) was conducted by Mr. So Dane in collaboration with DC Research in January/February 2010. This assessment was carried out through review of project documents, survey of 180 project beneficiaries, key informant interviews and, focus groups discussions. The assessment team also prepared 12 case studies on two women beneficiaries from each of the six communes where the project had been working. The PSIA findings relevant to each value chain and the case studies have been included in Section 3.5 of this report. The Executive Summary of the PSIA is included as Annex 4 of this report.

Overall findings of the PSIA were as follows:

Impact

� The project had considerably enhanced the use of off-farm enterprise as a major secondary source of livelihood. Most of the producers interviewed indicated that their off-farm enterprises are providing them with more income, with a premium arising from the use of the quality controls and designs introduced by the project.

� The main market for their products is still the local market. Producers dependent on traders for advance payments from products remain trapped in low prices and indebtedness.

- 163 -

� Villagers began undertaking new income generating activities, such as food processing, in their free time.

� While remaining near the poverty threshold, most producers saw themselves as having moved higher than their previous income situation.

� The beneficiaries found the workshops on food processing, good nutrition, women's worker rights and home safety most useful and shared what they learned with their families, neighbors and within their peer groups.

� The home-based nature of interventions was frequently cited as beneficial as this was seen as suitable to the situation of the women. Men were also involved in the harvesting and preparation of raw materials.

� The project lessened the migration of women, while also allowing them to have a say in the use of income and giving them visible roles in community development, helping them to work with other women and expand their support network.

� MoWA/PDWA/WDC staff have enhanced understanding of and ability to implement and oversee participatory approaches to market-oriented rural enterprise development activities.

Effectiveness

� The design of the project was seen as appropriate as it used a systematic framework informed by the CRAs and needs assessment exercises.

� The project elicited significant participation by producer group elders, village and commune chiefs and other key persons.

� The project successfully promoted significant interaction with other agencies engaged in similar local enterprise project, and undertook successful networking and cross-learning efforts with entrepreneurs based in other provinces.

� There remained a need to improve the links between the producer groups and markets and other local business development service providers.

Relevance and sustainability

� The project proved relevant in addressing the conditions it was designed to tackle, particularly in regard to providing better options for off-farm income-earning activities.

� The project improved the entrepreneurial skills of women artisans and provided impetus for overall female empowerment in the community.

� The trained producer groups have remained intact, representing a viable resource for pursuing entrepreneurship objectives, and the underlying resource base for raw materials is still sustainable.

� The project has initiated the transformation of the WDCs into enterprise centers, although there are limitations that will hinder that process such as the absence of a plan, limited resources from MoWA and a shortage of staff with management skills or experience with enterprise development projects.

Recommendations

To solidify the gains made by the project, MoWA must commit to mapping out the next phase and seek funds for continuation and a more strategic direction. To move onto the next step, the WDC management should consider the following:

� Extend the institutional support network to include business development services.

� Integrate private sector actors and local traders into the process.

� Enable the producer groups to grow as self-help groups by enabling them with mechanisms for savings and access to micro-credit.

� WDCs should observe and employ techniques used by other self-sustaining social enterprises.

� Continue product promotion through the media and product fairs.

� Enlist the assistance of other donors and investors, including NGOs and private sector actors.

� Continue to identify innovative, niche products that groups can successfully market.

- 164 -

6.2.2 Sustainability of project interventions

Producer groups

The knowledge and skills acquired by the women who participated in project interventions should be sustainable. The extent to which the knowledge acquired through life skills workshops has been shared with others is indicative of the value placed on what was learned.

The producer group members also learned new technical skills which greatly enhanced the quality and value of their products. In most cases they should be able to continue to use these skills to contribute to the livelihoods of their families. For some value chains (e.g., cotton blankets and handbags) facilitated access to equipment and raw materials will be needed. For other value chains (e.g., bamboo and rattan products) the issue of dependence on market intermediaries for working capital will need to be addressed if the producers are to fully realize the additional value from their new skills.

The producer group members were initially resistant to change, particularly related to moving from individual to group management of production. There is now general recognition of the value of working together. The commune producer group buildings further enable collaborative work.

The producer groups played an active role in defining priorities for project interventions, have been given a role in the management of the CPGBs, and were enabled to share their new skills with others. This has strengthened the role and status of these women in their communities.

WDC/PDWAs

The WDC staff were also initially resistance to change. The shift from vocational training to an enterprise development approach required a more business-oriented approach to service delivery. Over time, the staff acquired new skills and new ways of working. With appropriate encouragement and support the new skills should be sustainable including facilitation skills; entrepreneurship and business counseling skills; skills in facilitating CRA, food processing, home safety, nutrition and sanitation, and women's worker rights workshops; and, product-specific technical skills. The WDCs should be able to market at least some of these skills to other institutions. Other resources will however be needed for them to effectively use these skills to expand their services.

Several PDWA staff members also participated in WDC Project activities, acquiring many of the same skills as the WDC staff. In addition, the PDWA staff received training in gender analysis, and gender and planning—skills which will be come increasingly important in the devolution of responsibilities and resources to local government.

MoWA

The Economic Development Department staff also acquired new skills and new ways of working through the WDC Project which are being put to use in other projects under the responsibility of the department.

6.3 LESSONS LEARNED

Project design

Budget allocations and consultancy inputs were significantly different from what was originally planned. The changes were extremely important to the ultimate successful outcomes of the project. The flexibility of the ADB and JFPR in approving the requested changes was very much appreciated.

Project implementation

The community-led approach provided valuable insights into what Cambodian rural women need and how best to respond to these needs. This allowed tailoring of interventions to the existing needs, interests and capacities of producer group members. Introduction of change in a step-by-step manner has been essential to strengthening both the skills and teamwork of the producer groups. Master producers have emerged and were called on to provide training to others.

The integration of life skills into the program was important to improving gender relations within families in addition to providing knowledge and skills to help women to better care for their families and protect their rights.

- 165 -

The support of men in the community—both local leaders and male members of the families of producer groups—was important to enabling women to actively participate in project activities.

Mobilization of technical expertise from the private sector, NGOs, government institutions, greatly contributed to the overall success of the project.

Strong support on contract management is needed for successful implementation of civil works contracts.

6.4 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS

Producer groups

Detailed recommendations for follow-up for each value chain have been discussed in Section 3.5 of this report. General areas of follow-up needed include:

� Strengthening links to markets

� Responding to demand from buyers:

� Scaling-up production capacity: raw materials, number of producers, amount of time available, efficiency of production, expanding to other groups/ villages

� Maintaining quality standards

� Organizing management of large orders

� Ensuring year-round availability of products

� Formalizing mechanisms for working together

� Follow-up support on the design and production of new products

� Facilitating access to equipment and working capital as needed

WDCs

� The WDCs in Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang need to carefully review the follow-up needed by each producer group in consultation with the groups, and develop strategies and plans for providing or facilitating access to the needed follow-up support.

� Plans should include clarifying and strengthening the role of the WDCs in product promotion and marketing, including the possibility of contracting out the management of the showrooms to a fair trade enterprise.

� The WDCs should consider how they might expand services to other communities, either communities engaged in products with which the centers already have some experience, or new communities and new value chains within the capacity of the centers.

� The WDCs should pilot marketing of select courses (e.g., food processing) on a fee basis to individuals and market other courses much appreciated by participants with which with they have expertise to other institutions (e.g., home safety, women's worker rights).

MoWA

� The EDD should be actively engaged in encouraging and guiding the producer group consultations and preparation of WDC plans.

� The EDD should prepare its own program-based strategy and plan for providing follow-up support to the WDCs and producer groups in Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang, and guiding the transformation of WID Centers in other provinces into WDCs. This plan should include partnerships with the private sector and NGOs. The plan should seek to harmonize existing donor-supported projects and facilitate the mobilization of new funding to implement the plan.

� MoWA and the PDWAs need to carefully review the qualifications needed by WDC managers and make appropriate changes as necessary.

� MoWA and the WDCs should give priority to recruiting additional staff with the business-oriented attitudes and skills needed to effectively scale-up and expand WDC activities.

ANNEXES

1. Poverty maps and employment profiles

2. Key documents and reports

3. WiSE marketing materials

4. Executive summary of PSIA

5. Draft Implementation Completion Memorandum (ICM)

Annex 1

Poverty maps and employment profiles

Annex 2

Key documents and reports

Annex 3

WiSE marketing materials

Annex 4

Executive summary of PSIA

Annex 5

Draft Implementation Completion Memorandum (ICM)

Annex 1a Poverty and Employment by District, K Chhnang, 2004

LEGEND

< 10%

10-29%

30-49%

50-69%

70-89%

> 90%

Kampong Chnnang Province % of households below the poverty line by district

Samakee Meanchey

20%

Tuek Phos 43%

Boribor 7%

Rolea B’ier 35%

Chol Kiri 54%

Kampong Tralach

30%

Kampong Leaeng

32%

Kampong Chhnang

17%

Garment manufacturing 3%

Animal raising10%

Forestry, logging 2%

Vegetables, fruit and horticulture 1%

Rice cultivation

84%

Retail trade28%

Animal raising 4%

Wood products 2%

Garment manufacturing 2%

Rice cultivation

64%

Tuek Phos

Household employee 1%

Food processing 1%

Forestry, logging 3%

Public services 1%

Retail trade 1%

Animal raising

15%

Rice cultivation

78%

Construction 2%

Public services 2%

Household employee 2%

Radio, tv, comm equip 2%

Forestry and logging 2%

Wood products 4%

Fishing

52%

Animal raising 2%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 2%

Rice cultivation

30%

Retail trade 4%Mining and quarrying 2%

Fishing

7%

Animal raising 5%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture

14%

Rice cultivation

68%

Public services 2%

Retail trade

8%

Wood

products

6%

Fishing

31%

Animal raising 2%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 2%

Rice cultivation

49%

Employment by Industry Group by District,

Kampong Chhnang, 2004

Employed women: 15,700 Employed men: 16,900

Employed women: 10,000 Employed men: 10,500

Employed women: 10,100 Employed men: 10,200

Kampong Leaeng

District

Chol Kiri District

Tuek Phos District

Boribor

Public

services

6%

Other service activities 3%

Household employee 1%Transport 1%

Construction 2%

Basic metals 1%

Vehicle sales, repair,

maintenance 3%

Machinery and equipment 1%

Furniture 1%

Retail trade

14%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 8%

Food processing 1%

Animal raising 3%Fishing

26%

Rice cultivation

29%

Boribor

Other service activities 2%Construction 1%

Basic metals 1%

Vehicle sales, repair, maintenance 1%

Wood products 1%

Garment manufacturing 2%

Retail trade

22%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture9%

Food processing 1%

Animal raising 1%

Fishing

21%

Rice cultivation

38%

Other service activities 1%

Wood products

40%

Garment manufacturing 3%

Rice cultivation

29%

Animal

raising

4%

Forestry, logging 3%

Fishing

12%

Food processing 2%

Retail

trade

6%

Membership organizations 1%Public services 2%

International organizations 1%

Construction 4%

Hotels and restaurants 1%

Transport 3%

Retail trade

8%

Food processing 3%

Fishing

6%

Animal raising

11%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 2%

Rice cultivation

58%

Transport 1%

Public services 3%

Other service activities 1%

Membership organizations 1%

Vehicle sales, repair,

maintenance 1%

Construction 1%

Wood products

15%

Garment manufacturing 1%

Rice cultivation

30%

Animal raising

15%

Forestry, logging 3%

Fishing

21%

Food processing 2%

Retail trade

5%

Public services 1%

Wood products 2%Household employee 1%

Retail trade

15%

Garment manufacturing 5%

Fishing 1%

Animal raising

9%

Vegetables, fruit

and horticulture

8%

Rice cultivation

58%

Employed women: 38,400 Employed men: 28,310

Employed women: 22,300 Employed men: 22,800

Employed women: 27,300 Employed men: 25,500

Rolea B’ier District

Boribor District

Kampong Tralach

District

Kampong ChhnangPublic services 1%

Household employee 1%

Other service activities 1%

Financial intermediation 3%

Rice cultivation

9%

Retail trade

37%

Fishing

26%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 2%

Food processing 2%

Rubber, plastic products 2%

Animal

raising

6%

Garment

manufacturing

8%

Wood products 1%

Electricity, gas supply 1%

Rice cultivation

15%

Animal raising

19%

Forestry, logging

6% Vegetables, fruit

and horticulture34%

Transport 3%

Retail trade23%

Transport 4%

Membership organizations 1% Other service activities 1%

Public services 4%

Food processing 1%

Rice cultivation

12%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 38%

Animal raising

26%

Fishing 2%Retail trade 2%

Forestry, logging

9%

Recreational, cultural activities

1%Other service activities 1%

International organizations 3%

Construction 1%

Transport 4%Public services

12%

Electricity, gas supply 1%

Rice cultivation 4%

Forestry and logging 1%

Fishing

46%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 1%

Retail trade

18%

Rubber and plastic products 2%

Animal raising 2%

Food processing 2%

Wood products 2%

Metal products 1%

Source: CSES 2004 database

Employed women: 11,700 Employed men: 13,600

Employed women: 14,500 Employed men: 13,800

Samakee Meanchey

District

Kampong Chhnang District

Annex 1b Poverty and Employment by District, Siem Reap, 2004

Varin 70%

Svay Leu

Srei Sanam

92%

Angkor Chum 50%

Kralanh 51%

Pouk 42%

Angkor Thum 85%

Banteay Srei 95%

Siem Reap 12%

Prasat Bakong

38% Sotr Nikom 58%

Chi Kraeng

58%

LEGEND

< 10%

10-29%

30-49%

50-69%

70-89%

> 90%

no data

Siem Reap Province % of households below the poverty line by district

Employment by Industry Group by District, Siem Reap, 2004

Animal raising

15%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 2%

Rice cultivation

83%

Wood products 2%

Animal

raising

5%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 3%

Rice cultivation

84%

Publicservices

6%

Vaarin District

Household employee 2%

Rice cultivation

77%

Animal raising

12%

Retail

trade

5%

Construction 4%

Prasat Bakong

Household employee 5%

Recreational, cultural

activities 1%

Transport 2%

Public services 2%

Vehicle sales, repair,

maintenance 2%

Furniture 1%

Construction

12%

Rice cultivation

53%

Fishing

6%Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 1%

Animal raising

15%

Prasat Bakong District

Employed women: 8,700 Employed men: 7,300

Employed women: 21,600 Employed men: 23,000

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 2%

Hotel and restaurant 2%

Construction 2%

Textiles

4%

Animal raising

21%

Rice cultivation

69%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 3%

Public services

11%

Construction

12%

Animal raising

20%

Rice cultivation

54%

Banteay Srei District

Employed women: 6,850 Employed men: 5,400

Other service activities 1%

Recyling 1%Financial intermediation 1%

Construction 2%

Wood products 1%

Household employee 1%

Garment manufacturing 1%

Rice cultivation

67%

Animal raising 2%

Retail trade

21%

Food processing 2%

Food processing 3%

Retail trade

10%

Animal raising

4%

Rice cultivation

69%

Transport equipment 1%

Public services 4%

Construction 1%

Vehicle sales, repair,

maintenance 1%

Financial intermediation 1%

Transport

6%

Angkor Chum

District

Household employee 2%Transport 1%

Printing 1%

Wood products 1%

Retail trade

14%

Fishing

6%

Garment manufacturing 3%

Food processing 4%

Animal raising

10%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 5%

Rice cultivation

53%

Construction 1%

Transport equipment 3%

Rice cultivation

42%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 8%

Animal raising

10%

Forestry, logging 4%

Retail trade 2%

Fishing

13%

Garment manufacturing 1%

Food processing 2%

Wood products 4%

Non-metallic mineral products

2%

Printing 1%

Hotel and restaurant 1%

Household employee 3%

Public services 2%

Transport 1%

Chi Kraeng District

Household employee 2%

Wood

products

10%

Food processing 1%

Rice cultivation

50%

Animal raising

35%

Forestry, logging 1%

Retail trade 1%

Public services 1%

Real estate 1%Transport 1%

Wood products 2%

Food processing 3%

Rice cultivation

67%Fishing

12%

Animal raising

12%

Forestry, logging 1%

Kralaanh District

Employed women: 15,300 Employed men: 13,100

Employed women: 19,000 Employed men: 22,400

Employed women: 12,800 Employed men: 15,000

Pouk District

Food processing 1%

Retail trade 1%

Forestry,

logging 1%

Rice cultivation

23%

Fishing 2%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 12%

Animal raising

58%

Garment manufacturing 1%

Food processing 1%

Retail trade 1%

Forestry,

logging 1%

Rice cultivation

42%

Fishing 2%Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 12%

Animal raising

24%

Srei Snam District

Hotel and restaurant 1%

Construction 2%

Electricity and gas 1%

Public services 2%Household employee 2%

Wood products

17%

Garment manufacturing 1%

Textiles 1%

Food processing 1%

Retail trade

18%

Forestry, logging 1%

Rice cultivation

18%

Fishing

5%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 12%

Animal raising

18%

Soutr Nikom District

Employed women: 48,100 Employed men: 52,600

Employed women: 21,100 Employed men: 20,300

Employed women: 33,150 Employed men: 29,700

Membership organizations

0.2%

Public services 2%

Transport 1%

Household employee 4%

Hotels and restaurants 0.3%

Wood products 1% Construction

7%Food processing 2%

Retail trade 4%

Forestry, logging 1% Rice cultivation

36%

Fishing

17%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 2%

Animal raising

23%

Recreational, cultural activities

1%Household employee 6%

Hotels and restaurants 1%

Construction

9%Electricity and gas 1%

Transport 3%

Public services 3%

Furniture 1%

Textiles 1%

Wood products

12%

Garment manufacturing 1%

Food processing 4%

Retail trade

10%

Rice cultivation

19%

Fishing

9%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 7%

Animal raising

15%

Financial intermediation 0.4%

Hotels and restaurants 1%

Construction 1%

Public services 0.4%

Household employee 3%

Wood

products

6%Textiles 1%

Garment manufacturing 0.4%

Food processing 3%

Retail trade

11%

Forestry, logging

4%

Rice cultivation

38%

Fishing

5%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 3%

Animal raising

25%

Wood products

72%

Rice cultivation 3%

Fishing

7%

Animal raising

8%

Retail trade

10%

Angkor Thum

District

Other 1%Other service activities 0.4%

Membership organizations 1%

International organizations 1%

Financial intermediation 1%

Real estate, other business

activities 1% Public

services 7%

Household

employee

8%

Recycling 0.4%

Construction 3%

Furniture 4%

Hotels and

restaurants 5%

Transport 1%

Office equipment 0.4%

Wood products 3%

Printing 0.5%

Garment manufacturing 3%

Food processing 1%

Retail trade

34%

Rice

cultivation

10%

Fishing 0.3%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 4%

Animal raising

13%

Other 0.2%

Other service activities 0.3%

Recreational, cultural activities

3%

International organizations 1%

Real estate 1%

Public services

11%

Membership organizations 1%

Household employee 5%

Vehicle sales, repair,

maintenance 1%

Construction

14%

Electricity, gas 0.4%

Hotels and restaurants 6%

Transport

12%

Furniture 2%

Printing 1%Fabricated metal products 1%

Wood products 2%

Food processing 2%

Retail trade

15%

Rice

cultivation

8%

Fishing 4%

Vegetables, fruit and

horticulture 3%

Animal raising

9%

Siem Reap District

Employed women: 8,400 Employed men: 7,800

Employed women: 41,050

Employed men: 40,550

Wood products

16%

Retail trade

5%

Rice

cultivation

3%

Fishing

11%

Animal raising

34%

Forestry, logging

26%

MINISTRY OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS

WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT CENTERS PROJECT (ADB/JFPR No. 9081-CAM)

KEY DOCUMENTS AND REPORTS

1. Community Resource Assessments (6 communes)

a. Trangnel Commune, Kompong Leang District, Kompong Chhnang

b. Toek Hout Commune, Rolea B'ier District, Kompong Chhnang

c. Chhueng Krio Commune, Rolea B'ier District, Kompong Chhnang

d. Leang Dai Commune, Angkor Thom District, Siem Reap

e. Svay Chek Commune, Angkor Thom District, Siem Reap

f. Samrong Commune, Sotr Nikom District, Siem Reap

2. Training Manuals and Materials:

a. Home Safety1

b. Food Processing

c. Good Nutrition and Sanitation

d. Women's Workers Rights2

e. Gender and Enterprise Manual for Men and Women in the Community3

f. Informal Sector Group Formation

3. Kompong Chhnang WDC Profile (2006)

4. Enterprise Development Plan for Siem Reap WDC (draft)

5. Project Progress Reports (11)

6. Construction Audit Reports (2)

a. Siem Reap

b. Kompong Chhnang

7. Finanical Audit Reports (3)

a. 9 March 2006 to 31 December 2007

b. 1 January to 31 December 2008

c. 1 January 2009 to 13 March 2010 (forthcoming)

8. Poverty and Social Impact Assessment

1 Simplified version of material developed by the ILO, adapted for use with rural communities. 2 Simplified version of material developed by the ILO, adapted for use with rural communities. 3 Simplified version of material development by the ILO, adapted for use with rural communities under ADB TA No. 3947-CAM and used by the WDC Project for village-level workshops.

Poverty & Social Impact Assessment (PSIA) 1

Ministry of Women's Affairs

Women's Development Centers Project (ADB/JFPR 9081-CAM)

POVERTY AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (PSIA) Prepared by So Dane with support from DC Research

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Women’s Development Centers (WDC) Project was implemented by the Ministry of

Women’s Affairs (MoWA) of the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), with grant funding

from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), administered by the Asian Development

Bank (ADB) at a cost of US$2,200,000. The project started 9 March 2006 and was

completed 13 March 2010. The project areas was in six communes in the provinces of Siem

Reap and Kampong Chhnang. The overall goal of this project is to reduce poverty by

increasing access to services that support women’s social and economic empowerment. The

project’s specific objectives are to:

1. Facilitate human development for poor women through life-skills training and

advocacy support;

2. Develop and support micro- and small entrepreneurship by providing adequate

information, facilitating access to credit, and enabling links to various organizations

and resources; and

3. Build the capacity of institutions that promote a women-friendly entrepreneurial

environment.

This report on the poverty and social impact assessment comprises the end-of-project

evaluation. The information came from the review of documents generated by the project

and field information coming from a household survey of 180 project beneficiaries, key

informant interviews, focus group discussions and case studies of 12 women beneficiaries.

The major achievements in the four components for this Project are as follows:

A. Women Development Center (WDC) facility development. Construction of the WDC

building in Siem Reap and upgrading of the WDC facility in Kampong Chhnang

provinces; setting up of 5 Commune Producer Group Center (CPGC); staffing,

equipment and tools provision and setting up of display area; CPGC centers are

functioning as well-utilized gathering areas for producer groups;

B. Life Skills Training and Advocacy Support for Women. An integrated counseling

program on “Family Management and Planning Skills”, was implemented, comprising

the following interventions: 66 village-workshops on “Women Worker Rights and

Home Safety” attended by 2,253 participants; 2 provincial workshops on “Life Skills

and Family Income Generation” conducted; 27 workshops on “Repair and

Maintenance of Motorcycles and Other Small Machines” was offered to 413

participants; 32 two-day workshops on “Nutrition and Sanitation” attended by 640

participants; 3 two-day workshops on “Post-harvest Processing” were attended by 60

participants in Siem Reap; a two-day study tour on vegetable farming was

conducted for 20 women; and 26 three-day workshops on “Food Processing” were

Poverty & Social Impact Assessment (PSIA) 2

attended by 386 participants; and a five-day training-of-trainers workshop was held

for 12 staff of Provincial Department of Women’s Affairs (PDWA) and WDC.

C. Micro- and Small Enterprise Development and Support. The Project aimed at

endowing 3,000 women with entrepreneurial skills in micro- and small enterprise

development. The project utilized a participatory approach to fostering market-

oriented rural enterprises, implementing the following interventions: six Community

Resource Assessment (CRA) exercises; 17 village-level three-day Gender and

Enterprise workshops, attended by 540 participants; the organization of 76 producer

groups, comprised of 889 members; the design and implementation of a substantial

number of skills training sessions, focused on the production and marketing of the

project-identified handicrafts (i.e., sedge mat, bamboo handicrafts, triangle sedge

mats, rattan, pandanus and proa mats); assisted the WDC/PDWA conduct market

research exercises, investigating the market for the focus products, recruited trainers

and communicated with likely buyers; offered marketing support to the producer

groups, assisting with product exhibits, trade fairs and product exposure at various

conferences.

D. Capacity Building and Project Management Support. The project targeted the

improved capacity of 100 provincial department staff, 40 ministry staff and 20 WDC

staff. Institutional strengthening was undertaken through hands-on coaching,

planning, assessment and advice. Because of these interventions, staff gained the

ability to utilize participatory market-oriented approaches to enterprise development,

the “GET Ahead” process and PRA-CRA methodologies. These new skills, in turn,

enabled them to facilitate project activities in the areas of awareness raising,

counseling and skills development activities for the community and producers’

groups. The project also provided senior staff with substantial exposure to inter-

agency discussions on gender and enterprise development, enhancing their

understanding of both concepts.

Project Impact

The project has considerably enhanced the use of off-farm enterprise as a major secondary

source of livelihood, after the mainstay activity – paddy agriculture. In Siem Reap, vegetable

growing is now engaged in by one-third of households, while rattan and proa mat handicrafts

provide income for 14-16% of households. In Kampong Chhnang, sedge mat weaving is

common among half of the households, and bamboo handicraft provides income for some

14%. The project encouraged more participation in the off-farm enterprise to enable income

generation for an additional 6-10 months per year. Most of the producers indicated that their

off-farm enterprises are providing them more income, with a premium arising from the use of

the quality controls and designs introduced by the project.

In Kampong Chhnang, sedge mats producers have annual net earnings of almost US$75

and bamboo handicraft producers reported incomes of US$49 per year. Vegetable

producers for both provinces reported earning over US$195 from the activity. In Siem Reap,

net earnings from proa mats production was almost US$50, rattan production US$48 and

leaf mat manufacture US$18.29. The main market of their produce is still the local market,

Poverty & Social Impact Assessment (PSIA) 3

with most of the producers still reliant on local traders. Several producers are trapped in this

relationship because the traders provide advance payment on the products, a practice that

results in the producers being bound to low prices and indebtedness.

Handicraft production was the highest income contributor for 2009 in Kampong Chhnang,

with households earning an average of US$205. In Siem Reap, vegetable farming is the lead

income earner, generating an average of US$450 for the households engaged in the

practice. Another positive project impact was that villagers began undertaking new income

generating activities, such as food processing, in their free time.

The project has not resulted in major changes in the consumption pattern, as major food

shortages continue and most participant income is still spent on food. However, a shift in

perception in terms of the producer’s location in the poverty range has been exhibited. Most

participants now perceive themselves as “non-poor”, while only 7.2% see themselves as

poor and 0.6% perceive themselves to be very poor. Most producers saw themselves as

having moved higher than their previous income situation. In terms of actual daily income,

however, they still locate themselves in the poverty threshold of (plus or minus) US$1/day.

A major contributor to some participants not having escaped poverty was their indebtedness

to middlemen. This is one area that the project interventions have not seriously addressed.

The beneficiaries found that the most useful project activity was the training they received on

food processing, good nutrition, women worker’s rights and home work and safety, followed

by the specific skills training each producer group received. These trainings were also the

interventions that they most shared with their families, neighbors and within their peer

groups.

In terms of the project’s impact on gender attitudes and relations, the most frequently cited

benefit was that it provided work that was suitable to their situations, as it is home based and

allows them to do their normal chores. Men cited that the project also involved them in the

harvesting of raw materials and in the cutting of the products. The project lessened the

migration of women, while also allowing them to have a say in the use of income and giving

them visible roles in community development, helping them to work with other women and

expand their support network.

In terms of MoWA/PDWA capacity building, the most notable impact was in enhancing their

staffs’ understanding of and ability to implement and oversee participatory approaches to

market-oriented rural enterprise development activities.

Project Effectiveness

The design of the project was seen as appropriate, as it used a systematic framework, which

was informed by the CRA and needs-assessment exercises. The project established

approximately 76 producer groups (comprised of 889) members in both provinces, and it

served as a hub for small-scale enterprise training and sharing among producers. It has

elicited significant participation by producer group leaders, village and commune chiefs and

key persons. The project also successfully promoted significant interaction with other

agencies engaged in similar local enterprise projects, and undertook successful networking

Poverty & Social Impact Assessment (PSIA) 4

and cross-learning efforts with entrepreneurs based in other provinces. However, there

remains a need to improve on the links between the producer groups and the markets and

other local business development service providers.

Project Relevance and Sustainability

In line with the overall goals, the project proved relevant in addressing the conditions it was

designed to tackle, particularly as regards providing better options for off-farm income-

earning activities that would enable women and households to supplement their subsistence

agriculture livelihoods. The project improved the entrepreneurial skills of women artisans and

provided impetus for overall female empowerment in the community. It also proved to be

strong in designing the individual interventions so that they were participatory in nature and

appropriate to the local context, although it needs to address the issues that will be critical at

the next level, e.g., collective marketing, strengthening the producer groups’ links to markets

and establishing local sources for business-related inputs (including savings and capital).

In terms of the project’s sustainability goals, the trained producer groups have remained

intact, representing a viable resource for pursuing entrepreneurship objectives, and the

underlying resource base for raw materials is still sustainable. Furthermore, the project has

initiated the transformation of the WDC into an enterprise center, although there are

limitations that will hinder that process, such as the absence of a plan, limited resources

from MoWA and a shortage of staff with management skills or experience with enterprise

development projects.

Recommendations

A major factor on the recommendations section is that the WDC Project was due to end 13

March 2010, with no next phase Project Plan by MoWA and no appropriation for the

continued operations of the WDC. To solidify the gains made by the project, MoWA must

commit to mapping out the next phase and seek funds for continuation and for a more

strategic direction. To move onto the next step, the WDC management should consider the

following:

• Extending the institutional support network to include business development services

• Integrate private sector actors and local traders into the process

• Enable the producer groups to grow as self-help groups by enabling them with

mechanisms for savings and access to micro-credit

• WDC should observe and employ techniques used by other self-sustaining social

enterprises

• Continuing product promotion through the media and product fairs

• Enlist the assistance of other donors and investors, including NGOs and private

sector actors

• Continue to identify innovative, niche products that groups can successfully market

1

IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION MEMORANDUM (ICM)

I. BASIC INFORMATION

1. JFPR Number and Name of Grant

JFPR 9081-CAM: WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

2. Country (DMC) Kingdom of Cambodia

3. Approved JFPR Grant Amount $1.8 million

4. Grant Type Project

5-A. Undisbursed Amount $

5-B. Utilized Amount $1,748,722

6. Contributions from other sources

Source of Contribution Committed Amount Actual Contributions Remarks - Notes

DMC Government $ 360,500 $ 360,500

Other Donors $ -- $ --

Private Sector $ -- $ --

Community/Beneficiaries $ 39,500 $ 39,500

7-A. GOJ Approval Date 22 July 2005

7-B. ADB Approval Date 21 December 2005

7-C. Date the LOA was signed (Grant Effectiveness Date) 9 March 2006

8-A. Original Grant Closing Date 31 December 2009

8-B. Actual Grant Closing Date 13 March 2010

8-C. Account Closing Date x xxx 2010

9. Name and Number of Counterpart ADB (Loan) Project Small and Medium Enterprise Development Program, Loan No. 2129-CAM Approved 14 December 2004 in the amount of $20 million

10. Grant Recipient Royal Government of Cambodia Represented by H.E. Keat Chhon Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Economy and Finance Street 92, Sangkat Wat Phnom, Khan Daun Penh Phnom Penh, Cambodia Tel: (855-23) Fax: (855-23) Email:

11-A. Executing Agency Ministry of Women's Affairs H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi Minister No. 3, Preah Norodom Boulevard Sangkat Wat Phnom, Khan Daun Penh Phnom Penh, Cambodia Tel: (855-23) 426-539, 426-915, 216-704 Fax: (855-23) Email: mwa@online.com.kh

11-B. Implementing Agencies Ministry of Women's Affairs Mrs. Keth Sam Ath Senior Advisor/JFPR Project Coordinator No. 3, Preah Norodom Boulevard Sangkat Wat Phnom, Khan Daun Penh Phnom Penh, Cambodia Tel: (855-23) 427-025 Fax: (855-23) Email: kethsamath@online.com.kh

Department of Economic Development Ms. Bunchhith Veasna Department Director/JFPR Technical Coordinator Sangkat Wat Phnom, Khan Daun Penh Phnom Penh, Cambodia Tel: (855-12) 755-196 Email:

Kompong Chhnang Women's Development Center Mrs. Men En Director O'Sandan Village Toek Hout Commune, Rolea Phaer District Kompong Chhnang Province, Cambodia Tel: (855-12) 957-743

Siem Reap Women's Development Center Mrs. Tan Kim Chhan Director Ploung Village Leang Dai Commune, Angkor Thom District Siem Reap Province, Cambodia Tel: (855-

2

II. GRANT PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

12. Background and Rationale

Despite their active involvement in the economy, culture and traditions greatly constrain the occupational choices of Cambodia women. Women are mostly in the informal sector of the economy and low-productivity agriculture. For women to participate in the formal sector of the economy and benefit from the increased recognition of the importance of and attention being paid to micro- and small enterprises they must develop a market orientation in their income generating choices and market-oriented skills. Programs and facilities that support these needs are limited in availability and scope, and fragmented.

In May 2004, the Government requested assistance from the ADB to support an innovative project to empower women socially and economically and improve their well-being. This request was based on findings of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and ADB technical assistance which strongly recommended providing pilot facilities to empower women. This was consistent with the Government’s Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency (2004) which recognized that women as the backbone of the economy and society and placed high priority on the strengthening the role and status of women, changing social attitudes that discriminate against women, and ensuring the rights of women to actively participate in nation building. The Ministry of Women's Affairs strategic plan, Neary Rattanak II, gave high priority to enhancing women’s participation in economic development. Upgrading existing traditional vocational training centers into integrated Women's Development Centers (WDC) was a key strategy for realizing these objectives.

The WDC was envisioned as an integrated approach to supporting women's social and economic empower-ment which goes far beyond traditional skills training. Key elements of this approach include (i) market-oriented skills training, (ii) entrepreneurship and micro-enterprise development support, (iii) socio-cultural empowerment, and (iv) shared facilities for information, production and marketing.

The project was designed in early 2005 and approved for funding by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction in July 2005.

13. Grant Development Objective and Scope

The overall project goal was to reduce poverty by increasing access to services that support women’s social and economic empowerment. The development objectives were to (i) facilitate human development for poor women through life-skill training and advocacy support; (ii) develop and support micro- and small entrepreneurship by providing adequate information, facilitating access to credit, and enabling links to various organizations and resources; and (iii) build capacity of institutions that promote woman-friendly entrepreneurial environments.

The project had four components: (i) WDC facility development in Siem Reap and upgrading in Kampong Chhnang; (ii) life skills training and advocacy support for women; (iii) micro and small business development and support; and, (iv) capacity building and project management support.

Relevance of the grant design The Grant objectives and components were consistent with and highly supportive of MoWA's strategy for WDC development. There were however some problems with the design:

The construction of a new center in Siem Reap rather than working with an existing center was somewhat problematic. Although most project activities in Siem Reap were implemented at the community level, staff were not formally assigned to the center until quite late in the project, undermining opportunities to build staff capacity to continue activities after the completion of this project. As there were nine other centers under the mandate of MoWA which already had staff in place when the project started, the funds allocated for civil works might have been better used to support the development of one or more of these centers.

The requirement that a Project Coordination Unit (PCU) be established was also problematic and contrary to RGC and development partner commitments to moving away from project-specific units. The establishment of the PCU tended to focus to who could receive salary supplements and be in a position to extract other benefits rather than qualifications and commitment to effective project implementation. This resulting in the appointment of some individuals to the PCU who provided no substantive contributions to the project and in some cases undermined implementation of activities.

Stakeholder participation and ownership The project placed strong emphasis on a participatory approach to identifying activities to be supported. This started with participatory community resource assessments workshops in each commune at the beginning of the project and continued through community-levels meetings to identify priorities for both product development and life skills interventions throughout the project. Beneficiaries reported a strong sense of ownership of project interventions and their appreciation of the responsiveness of the project to their needs.

3

14. Key Performance Indicators

Accomplishments Rating

(HS,S,PS,U1)

Evaluation of Each Indicator

(i) Direct benefits to about 3,000 poor women through � socioeconomic empowerment from life skills � entrepreneurial skill programs � a woman-friendly business environment

HS At least 3,300 individuals, including 2,400 women, were directly involved in project interventions. Although the total number of women benefiting was somewhat less than planned, project interventions went far beyond generic life, entrepreneurship and traditional vocational skills programs with its participatory, market-oriented approach to enterprise development and women's empowerment.

In 2005, the year prior to the inception of the WDC Project, the Kompong Chhnang WDC had trained a total of 130 women in sewing, weaving, wedding fitting and food processing. In 2009, more than 1,600 women benefited from training and other support organized by the Kompong Chhnang WDC on a wide range enterprise development, product development and life skills topics. As the center in Siem Reap was new, no relevant activities were undertaken prior to the inception of the project.

The knowledge and skills acquired by the women who participated in project interventions were highly relevant and should be sustainable. The extent to which the knowledge acquired through workshops was shared with others is indicative of the value placed on what was learned.

(ii) Indirect benefits to about 12,000 household members through improved women’s skills and income

HS A minimum of 12,000 household and community members indirectly benefited from project interventions.

(iii) Indirect benefits to communities around WDCs through outreach programs in health and sanitation and multiplier effect arising from micro- and small entrepreneurial activities

HS PSIA respondents reported a very high level of sharing of learning from MSE development and life skills activities with the percentage of participants reporting sharing what they had learned in each type of workshop ranging from 60 to 100 percent.

(iv) Improved capacity of about 20 WDC, 100 PDWA*, and 40 MOWA staff members to deliver better services and facilitate a conducive environment for women entrepreneurs * There was a total of 39 staff in the PDWAs in the two provinces. All received capacity building support.

S Staff of MoWA's Economic Development Department (EDD), PDWA and DoWA staff in both Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang, and WDC staff in these two provinces were enabled to deliver better services and facilitate a more conducive business environment for women entrepreneurs.

The EDD's success in attracting funding support provides some indication of the increased recognition of its strengthened capacity.

WDC staff acquired and demonstrated the capacity to deliver a broader range of

1 HS=Highly Satisfactory; S=Satisfactory; PS=Partly Satisfactory; U=Unsuccessful

4

services to women at the community level through project interventions.

PDWA staff acquired strengthened capacity to advocate for gender-responsive measures in local government which will become increasingly important as responsibilities and resources are devolved to local government.

Additional funding and support and stronger WDC management will be needed to fully utilize the capacity developed under the project.

(v) Development of a WDC in Siem Reap which will be a one-stop center providing life skills and entrepreneurial training to empower women

S A new WDC was developed in Siem Reap, a beautiful complex with seven buildings (marketing and administration, two training buildings, dyeing building, dormitory, cafeteria/day care, public restroom), several ancillary structures, furniture and equipment. Problems with completing the civil works and delays in staffing the center did however make it difficult to establish routine work habits at the new center.

(vi) Upgrading of an existing WID center into a WDC, which will be a one-stop center providing life skills and entrepreneurial training to empower women

S The existing WID Center in Kompong Chhnang was upgraded into a WDC. A new building with space for meetings and workshops, food processing training and a showroom was constructed. The existing kitchen was upgraded and a number of site improvements were made. Although there were also problems with the civil works in Kompong Chhnang, this did not significantly affect the activities of the project.

n/a HS In addition to the WDC facilities, Commune Producer Group Buildings were constructed in five communes. These buildings enable producer group members to work together, supporting strengthening of social capital as well as joint production.

15. Evaluation of Inputs (Adequacy of formulation, terms of references, inputs and performance of the Recipient(s), EA, IA(s), NGOs and ADB, performance of consultants, other inputs, review missions)

Civil works The local government provided land for the new WDC in Siem Reap and constructed a rudimentary access road; additional resources from the project were needed to bring the road up to good standard. Substantive additional work was needed for paving and drainage to minimize flooding at the Siem Reap WDC. There were problems with the quality of work of the original contractor for civil works in both Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang. These contracts were terminated and new contractors engaged to rectify the deficiencies and complete the works. The new contractors completed the work to high standard. Landscaping and interior work was also contracted and provided to a high standard.

Based on requests from producer groups, project resources were allocated for Commune Producer Group Buildings (CPGBs) in five communes. Land was provided by the communes and producer groups and local authorities were consulted on the design and management of these buildings. The contractors who completed the work on the WDCs were contracted to build the CPGBs and completed the work to a high standard.

Original budget provisions for design and construction supervision proved to be highly inadequate and full-time supervision engineers were contracted for both sites. Total expenses for civil works, including construction supervision, were significantly higher than originally budgeted.

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Equipment Office furniture and equipment was procured for the project office provided by MoWA and the two WDCs. Training equipment was procured as needed to meet the requirements of the products being produced. Total expenses for furniture and equipment were significantly less than originally budgeted.

Training, workshops and seminars More than 300 workshops were organized over the course of project, mostly at the community level, and mostly facilitated by WDC and PDWA staff. The beneficiaries were highly satisfied with the training received. The cost per workshop was relatively low as unlike most projects in Cambodia, the WDC Project did not pay honoraria to participants. Given the high number of workshops, and the delivery of workshops by WDC and PDWA staff rather than NGOs, total expenses for training was higher than originally budgeted.

Consulting services Early in the project MoWA requested a restructuring of consulting services to create a Management and Training Consultant position to assume responsibility for the curriculum development services included in the original budget in additional to capacity building support to the Economic Development Department. This consultant position proved to be essential to the development and implementation of project activities. As funding for this position was allocated to the management and coordination budget item, and the funding needed for WDC Advisors was significantly less than originally budgeted, overall expenses for consulting services were much less than originally budgeted.

NGO inputs The project also requested and received approval to use funds allocated for NGO inputs to contract with a wider range of service providers. A wide range of resource persons and institutions from NGOs, government and the private sector provided technical input and training of trainers support. These inputs were well appreciated. As priority was given to strengthening the capacity of WDC staff to deliver community-level workshops, expenses for NGO and other inputs were significantly less than originally budgeted.

Management and coordination In the request to restructure consulting services, MoWA also requested the creation of an Administration and Finance Officer position. This position also proved to be invaluable to the administration and financial management of the project. The original half-time regional Project Management Consultant position was changed to a quarter-time international position. This proved to be inadequate and a Procurement/Management Consultant was recruited, primarily to assist with management of civil works and other contracts. As noted above, the Management and Training Consultant position was also allocated to this input category. Overall expenses for management and coordination were thus much higher than originally budgeted.

Performance of ADB, the Recipient, the EA, IA(s) and NGOs

Performance Rating

Comments

ADB S While generally very supportive, delays in processing withdrawal applications and other requests sometimes created cash flow problems and contributed to delays in implementation of project activities.

Recipient: RGC S As agreed, the government provided the land for the Siem Reap WDC. MEF also supported the review of bids for civil works, processing of SOEs and withdrawal applications, and organizing of annual audits.

EA: MoWA S While generally supportive, weaknesses in contract management, delays in reporting and inconsistent engagement of MoWA staff in project activities were problematic.

IA: EDD S While the EDD was initially quite active in the project, as the department received funding for other projects EDD staff trained under the project became less available to support project activities.

WDC S Reap PS A change in the PIU manager mid-way through the project and delays in fully staffing the WDC made it difficult for the Siem Reap WDC to fully benefit from the capacity building efforts of the project.

WDC K Chh S While initially somewhat resistant to the new approach to enterprise development introduced under the project, the Kompong Chhnang WDC was actively engaged in and supportive of project activities.

NGOs/others HS Inputs from individual and institutional resource persons were widely viewed as useful and relevant.

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16. Evaluation of Outputs and Results (Reports generated, institution building, training, analysis of quality, comparison with terms of references, sustainability and exit strategy)

Civil works The WDC civil works were ultimately completed to a high standard including very attractive, professionally designed showrooms that strongly evoke idyllic rural village settings, story boards, signage and photographs of project beneficiaries. Delays in completing the civil works due to problems with finalizing the designs and deficiencies in the work of the original contractor did however have implications for occupancy of the center in Siem Reap which affected institutional and staff capacity building efforts. The CPGBs constructed at the request of the producer groups were completed to a high standard.

Training Approximately 15,000 person-days of training were provided to community women in a wide range on enterprise development, product development and life skills workshops. The beneficiaries were highly satisfied with the quality and relevance of the training and reported being able to use what they learned to increase their income and improve their health and well-being.

Institution building Formal and on-the-job training and mentoring support was provided to the managers and staff of the MoWA Economic Development Department and the two WDCs. The EDD has been able to use their newly acquired skills and experience to attract new funding support. In the absence of adequate funding for service delivery, both WDCs will however be constrained in their ability to sustain services. Management of the Siem Reap WDC in particular is a concern and priority should be given to recruitment of strong, capable, business-oriented WDC management teams that work at the centers full-time, and appointment of WDC Directors who are skilled at negotiating and managing partnerships.

Reports

Eleven progress reports and a comprehensive final report were prepared over the life of the project. While these reports were generally of high quality, they were often late making it difficult for the ADB officers to prepare and submit their reports to the JFPR office in timely fashion.

Exit strategy and related transfer of activities for sustainability The producer groups should be able to continue their livelihood activities without extensive follow-up support although, ideally, follow-up assistance should be made available, particularly on continued product development and marketing. The Kompong Chhnang WDC has the capacity to continue most activities however community-level work will be constrained by access to financial resources. The Siem Reap WDC's capacity is somewhat lower and follow-up support will be needed to strengthen the management of the center.

There will be follow-up on project activities in Siem Reap under the GTZ Regional Economic Development project. In Kompong Chhnang, the World Bank Resource Based Initiative is working with bamboo handicraft producers. The Ministry has also applied for funding to support follow-up activities in both provinces from the Ministry of Commerce Trade Sector Development Program. Additional resources would be needed to scale-up activities to other communities and provinces.

17. Overall Assessment and Rating: S

Beneficiary impact and satisfaction was highly satisfactory and the vast majority of direct beneficiaries should be able to continue to benefit from the new skills and attitudes acquired from project interventions. Capacity building efforts at the MoWA level were satisfactory however the ministry is strongly encouraged to move to a program-based approach to WDC development, building on what was learned from the project to expand support to other communities and WDCs. Capacity building efforts at the Kompong Chhnang WDC and with the PDWAs in both provinces was satisfactory however the management capacity of the Siem Reap WDC remains a concern. Although there were numerous problems with civil works, the WDC facilities and commune producer group buildings were ultimately completed to a high standard. Project management and support was satisfactory however consultant support beyond what was originally envisioned was needed to effectively manage and implement project activities.

18. Major Lessons Learned

Project design Budget allocations for civil works and consultancy inputs were significantly different from what was originally planned. The changes were extremely important to the ultimate successful outcomes of the project. The flexibility of the ADB and JFPR in approving the requested changes was very much appreciated.

Project implementation The community-led approach provided valuable insights into what Cambodian rural women need and how best to respond to these needs. This allowed tailoring of interventions to the existing needs, interests and capacities of producer group members. Introduction of change in a step-by-step manner has been essential to strengthening both the skills and teamwork of the producer groups. Master producers have emerged and were called on to provide training to others.

The integration of life skills into the program was important to improving gender relations within families in addition to providing knowledge and skills to help women to better care for their families and protect their rights.

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The support of men in the community—both local leaders and male members of the families of producer groups—was important to enabling women to actively participate in project activities.

Mobilization of technical expertise from the private sector, NGOs, government institutions, greatly contributed to the overall success of the project.

Strong support on contract management is needed for successful implementation of civil works contracts.

19. Recommendations and Follow-up Actions

Recommendations Producer groups Detailed recommendations for follow-up for each value chain are discussed in Section 3.5 of the final report. General areas of follow-up needed include:

� Strengthening links to markets

� Responding to demand from buyers:

� Scaling-up production capacity: raw materials, number of producers, amount of time available, efficiency of production, expanding to other groups/ villages

� Maintaining quality standards

� Organizing management of large orders

� Ensuring year-round availability of products

� Formalizing mechanisms for working together

� Follow-up support on the design and production of new products

� Facilitating access to equipment and working capital as needed

WDCs � The WDCs in Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang need to carefully review the follow-up needed by each producer

group in consultation with the groups, and develop strategies and plans for providing or facilitating access to the needed follow-up support.

� Plans should include clarifying and strengthening the role of the WDCs in product promotion and marketing, including the possibility of contracting out the management of the showrooms to a fair trade enterprise.

� The WDCs should consider how they might expand services to other communities, either communities engaged in products with which the centers already have some experience, or new communities and new value chains within the capacity of the centers.

� The WDCs should pilot marketing of select courses (e.g., food processing) on a fee basis to individuals and market other courses much appreciated by participants with which with they have expertise to other institutions (e.g., home safety, women's worker rights).

MoWA � The EDD should be actively engaged in encouraging and guiding the producer group consultations and

preparation of WDC plans.

� The EDD should prepare its own program-based strategy and plan for providing follow-up support to the WDCs and producer groups in Siem Reap and Kompong Chhnang, and guiding the transformation of WID Centers in other provinces into WDCs. This plan should include partnerships with the private sector and NGOs. The plan should seek to harmonize existing donor-supported projects and facilitate the mobilization of new funding to implement the plan.

� MoWA and the PDWAs need to carefully review the qualifications needed by WDC managers and make appropriate staffing changes as necessary.

� MoWA and the WDCs should give priority to recruiting additional staff with the business-oriented attitudes and skills needed to effectively scale-up and expand WDC activities.

Follow-up actions The Aide Memoire for the Final Review Mission noted that MoWA has requested additional support for WDCs and commune-based activities. ADB is broadly supportive of this agenda, but the request for future support will be revisited when there is evidence that the two ADB-supported WDCs and five commune producer group buildings are functioning and sustainable as social enterprises. It is too early to tell whether this model should be replicated and rolled out. The ADB Southeast Asia Department's Social Sectors Division proposes to field a reconnaissance mission by Q1, 2011, based on an update by December 2010 from MOWA on WDC and commune center operations.

20. Additional Remarks, Comments and Suggestions

{Present here any additional remarks, comments and suggestions that have not been dealt with or mentioned in earlier paragraphs, but which may contribute to this memorandum.}

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III. PREPARATION AND APPROVAL

Prepared by Name of Person and Designation/

Name of Institution/Signature Date

1. Representative from the Recipient

H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi Minister Ministry of Women's Affairs

2. Manager, JFPR-GIU2

Mrs. Keth Sam Ath Senior Advisor/JFPR Project Coordinator Ministry of Women's Affairs

3. Project Officer, ADB Ms. Karin Schelzig-Bloom Social Sector Specialist Cambodia Resident Mission

Approved by Name of Person and Designation/

Name of Institution/Signature Date

1. Director General, Department, ADB

2. Division/Country Director, ADB

Mr. Putu Kamayana Country Director Cambodia Resident Mission

3. Head of the Recipient H.E. Keat Chhon Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Economy and Finance on behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia

3. Head of the Executing Agency

H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi Minister Ministry of Women's Affairs

4. Head of the Implementing Agency

Mrs. Keth Sam Ath Senior Advisor/JFPR Project Coordinator Ministry of Women's Affairs

2 GIU=grant implementation unit (formerly called PIU=project implementation unit)