Donate

We are increasing the number of candidates.
We are helping more women get elected.

See where your contribution will go:

1/ US$50: training of 25 local women to gain leadership skills;
2/ US$50: support 1 hour broadcast on women radio;
3/ US$50: supports one trainer for one month (6 staff total);
4/ US$50: covers the costs of one community meeting (15 yearly);
5/ US$350: helps distribute information to women in Cambodia for 1 year;
6/ US$…. contact us to see where your contribution can go!

History
Cambodian women gained the right to vote and to stand for election in 1955. Cambodian women have long served in public offices as civil servants, as members of Parliament and as cabinet members, but it has been a difficult struggle.

A major break through for women to overcome barriers that prevent them from running as candidates started in the UN sponsored elections in 1993 and the number of women running as Members of Parliament has increased at every subsequent election, in 1998 and in 2003. Cambodian women made history when Cambodia held the first Commune council Elections in 2002. For the first time in history of Cambodia, people at the commune level were able to choose their local representatives.

Cambodia Today
However, there still remains work to be done. Cambodia is a country hovering over the line between making progress towards a democratic state where the government supports the people through law, basic social services, education and more, and falling backwards towards the destructive, corrupt and socially and politically restrictive government from whence it has recently escaped. It is most terrifying to realize that with such high poverty rates, corruption in the government and the lack of an independent legal system, the possibility of falling towards the latter path is very real.

Our Plan & How Your Contributions Will Help
Political parties should have a well-targeted training program to provide women with the confidence and skills to develop, plan and run for office. The training should be practical to fit the level of knowledge and education of the candidates as well as to fit the many roles that women play at home. General skills about public speaking, leadership, planning and fund raising should be the main topics covered.

We will provide training to current trainers to train other trainers in leadership skills to strengthen the efficiency of the women’s structure within the party. this model is to produce a multiplying effect and to involve younger women by providing them with hands-on approach to community organizing, public speaking and management.

Therefore, we propose that the only way to reach out and help people believe in their rights and what protections could exist for them is through personal informal education leading to empowerment. We must ensure that enough women have support in their own lives to turn the tides of unawareness and both empower women into positions of leadership to make change, and build grassroots support for protection of human rights and dignity.

Thank You for Your Contribution
Women’s empowerment must start within the party but also in society. Women’s empowerment is not only critical to the promotion of the rights and well-being of women, it is central to the development and strengthening of Cambodian fledgling democracy. Cambodian democracy cannot fulfill its potential when half of its citizenry is underrepresented.