Plan International plans for a ‘new generation’ of kids

PL AN International Cambodia (PIC) launched its “New Generation” project in Ratanakkiri province on Thursday which aims to strengthen the capacity of five NGOs over five years to promote the wellbeing of some 26,000 children, women and youths.

The project was made possible with help from the Swedish Inter nat iona l Development Cooperat ion Agenc y which provided $2.9 million in funding.

PIC c ou nt r y d i re c tor Y i Kimthan said: “Through the i mpl e ment a t i o n o f t h i s project, we want children and you ng women to become strong partners in promoting gender equalit y in their families, schools a nd communities as a whole.”

PIC will implement the programme in partnership with f ive ot her NGOs, i nclud i ng Child Rights Coalition Camb o d i a ( C RC - C a mb o d i a ) , Healt h Action Coordinating Committee (HACC), Khmer Yout h A s s oc i at ion ( K YA), Phnom Srey Organisation for Development ( PSOD) a nd Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP).

Kimthan said the organisation intends to roll out the initiative to Stung Treng province in the future and it would eventually cover seven districts, 25 communes and 124 villages in whole.

“Among t he object ives for the New Generation project is to strengthen the role of NGOs in loca l communities when promoting the rights of child r e n a nd y out h s w h i l e encouraging them to participate in their health and wellbeing,” said Kimthan.

A 2011 baseline sur vey conducted by PIC found that and less t han one-f if t h of f ive to si x-yea r-olds i n Rata na k k i r i prov ince were not receiv ing early childhood education – fa r lower t ha n t he nat iona l average, according to its website.

In Ju ne, PIC successf u l ly broug ht a 15-yea r i nvolvement in Tbong Khmum province to an end. Over 15 years, the NGO was able to train 958 prenat a l g roups a nd 120 teachers in its teaching methodologies.

T he NGO a l s o broug ht 11,270 children into its nutrition programme.

Sopha, 17, who lives in the ta rget a rea for t he project’s implementation in Ratanakkiri province, expressed hope that it would allow youths like her to live under better liv ing conditions without the threat of r ig hts v iolat ion a nd v iolence.

“I want to see that children’s rights are respected and promoted and that the voices of children are ta ken into considerat ion a nd i ncluded i n development activ ities at the sub-nat iona l a nd nat iona l level,” she said.

Phat Vy, 48, a committee member in charge of woman a nd c h i ld r en’s a f f a i r s i n Ratanakkiri province’s Pakalanh commune in Veun Sai district said she believed the project would contribute sig

When children know how to exercise their rights, it will contribute significantly to development

nificantly towards promoting t he rights of children in her community.

“I wa nt to se e ch i ld ren a c t i v e l y pa r t i c i pat i ng i n developing t heir communit ies i nto bet ter a nd more inclusive places.

“When children know how to exercise t heir rights, it will cont r ibute sig n i f ic a nt ly to development so it not only benefits them and youths but the community as a whole,” Vy said.