Khemara (NGO)

Khemara (Khmer: ខេមរា)

Founded	1991
Founder	H.E. Mrs. Mu Sochua
Type	Non-governmental organization
Location	Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Area served	Cambodia
Mission	To see a Cambodian society in which all people, especially the women and children, fully participate in social development.
Website	khemaracambodia.org

Khemara (Khmer: ខេមរា) is a Cambodian Non-Government Organisation (NGO), founded in 1991 by H.E. Mrs. Mu Sochua. Khemara claims to be the first local NGO in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Since its inception, Khemara has worked for the advancement of women and children in Cambodia by working directly with communities.^[1]

The organisation operates in a number of communities throughout Cambodia, and provides community-based programs which address the needs of poor villages, especially women and children and with a focus on protecting and promoting basic human rights, including access to education, health services, reproductive health, protection from domestic violence and HIV/AIDs prevention.

Khemara implements projects throughout the provinces of Cambodia. These projects provide services in; care to orphans and vulnerable children, non-formal education classes, reproductive health services, care and support for those living with HIV/AIDS, housing programs and programs to support entertainment workers and men who have sex with men.

Khemara is a member of the HIV/AIDS Coordination Committee, NGO Committee on Rights of a Child, NGO Forum, Cooperation Committee for Cambodia, End Child Prostitution, Abuse and Trafficking in Cambodia, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the Gender and Development Network Cambodia.^[2] Khemara recognised as a Child Safe Organisation by the Royal Cambodian Government.^[3]

Vision

To see a Cambodian society in which all people, especially the women and children, fully participate in [social development].^[4]

Mission

To promote the capacity, confidence and wellbeing of communities through the sharing of information, education and counselling, including the encouragement of women and children to recognise their potential and rights to participate in decision making.^[5]

Projects

Child Care Centres

Khemara manages 10 child care centres in the Russey Keo district of Phnom Penh. The child care centres operate five days per week and provide protection, care and education to vulnerable children, enabling parents and carers to earn a living to support their families and improve their quality of life.

These Child Care Centres were established to support the students’ physical, emotional, social and cognitive development, helping to prepare them for primary school. Students also receive lessons in basic literacy (Khmer and English), basic numeracy, science, art and traditional Khmer dance.

Each Child Care Centre has a doctor who visits to monitor the health of students and refer them to local health care centres where necessary. Dental checks twice per year to ensure their oral health. The organisation aims to help students to transition to primary school but also aims to monitor their progress, monitor school attendance and monitor their home environment

Khemara works with parents, carers and community leaders, educating them on fire safety, child rights, health, hygiene, nutrition and parenting skills. This is conducted through a series of education evenings, held four times per year, that focus on ensuring the safety of children in the home environment.^[6]

Child Protection

The Child Protection Project, aims to strengthen partnerships between the community, government and civil society in order to contribute to effective and sustainable child protection mechanisms together. Khemara works to strengthen the capacity of the Commune Council for Women and Children and raise awareness of child rights and child protection mechanisms. The project also builds the capacity and confidence of Child Representatives from six districts who work to highlight the voice of vulnerable children and promote child rights within their communities. Through a strong community presence in the Russey Keo district, Khemera is uniquely positioned to identify and assist Orphans and Vulnerable Children including those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. This project aims to provide care and support to this particularly vulnerable sector of the community and their families to improve the quality of their life through health and education. It is continually evolving based on the needs of the community.^[7]

HIV Education & Prevention

The HIV/AIDS Project focuses on HIV prevention in the Russey Keo district of Phnom Penh and in the Sihanoukville Province. It is aimed at key high risk populations. The Smart Girl initiative targets entertainment workers. The MStyle initiative targets men who have sex with men. These target groups receive information and support on issues of [sexual health] and general wellbeing. The project focuses on decreasing the transmission of HIV by increasing condom availability, visibility and purchase in high-risk venues. This is accomplished by identifying high-risk venues (such as beer gardens, karaoke bars, massage parlors, entertainment restaurants), visiting these venues to assess the availability and visibility of condoms. Venue management are encouraged to ensure condoms are available, and to display promotional materials encouraging condom use (supplied by Khemara). Khemara also works directly with high-risk populations in these venues, offering free HIV tests and conducting training on HIV prevention and condom use.^[8]

Justice For Children!

In partnership with Legal Aid Cambodia and EveryChild UK, the Justice for Children! project aims to reduce the numbers of children coming into contact with the law in Tbong Khmum, Svay Rieng and Prey Veng provinces, as well as ensure that children who do come into contact with the law are able to exercise their civil rights within the Cambodian justice system and in their communities. By strengthening systems and increasing the knowledge and skills of duty bearers at the national, provincial, district and commune level, the project will ensure children are aware of their rights, receive preventative support when vulnerable, and receive appropriate protection, legal advice and support when they are in the justice system, whether they are in conflict with the law or are victims of crime/abuse.^[9]

Non Formal Education

The Non-Formal Education project provides education and support to entertainment workers in the Russey Keo and Sen Sok districts of Phnom Penh. A broad range of topics are covered within the project to accommodate the needs and interests of participants, including: saving and household budgeting, nutrition and food preparation, vocational skills (how to raise pigs, sewing training, literacy), health (hygiene, sexual health, family planning, maternal health, dengue fever, malaria), women’s rights (gender roles, domestic violence) and miscellaneous others (including the benefit of sending children to school, environmental protection, the disadvantage of gambling, Cambodian culture, hobbies).

This project aims to equip these vulnerable women with the necessary skills to enable them to choose an alternative means of income. Beneficiaries of this project have gone on to open their own small business such as a nail salon or shop or work in a factory giving them stable income that does not put them at risk of violence and infectious disease.

Accrediation

In 2010, Khemara received certification from Royal Cambodian Government’s Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation as a Child Safe Organisation