Khemara's Background

Khemara's OfficeKhemara was the very first local NGO founded in 1991 as Cambodia emerged from two decades of war and isolation. It played a pioneering role in working for the advancement of women and children and acted as model and advisor to other local NGOs that comprised the nascent civil society in Cambodia at that time. It was also a leading advocate of women's rights, both in the national and international arena.

Working in the semi-urban district of Russey Keo on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Khemara's strength as an organization came from community-based programs that address the needs of poor villagers, especially women and children. Specifically, it worked to promote the basic rights to education, health, livelihood, and protection from domestic violence, HIV/AIDS prevention and STI, reproductive health and gender.

Khemara's Current Projects

Gender-Centric Sexual Health Education and Service for Cambodian Women In Marginal Communities

• Awareness within the communities on gender and domestic violence;

• Education that integrates gender, reproductive and sexual health in the communities;

• Effective model of a gender-centered approach to sexuality and reproductive health in marginalized communities;

• Provide counseling and psychosocial/legal support to victims of sexual violence.

• Enhance the capacity and staff to effectively apply gender sensitive approaches of sexual health into existing programmes.

HIV/AIDS prevention and care among sex workers and MSM

• Maintain health education center (drop-in center) that provides counseling and education to vulnerable women and men;

• Increase correct and consistent condom use and ensure the access to quality STI prevention, care, support and treatment services;

• Conduct training sessions for sex workers and MSM on condom use and negotiation skills, HIV/AIDS transmission, STI, life planning, sexual and reproductive health and other relevant issues;

• Build support for HIV/AIDS prevention and care for most at risk populations;

• Increase the capacity of staff, outreach workers and peer educators to plan, implement, manage and monitor HIV/AIDS prevention and care activities.

Support and home-based care for OVC and PLHA

• Improve quality of life of orphans, vulnerable children and PLHA;

• Increase capacity of families and communities to care for, protect and support OVC and PLHA.

• Increase access for OVC and adolescents to essential services and support including education, healthcare, play, life-skills, and income generation skills;

• Strengthen the quality of home-based care for PLHA and provide Social Health Insurance in targeted areas;

• Reduce stigma and discrimination and create a more enabling environment for OVC and PLHA and affected family or community members;

• Build and strengthen networks at the national, provincial and programmatic levels to access to care, support and treatment for OVC and PLHA.

Women Helping Women

• Provide vocational skills training and other necessary knowledge to vulnerable women;

• Enhance the leadership skills of potential women leaders to develop plans for their needs in communities;

• Develop a revolving fund for vulnerable women to use for economic activities;

• To improve literacy and numerical skills of people especially women and children.

Childcare Center

• Provide parents, families and communities as a whole with opportunities to recognize and play their role in taking care of their young children;

• Promote and encourage families and communities to be responsible for ensuring and implementing rights and benefits for children;

• Give care, support and education to children who are poor and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS;

• Aid in the physical, spiritual and cognitive development of children and promote proper socialization skills for their enrollment in Primary Level;

• Provide opportunities for their families to earn additional income to support and improve their quality of life.

Community Response to HIV/AIDS through Behavioral Change

• Deliver community-based HIV/AIDS awareness-raising education / training sessions to PLHA, community leaders, and local authorities in targeted areas;

• Provide education to prevent the transmission of HIV among vulnerable women; and more concerted efforts to combat stigma and discrimination;

• Develop a revolving fund for PLHA and their families to use for economic activities and to initiate a community savings plan to fund community services;

• Collaborate to provide social health insurance to the community, including people living with HIV/AIDS.