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.