Community Nonviolence Workshops

Community Nonviolence Workshop in Sapour Village

Prepping for workshops

Here in Phnom Penh, I work with two different organizations, Women PaceMakers (WPM), Returnee Integration Support Center (RISC), and I have just agreed to partner with a third, Peace Institute of Cambodia. I spend my working hours split between the organizations.

Rumpeak 2 Village

I have been especially busy with WPM. In December and January I helped to write a grant application, a progress report for another funder, and a completion report. Since then I've written a concept note for a potential funder, and have worked on the 2014 annual report. Though most of my time is taken up with writing, and leading English conversation classes with my coworkers, recently I was able to go with several of my coworkers to conduct some pre-workers out in the province. 

Workshop in Rumpeak 3 Village

WPM conducts workshops focused on peace and women's issues. Out in the provinces WPM does women's rights and conflict management workshops, while in Phnom Penh we conduct workshops for empowerment of young adults and active non-violence. Before conducting new full length workshops, especially in the provinces, we first conduct always a series of "pre-workshops" in order to introduce ourselve to the communities and to get to know their specific issues.

Rumpeak 1 Village

This past month, I joined with two of my coworkers and the WPM director as they conducted such pre-workshops in 8 different villages in Tboung Khmum Province, which is about a three hour drive from Phnom Penh.  Over the course of three days we conducted 8 one hour long pre-workshops. The workshops were conducted in homes, at schools, and even at two Mosques. All of the workshops were conducted in Khmer, so I didn't understand much since my Kmher is so limited, but the villagers seemed to appreciate that I could introduce myself and tell them where I'm from. To make myself useful I played photographer for the week, taking pictures of the workshops and villages we visited. 

Khmar Chum Village

Though I couldn't understand much, I appreciated the opportunity to witness village life and to watch how the villagers interacted with one another, and to participate in the work of WPM.