CGA is using the Community Health Education (CHE) program as a tool for holistic development in the target communities. The CHE program is a multifaceted, community-based, long-term and sustainable development strategy that deals with the whole man - physically, morally, emotionally and socially.

1999 - 2000

First CHE Pilot program started by AOG Cambodia with 1 Training Team in 4 target villages of Kompong Speu province with good experience.

2001 - 2003

Beginning of full implementation of the CHE Program including extension of the CHE Program with 8 Training Teams to cover 57 villages in 8 locations at the end of 2003.

2004 - 2006

CGA was founded in June 2004 and took the responsibilies to carry on the program. CGA started to downsize its activities in the first 4 villages after 4 years of full implementation of the program. CHE program has 9 Training Teams with 77 villages at the end of 2005.

THE ROLE OF FIDA INTERNATIONAL IN THIS COOPERATION:
FIDA acts as a supportive and capacity building agency for CGA. Fida gives financial support as well as capacity building training for management and leadership.

Donor representative is from Finland, meeting with Commune Council

OTHER CO-OPERATION PARTNERS AND THEIR ROLES IN THE PROJECT:

• The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC): all CGA projects are implemented in cooperation and in accordance with protocols concluded with different ministries; the CHE program is implemented with a Memorandum Of Understanding with the Ministry of Rural Development.
• Finnish government is main partnership with CGA through FIDA organisation supporting the administrative, CHE trainings and CHE project activities.
• Samaritan’s Purse International as Canada, Australia... supports the Biosand water filter, Latrine and animal raising projects.
• AOG French supports the trainings and family sponsorship project.
• ROPE England and ROTARY French support the well project.
• Mercy Health and Community Center (MHCC – AOG Australia) support the CHE trainings and Clinic project for Slum area and rabbish collected people in Stung Meanchey district, Phnom Penh.
• LIFEWIND: LIFEWIND provides CHE training materials and professional support.
• Other NGOs: CGA has opened the cooperation with other NGOs in Cambodia. Many existing NGOs have been trained by CGA staff about CHE program : Samaritan’s Purse Cambodia, World Team, Friend chuch, FEBC (Radio FM99.50), CAMA, Neighbor of Cambodia (NOC-Korea), Medical Ambassador Cambodia (MAC), FHI,...

Participants receiving TOT certificate

Discussion in TOT Seminar

National CHE coordinators were trained many courses to empower for CHE educators such as Rural Development Management, Million Leadership Management, Kingdom business, Spiritual lessons, Health lessons , Bio-sand filter technology and integrated organic farming. They all also provided the trainings to all CHE Training Teams what they learned. Every week on Monday afternoon, the management team has the meeting and sharing the experiences, difficulties, problems and solutions, success, weekly planning and Executive Director and Expatriate Advisers have been sharing the spiritual lesson in building capacity for the impacts of moral, loyalty and belief to the management team. NCCs also provided brief reports of progressive activities to the program manager and director.

Annual Staff Workshop

All CHE Training Teams were trained and followed up by their national coordinators whether weekly or monthly. The training has been helpful to the CHE national staff to use this tool to revise CHE strategies in CHE development work. The staff are encouraged and motivated according the chance and finance available for the training from other training institutes to build their capacity and strengthen them.

CTT trained CHE volunteers

CHE volunteers trained villagers

VDCs and CHEV at grass root people, were trained and built capacity by CHE staff. They are the community leaders who assure the ownership and sustainability of the CHE project. The organizations joined the trainings came from New life church, Neighbour of Cambodia, Asian Outreach Cambodia, AWGH, Samaritan’s Purse Cambodia, CCFC, Picnic house, FHI. Both national and oversea volunteers were provided the opportunities to get internship to learn the real practical CHE implementation in the field.

Meeting in VDC election

Process in VDC election

VLA Training

Our Project activities

• We facilitate target communities (dozens of villages in several provinces, including thousands of villagers) to organize themselves with Village Development Committees (VDC) and a network of volunteers acting as Community Health Educators (CHE’s).
• We provide hundreds of VDC’s and CHE’s with training on holistic development. Then CHE’s train their neighbors to improve their knowledge and practice in the areas of health, hygiene, nutrition, agriculture, livestock farming, moral/social life and community development.
• Dozens of demand-driven Community Projects (such as wells, water filters, toilets, rice banks, animal banks, micro enterprises, etc…) are carried out every year by the VDC’s and the CHE’s.

Seminar on Building VDC

Installing Bio-sand Water Filters

Users pouring water in Bio-sand Water Filter

+ Impact as seen by Mrs. Chhay Khem (K.Sp province)

Mrs. Chhay Khem, 42 years old, who is a farmer lives in Kraing Chochat Village, Moha Sain commune, Phnom Srouch district, Kampong Speu province.
She said, “Before using the water filter, My family had difficulty with unclean water by boiling it. Sometimes, we drank the water without boiling it, because we didn’t have enough time and difficult to find wood to boil it. My children often had diseases and we paid a lot of money for medicines.
Now, I have water filter through CGA-CHE program. This filter makes my family have better health, because I use the filter, I don’t need to find wood to boil the water, I have time to do other things and can save money from buying medicines. All my family’s members are healthy because of the quality of the filter. I am so thankful to CGA that provides water filter to my family”. (please see picture below)

+ Impact as seen by Mr. Sok Eun (Kratie Province)

Mr. Sok Eun, who lives in Prek Ta Am village, Bos Leve commune, Kratie district, Kratie province said that, “Before having water filter, I used the water from river, sometimes boil it and sometimes didn’t boil it. My family had a lot of diseases such as typhoid, diarrhea, and dysenteric”. He also said “After I have used the filter, I observe that the above diseases have been reduced. I very thankful to CGA-CHE that takes care of our health. Now we spend less money for medicines”. (please see below)

We thank Bio-sand water filter project funded by Samaritan’s purse

We thank Well project funded by ROPE

+ Impact as seen by Mr. Yu Da

Mr Yu Da is 45 years old, a farmer, and an active village development committee. He lives in Otouch village, Andoung Khmer commune, Kampongbay district. To get additional income, he makes basket and sell. He said “ a few years, I have participated with CHE training on health prevention, sanitation, and agriculture, then I have trained my neighbors. After I have got training, I know the community needs. In my village, people lack clean water for their consumptions so they take dirt water from ponds or lakes.
On behalf, I am a Village Development member I asked CGA- CHE program to drill deep wells. When I got an agreement from CGA-CHE, I held a meeting with the villagers to collect participations. We have also organized and project management committee (PMC) to maintain the wells. The PMC has collected money for wells repairing. Now, the villagers in the village are very happy because they have hand pump wells. They have clean water for drinking, washing clothes, taking bath, and for animals drink. Our community has water to use for a whole year. Our community has been improved health, the diseases, especially, diarrhea have been reduced. Thanks for the well project.”

“WELL project” is the main needs of communities. After ROPE brings the well project to CGA-CHE program.

CGA-CHE program try to install for communities. Now Villagers and children have the water that it can be using with Bio-sand Filter (BSF) project to take clean water for drinking, bathing for the babies or children, cleaning the vegetables or the pots, the glasses and dishes, animal drinking, and not spend more time to get water from outside areas. Then they have improved good health and the well project brings more income for poorest in communities. They are very thankful for the well project from ROPE and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am Kong Bun Chheoun as Village Development Committee (VDC) Leader, sex: male , age: 36, Popealkhe village, Dey Eth commune, Kien Svay district , Kandal province and then I have got 5 members of my family.
Since 2001, our VDC members have been partnering with CHE program. I have been passed 2 times of the VDC election by people. In my village, there are 9 VDC members and 52 CHE volunteers.
Before my community is very suffering due to many diseases, unclean water, lack of sanitation, lack of technique of agriculture and animal raising. Especially my village has the domestic violence, not good relationship and lack of moral too.
After CHE program has been entering our community to implement the development work, especially the trainings and demonstrations as health prevention, water and sanitation, capacity building, agriculture, animal raising, moral and spiritual. CHE has been providing many demonstration projects as 138 waterfilters, 125 latrines, 5 wells, 4t rice seed, 6 organic pigpens, many home gardens, and 6 goats.
During CHE program has been promoting CHE concept to our community, so our people have been reducing many diseases as diarrheas, typhoid, scabies…and the villagers have unity, solidarity, moral and no violence more. Especially our children are healthy and our income generation, living standard and good relation are improving day by day.
Finally, I am a VDC leader as representative of people in my community to appreciate CGA –CHE program and donors who support the training and development work for our community.

I am Dim Sam Ol, sex: male, age: 49, Family member: 5 persons, I am living in Sdao Kanleng village, Dey Eth commune, Kien Svay district and Kandal province.
Since 2001, I am a VDC leader of Sdao Kanleng village. There are 11 VDC members.
Before our people in this village are lack of education, resources, health, clean water, sanitation and social problem as domestic violence, drunk, immoral as well.
After, CHE has been entering our community to start the development activities as trainings and demonstrations on health prevention, sanitation, agricultures, moral and spiritual. In this present we are feeling that our people are changed their attitude and behavior through the trainings and demonstrations project as 180 latrines, 220 waterfliters, 32 wells, 53 pigs, 26 home gardends, 2 fish ponds, 4t rice seed, 10 goats, 12 cows and 2 earthworm plots.
All demonstration projects are very big impact to human life and environments. Now our village is almost 80% of villagers use the latrines, clean water, agriculture technique, and the people have their own cows and other animals. The children also have clean water, hygiene, enough nutrients and they are going to school every day due to their parent are improving living and saving from their health expenses.
All development activities make me to be very much happy and appreciation to CGA-CHE and donors from other countries to support CHE concept for my community to change their attitudes and behaviors. Especially our people have improved their living standard, harmony, respects and loving each others.