The need for WRC’s services continued to grow in 2018, with 100 new clients receiving 2-5 counseling sessions each.
Other success highlights of 2018 include:
- 45 women were referred to receive support from WRC partner organizations including legal support, health treatment, vocational training, job opportunities and emergency relief.
- Emergency materials including cooking rice, children’s school materials, bicycles, medical bills, clothing and more were provided to women in need.
- 18 educational workshops were successfully provided to 165 participants, covering the topics of Women’s Health, Reproductive Health, Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Gender-based Violence and Financial Management.
WRC continued to empower community members and businesses in Siem Reap in 2018, providing 17 sessions of consulting workshops to organizations in the area. In addition, the villages of Svay Prei, Kok Krasang and Thmey were targeted for awareness discussions, improving community knowledge of gender-based violence, drug and alcohol use, peer-pressure, women’s rights and gender equality. A total of 274 adults and 60 children participated in these discussions.
Engaging University students was also a focus in 2018, with students from Panhasatra University and Australian Centre for Education (ACE) receiving lectures about the challenges faced by women in Cambodia and what WRC does to support them.
Staff capacity building is crucial to ensuring we provide the best possible service to our community, and 2018 saw many opportunities for development. Highlights included:
- All staff attended a communication and report writing workshop facilitated by Soroptimist International Australia.
- Program staff participated in Positive Parenting training and coaching provided by ICS and the Department of Women’s affairs, and are now certified Positive Parenting trainers.
- All staff attended DO NO HARM project training with CCC coordinated with the Siem Reap Network.
- Staff received 12 weeks of yoga and meditation sessions facilitated by the AZAHA Foundation as part of our ongoing commitment to self care and stress management.
2019 looks to be another busy year for WRC, and we hope to further increase participation levels and our reach in the community. For areas beyond our capacity, we look to strengthen our network of community partners and local service providers. It will also be important for WRC to move towards greater financial stability by engaging with existing donors, attracting new donors and engaging interested parties on the issues of gender equality and women’s rights.
A key focus in 2019 will be the development of our childcare center, which provides support to the women using our services and acts as an excellent training tool in positive parenting practices. Keep an eye on our website and social media for updates on the child care center throughout the year.
You can download our full 2018 annual report here.