The Project’s objective was to secure the resources Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) can rely on, to sustain their operations in Cambodia by building their organizational and leadership capacity about local resource mobilization and mobilizing support/advocacy. The funding for this Project, came from the Change the Game Academy (CtGA)/Wilde Ganzen Foundation (WGF) in the Netherlands, and API was one of the national implementing partners. The other partner was the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC). Together, we worked to make sure this learning program met international standards, while addressing the concrete needs of the local participants.
You can experience more about WGF programs here, and watch some of our videos. You can also book the courses here.
The Mobilizing Support initiatives made a meaningful impact by enhancing accountability, responsiveness, and transparency in Sem Reap, Battambang provinces, and Khan Saen Sok. The government is now more effectively addressing the needs of vulnerable groups, which is a significant achievement.
Old Age Associations’ Advocacy: Three vulnerable groups advocated and submitted letters to Sangkat and Khan authorities, resulting in 100 members receiving ID People with Disabilities (PWDs), Equity Cards, and Family package cards to access public health services and attend vocational training.
Agricultural Advocacy: participants of Mobilizing Support from GRET Cambodia worked hard to advocate with the Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (PDAFF) to provide technical support and coordination an agricultural matter (for example: among agriculture producers and consumers to improve community livelihood in Siem Reap).
Scholarship Support: Don-Bosco participants worked with the Skills Development Fund and Ministry of Economics and Finance to contribute USD 30,000 for scholarships to Don-Bosco Battambang, which provided vocational training opportunities for 40 students over a two-year period.
Since 2020, API trained over 100 participants from 55 organisations on Mobilising Support/Advocacy. Each year, 20 participants including leaders of organisations, in the Mobilizing Support course: 12 days series of three trainings and two rounds of coaching to each participant. These participants developed mobilizing support plans and effectively advocated about government sector’s responsibilities.
In 2023-2024, Old Age Association, GRET, and Don-Bosco’s projects led to an essential positive change in attitudes and the active involvement of national and subnational authorities, showing a strong commitment to Mobilizing Support (MS) initiatives, particularly for poor people in Siem Reap, Battambang, and Khan Saen Sok (Phnom Penh). Fostering this kind of partnership was instrumental in driving sustainable development and ensuring that the programs have a lasting impact on the communities involved.
The Mobilizing Support concept improved Government agencies’ accountability and transparency by making them more responsive to citizens’ needs. After engaging Vulnerable Groups in Khan Sen Sok (Phnom Penh), members of these groups now have a voice in council meetings, directly raising their concerns and needs. Better Healthcare Access for poor people and the elderly is more accurately addressed through initiatives like ID Poor, ID of PWDs, and family package programs.
Establishing communication channels between local authorities and representatives of vulnerable groups ensures that their needs are heard and addressed. Good coordination of the Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (PDAFF) in Siem Reap has built up to a coordinating role, supporting the territorial food system project and assigning three technical staff to assist. The Ministry of Economics and Finance, working with the Skills Development Fund, renewed its commitment to supporting poor students in Battambang through vocational training.
The success of the mobilizing support (CtGA project) meant that the participants’ mindsets were not transformed, but the practical application of their knowledge was encouraged in their respective fields of life and work. The project fostered collaboration among three critical sectors: State, Civil Society, and the Private Sector. Each actor brought its unique strengths to the table, creating a more holistic and effective approach to solving citizens’ problems. Here are some specific examples of the potential impact of this project.
During the Project, API distributed questionnaires and assigned its staff to interview the participants about their goals. We also recorded 2-videos with two local NGOs (Don-Bosco and DCC) in Banteay Meanchey and Battambang provinces. The videos focused on their use of Mobilizing Support (MS) techniques and lessons learned.
Video 1 – After participating in the Mobilizing Support course, leaders of the NGOs were confident enough to become Game Changers and to apply the MS theory in their organizations and relations with sub-national authorities, by strengthening relationships, engaging and lobbying them as duty bearers to implement their roles and responsibilities. The trainees applied all steps of the Mobilizing Support cycle: tactics and principles for mobilizing support, mobilizing allies, negotiation skills, etc. The staff of Development for Cambodia Children (DCC), for example, identified and mobilized support from the sub-national authorities to cooperate and coordinate with the young football team in Ek Phnom District, to find the location for competition, sponsor the football jersey and invite all relevant stakeholders during the competition. The football coach, he was an old-generation student at Ek Phnom school, coached the football team as a volunteer, the primary school shared the field, and a local businessman contributed the football materials.
Video 2 – Trained by API, the NGO-owned technical school’s staff understood the Mobilizing Support concept and gained more confidence to convince the sub-national government staff, citizens, and private sector to contribute school fees for the poor students. The female staff leader succeeded in mobilizing the citizens to contribute school fees to the poor students. She demonstrated steps of mobilizing support, tactics, and principles for mobilizing support, and engaging local authorities and private sector to conduct local fundraising to support the disadvantaged students. The staff of Don-Bosco school identified and mobilized support from local businessmen and market sellers to collect free contributions. After the collection, they got the money to cover the operational costs and partly to contribute to paying the fees of poor students, thus allowing them to continue their studies and finish high school.
