Khmer Youth Association (P.OBox:275) #135A, Gr.33, St.259, Sangkat Toek La-ak I Khan Toul Kok, Pimom Penli, KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA Fax/Phone: 855-23- 884306  Mobile Phone: 855-16-828 211 E-mail: kya@forum.org.kh

INTRODUCTION

The Khmer Youth Association has been recognized as an effective, nonpartisan NGO working in the area of human rights, democratic and human resources development since it was founded in 1992, with the appropriate emphasis on helping the youth of Cambodia.

Now, KYA has its branches in Siem Reap, Takeo, Kompong Cham and Svay Rieng provinces. Those provinces always focus on human rights, Khmer literacy, human rights training to prisoners, human rights and voters education to people, the all KYA's provincial coordinators are also members of COMFREL in provincial levels, too.

Moreover, I would like to inform you that UNCOHCHR's offices in Siem Reap and Kompong Cham Provinces had transferred its activities in Siem Reap and Kompong Cham prisoners to our Khmer Youth Association's branches in that provinces.

I. General Assembly

On 22nd November 1998, KYA had held its General Assembly, the opening ceremony under chairmanship of Mrs. Janet Ashby the facilitator of Star Kampuchea and the Closing ceremony was under presidency of Ms. Chea Vannath, president of Center for Social Development. The KYA's General Assembly always conducts every two years in aiming at electing president and reporting on a two-year achievement and budget. The Assembly also defined the principles for its members. For this two years (1999-2000) the general assembly set out the principle as follow:

• Participation
• Development
• Peace
• Reform

On that occasion the assembly also appeal to the stack holders who responsible for youth should stipulate a real national youth policies and use the new human resources who graduated from faculties, universities and vocational schools as well as increase the national administrative reform (procedures and staff). The event was broadcast by TV9, TV5, TV3 and Bayon TV as well as issued by two newspapers, Business News and Kolabot Khmer. Meanwhile, the General Assembly had 55 participants and 5 observers, COMFRBL one of the five that who participated in the assembly. The assembly elected for Mr. Yong Kim Eng to continue its position for more two years (1999-2000) by absolute majority. The assembly also stated that when we speak about democracy to other people we must practice democracy in our owned association before that is election, which had happened every two years as KYA's constitution described.

Moreover, the assembly focused on the main role of young people especially promote and upgrade young women's participation in community, society and access to equal rights between young women and young men as well as started that young people are not citizen for tomorrow but from today on, young people are partners of development and leaders in the future in developing country could not be reflised young people's participation and role, if any country ignored young people's participation and role, they will be defeated.

II. Objectives 

• To promote and encourage young Cambodians in democratic and development processes in order to fight against corruption and maintain sustainable peace in Cambodia.
• To promote and improve vocational training for young people to have more skills and experiences to develop the nation;
• To promote gender among young people.
• To compel and encourage youths participation in protections of environment and national heritages.
• To increase cooperation with concerned institutions to promote youth policies.
• To promote and encourage young women participation in all social activities.
• To have more women in political scene, especially to take part in Communal Election Candidates and become members of Parliament or leaders in all fields in the future
• To pave good way and flame the hope for young women's future.
• To lobby Government to ensure equal access of young women and girls to every level of educational and vocational training and in the professional field.
• To increase the opportunities of unemployment of young women and make efforts to eliminate discriminatory conditions of employment.
• To work for the establishment of special programs for the establishment of special programs for female unemployment, School leavers.
• To initiate and strengthen relevant policies and programs of formal and informal education and training direct to improvement of the situation of young women in society.

III. General Activities

A. Education

1. English project

KYA have tough free English to students who can't go to learn at private schools since early 1994 until now. Since then hundreds of students have attended in English classes and some of them can find jobs at private sectors, too.

2. Administration training

Teaching students how to write letters in the office, management, planning and accounting in order to make them to have qualification to apply to works in companies.

3. Children project

• Teaching how to draw, Khmer and English languages to children as well as taking them to visit parks, and University around the Khmer Youth Association every Tuesday and Thursday.
• Taking them to visit outside the Plinom Penh once a month.

4.Woman’s rights

The Khmer Youth Association teaches Woman's Rights to Cambodian woman on basis of Women Rights in Phnom Penh and provinces through monthly seminars.

5.Human Rights and Democratic Education

KYA holds the monthly seminar and issues the monthly Newsletter to strengthen and extend human rights and democracy in the country.

B. Social Labor

Helping people in digging of channels and waterways and city cleaning.

C. Environment

Explaining to people to pay attention to protect the environment which KYA's members have picked garbage up and put into garbage bags, for example.

* Past and Present Supporters

1. Kmer Institute of Democracy and Conrad Adenauer Foundation supported us in the newsletter and monthly seminar.
2. The Embassy of the Netherlands to Bangkok supported us in Women's Rights, and Khmer Literacy Teaching and Human Rights at Prey Sar and Takhmao Prisons.
3. The Australian Embassy supported us in two projects, one in English training for poor students and another one in prisoners' literacy training (T3 prison in Phnom Penh).
4. The Association of Protestant Churches and Mission (EMW) in Germany supported us in improvement of English for KYA's staff and two computers.
5. Forum Syd supported us in Women in Political Participation in Siem Reap.
6. Canada Fund supported us in Human Rights, Democracy, Voters Education and Watching Government Activities in Siem Reap, Svay Rieng and Takeo Provinces.
7. UNCHR supported us in Literacy teaching at Trapaing Phiong prison and set up one library in the prison in Kompong Cham province.
8. UNOPS supported us in office rental (Phnom Penh).

KYA has its activities for this year is: 

• Computer Training Course: We are training out-of school and in school youth for three months a course (ten classes = 90 persons/course).
• English Training: We are training young people, who impossible to study at private schools, for six months a course.
• Libraries Project: We have set up libraries for two primary schools,
• the one in Siem Reap province and another in Svay Rieng province. In case, the most of schools in Cambodia have no libraries for their students, the schools, which supported by KYA are leading schools of study materials.
• Khmer Literacy Training: We are conducting the project in Phnom Penh especially in T3 and Prey Sar prisons and two provinces (Taklknao, Kandal province and Trapaing Phlong, Kampong Cham province) in order to teach prisoners who dropped-out of school and did not pass the primary school.
• Voters Education: We are training at grass root people in Svay Rieng, Takeo and Siem Reap in order to educate people to know their rights to select their representatives by free democratic ways and promote free and fair election in Cambodia. Moreover, we are National Observers through the election process throughout the country.
• Human Rights: We are training people in Takeo, Svay Rieng and Siem Reap in order to eliminate the violence in Cambodia.

Moreover, our staffs were invited to attend various seminars in the country, which were organized by international and local NGOs and interviewed by international and domestic Newspapers, radios and TVs.

* Activities at Abroad

President, Vice President and staff of Khmer Youth Association were invited to attend the activities as following: 

• The president was invited to take part in The 1995 World Youth Leaders Conference at Seoul (South Korea) as a charter member and he was also Invited to take part in World Youth Forum'96 in Vienna Austria. The United Nations organized these meetings.
• Vice president was invited t6 attend an international Training Course on 'Learning to Live Together’ in India in 1995 -and attended UNEP. United Nations sponsored the 1997 UNEP Global Youth Forum in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• Two staff were invited to visit France in order to be aware of children's living and how to educate them, Love and protect the environment, supported by Accueil Cambodgien.
• Eight Girl Guides of the Khmer Youth Association were invited to attend 'Girl GUIDES United 1996 Camp' in Thailand.
• The president was invited as International Observer for Philippine's Election in May 1998.
• The president and secretary of KYA were invited to take part in Second Asia-Pacific Intergovernmental Meeting on Human Resources Development for Youth in June 1998, Bangkok, Thailand.
• The vice president was invited to take part in the 8th ASIA-PACIFIC YOUTH CONFERENCE from December 28, 1998 to 7 January 1999 in MRA's Center, India.
• The president and vice president were invited to take part in the 9th ASIA PACIFIC YOUTH CONFERENCE from July 24, 1999 to August 4, 1999 in Taiwan, was supported by MRA Australia, Taiwan and Japan
• The president and secretary general were invited to take part in the 9th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of International Association Volunteer Efforts from November 6-10, 1999 at Taipei, Taiwan.
• The coordinator of education was invited to take part in The 1999 Social Development Leadership course at Searsolin, Philippines.
  

IV. Staff Members

Advisors
1. Ambassador Julio A Jeldre
2. Mr. NobertKlein
3. Mr. Merceron Gibert
4. Ms. Leang Meng Ho

Board of Directors
1. Mr. Chuth Sophan (representative of board)
2. Mr. Sok Sam Oeun
3. Mr. Ang Eng Thong

Staff Members
Now KYA's staff members are divided into parts, in Phnom Penh Headquarters and provinces.

Phnom Penh:
In the headquarters in Phnom Penh, KYA has seven staff members who work full time in the office

1. Mr. Yong Kim Eng, president
2. Mr. Chiv You Meng, vice president
3. Mr. Him Yun, secretary general in charge of administrator
4. Mr. Lay Chandara, Financial officer and computer trainers
5. Mr. Mak Sarath, education and publishing project
6. Ms. Sar Ny, women development project 
7. Mr. Lim Bun, investigator and literacy trainer to prisoners

Provinces:

1. Takeo Province:

- Ms. Kheang Theany, coordinator and women's right trainer
- Mr. Sim Sophal, administrator and human rights and literacy trainer
- Miss Men Pheakdey, women development project

2. Svay Rieng Province:

- Mr. Koet Sovandy, coordinator and human rights trainer
- Mr. Meak Sochet, administrator and literacy trainer
- Ms. Svay Khonthea, women development project

3. Kompong Cham Province:

- Mr. Seng Rithy, coordinator and human rights trainer
- Mr. Heng Kearithy, Administrator and literacy trainer
- Miss Lom Sineth, women development project

4. Siem Reap Province:

- Mr. Chhut Chheang, coordinator and human rights trainer
- Mr. Sem Rukha, Administrator and literacy trainer
- Mrs. Sam Savang, Women Development project
- MissTao Champiy, women trainer
- Miss Yorm Cheasothea, women trainer
- Mrs. Yong Phary, women trainer

A. Staff Activities

The Khmer Youth Association's staff members have their own selves activities as following:

B. Staff Development

Two KYA's staff members had been sent to attend training on management of NGOs. Senior staffs have been enrolled in Computer Hardware course. Two staffs were invited to visit France for 40 days in order to be aware of children's hving and how to educate them and also protect environment, Were supported by Accueil Cambodgien. Eight girl guides in the Khmer Youth Association were invited to attend "Girl guides United 1996 Camp" in Thailand for two weeks and the two staffs had been assisted to learn how to ~vrite at Khmer Writer Association as well as the other two had be~ taken part in an International Relationship at Cambodian Institute Cooperation and Peace. And another one was attended the training on leadership at Cambodian NGOs Alliance For Cooperation (CNAC), as well as other two, were invited to attend how to write letters in the office at Federation of Ponleu Khmer and one staff was invited to attend Management of NGOs Program at Federation of Ponleu Khmer and more one staff was affended the workshop on Electoral Monitoring at World Vision which was organized by Asian Foundation. Recently, there were totally 232 KYA's members (170 Males & 62 Female) in Plinom Penh who were volunteers for The Committee for Free and Fair Election in Cambodia (COMFREL). Most of the Phnom Penh volunteers for Coinfrel were KYA's members who were from university, faculties and Institutes in the city. During this time (1998-election period) nearly one hundred of our KYA's members in Siem Reap, Svay Rieng and Takeo also played an important role in this issue. Thousands of people in each province and Phnom Penh were educated about voters education, voters rights, how to tick, how to find assistant from homework for human. They also brought all materials such as leaflets, stories books, cassette players, pictures and voters guide to educate and to deliver to people when they took part in the training and told them to continue to explain to registered voters in their families and relatives as well as their neighbors.

* Mr. YONG KIM ENG,  President of KYA 

Also board of director of COMEREL, was invite4 to take part in the 1996 World Youth Forum at Vienna, Austria, as member of Youth and Human Settlement commission. This meeting were organized and sponsored by United Nations. He was also invited to participate in various seminars, workshops and meetings, were organized by local and international NGOs, inside the country such as Khmer Institute for Democracy, Cambodian Institute of Human Rights, UNCUR..etc. He was invited as International Observer for Philippine's Election in May 1998. Moreover the president and secretary general of KYA were invited to take part in Second Asia-Pacific Intergovernmental Meeting on Human Resources Development for Youth in June 1998, Bangkok, Thailand.

Recently he was invited to take part in the 9th Asia Pacific Youth Conference, Taiwan from July 24, 1999 - August 3, 1999 and participated in The International Youth Camp, Bangkok, Thailand from 9th October 1999 - 15th October 1999. He also has given interview to correspondent of foreign and local presses, such as Cambodia Time, Cambodge Soir and TV.

* Mr. Chiv You Meng, Vice president of KYA 

Education Committee of the Steering Committee of The Cambodian NGOs Alliance for Cooperation (CNAC), was invited to attend a" at Khmer Writer Association for six months. Moreover, he was also invited to take part in many local seminars, workshop and meetings as well as social activities, too Recently, he was invited and sponsored by UNEP Global Youth Forum's organizing committee to take part in the 1997 Global Youth Forum and World Environment Day in Seoul, The Republic of Korea. On the other hand, in the 1998 election process he was the trainer, which trained national observers in Phnom Penh. The vice president was recently also invited to take part in the 8th ASIA PACIFIC YOUTH CONFERENCE from December 28, 1998 to 7 January 1999 in MRA's Center, India. Recently he was invited to take part in the 9th Asia Pacific Youth Conference, Taipei, Taiwan from the 24th of July to the 3rd of August 1999.