CHEMS Outreach and Advocacy Department works directly with the community to provide feedback on our activities. They also focus on capacity building initiatives through advocacy activities and training to young people.
Youth Focus Groups
CHEMS currently has 10 Focus Groups in some of the most vulnerable communities throughout Cambodia. Each consisting of six young males and six young females, the aim is to encourage and reinforce positive sexual reproductive health behavior, beliefs and practices amongst their peers.
They are trained in a range of areas including sexual reproductive health knowledge, communication, advocacy, media and life skills. At the end of the training, members should not only be able to change their own behaviors for the better, but also be competent to pass on their knowledge to their peers.
The young people participate in direct feedback about quality, relevance and educational value of the media materials produced by CHEMS. Many have reached a level of skill and understanding to produce their own short radio pieces.
CSO Advocacy Network
The CSO Advocacy Network is a new network, formed in June 2005. The goal is to build a network of people to engage with policy makers on sexual and reproductive health issues.
Currently there are 16 NGO members who attend a monthly meeting. They include POLICY, MEDICAM, CYD, CCWD, CPR, CARE, IDA, RAHDO, WOMEN, WV-C, CHED, WOSO, CCASVA, COSECAM, CHHRA. From 2006 youth representatives will join the network to ensure the issues covered are relevant to Cambodian youth.
Community Theatre
Community theatre is very successful in increasing knowledge and achieving changes in attitudes and potentially behaviour. CHEMS staff train village volunteers to write scripts encompassing reproductive health messages. They do performances, sometimes in front of up to 500 people in the local community.
The purpose is to two-fold: to encourage higher use of community health centres and services; and to improve the quality of reproductive health services by making them more youth-friendly.
Youth Network(funding for this activity has finished since March 06)
The Youth Network is a grassroots lobbying group in Kampong Speu Province consisting of 15 young people, supported by 10 community elders. The Network advocates for the rights of youth to reproductive health services and information in their area. Instead of using un-trained traditional healers and unauthorised drug-sellers, the youth network encouraged villagers to use services operated by the Government. Working with local authorities, they changed negative attitudes of staff and have made the Government services more youth-friendly.
Communicating for Advocacy(funding for this activity finished early 2006)
CFA is a regional project to develop the capacity of community groups to influence policy and practice in their regions and countries. CHEMS is a proud to be one of the key partners.
Organisations in Philippines, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh exchange information and transfer skills through training and seminars. CHEMS has carried out training workshops in community theatre and advocacy for regional partners.
The Siem Reap Focus Group.
