I. Kampuchea's Kids - A centre for the street children of Kampong Cham town.

Background: Creative expression in Cambodia was crushed when the Khmer Rouge destroyed everything, people and a gene pool of creative intelligence. With over half the population now fewer than 18, encouraging its revival among children is vital for the country's endangered cultural identity and for the healing and reconciliation of a horrible past. An expressive art not only nurtures imagination, it can also allay fears and anxieties, allowing children to express themselves and the taboos they're silenced by.

Promoting creativity in Cambodia's classrooms was one of the tasks assigned BSDA placements. There was a niggling issue however, the job description didn't cover - the children wandering the streets without an education to make creative. While on my way to work in the town's schools, their "Hello's!" as the foreign advisors of BSDA cycled past were a daily reminder that they were not. BSDA enquired after the provision for this noticeable need – a charity, a small school, a compassionate family group. In a country receiving so much aid BSDA expected something, but found nothing.

.... written by Hannah Snowden

• Monks volunteer to provide morality courses at public schools
• Provide morality education for impoverished children and adults at pagodas.
• Morality courses focus on the cause and effect of HIV/AIDS, drug abuse/addiction and violence in Cambodian society, and how they can be prevented.
• Conclude courses with a prayer.

• Provide free language training to children and adults who cannot afford public education.
• Every day at the beginning and end of training time, the monks lead the children and adults in prayer and meditation, or provide advice.
• Incorporate units whose main themes are HIV/AIDS, drug abuse/addiction and violence prevention.
• Almost all of the teachers are monks
  

• Ask students to provide some money to cover the cost of electricity.
• Incorporate lessons whose main themes are HIV/AIDS, drug abuse/addiction and violence prevention.
• Students meet every weekend to receive advice or counseling from the monks 

• Work directly with the street communities.
• Recruit children from the street communities to attend free life skills classes in: traditional music and dancing; Khmer language; and English language, at the pagoda.
• For a small portion of the time, the monks provide counseling or education to the children about how to protect themselves from drug abuse, HIV/AIDS and human trafficking. 

BSDA, Kampong Cham, Cambodia

• No specific job
• No land to plant crops or vegetables
• Disease is prevalent
• HIV and Aids awareness is poor
• No health service
• Not enough clean water
• Children don’t go to school
• Child labor is prevalent
• There are many orphaned children

1.Community’s leader voting
2. Villagers Training 
3. Marketing research
4. Family Income/Cooperative Mushroom Production
5. Savings book

• To build capacity of the community to take responsibility for the continuation of the mushroom growing project.
• To establish a sustainable livelihoods program for the community of Sambok Chap village
• To increase access to education.
• Increase social responsibility and awareness of health issues including HIV, AIDS and Drugs
  

• Health Education about HIV / AIDS and Drug abuse for the whole community
• Capacity building program - mushroom growing
• Family income support program ( Savings Book) 
  
  Health Education about HIV / AIDS and Drug abuse for the whole community
  Currently BSDA staff members have built a relationship with the community by providing learning opportunities at the village. These opportunities involve a combination of non formal teaching, teaching of a foreign language, life skills and morality. Weather conditions can make it impossible to carry out teaching activities in the open air. To continue these activities a covered work area is necessary. Because of the lack of land this can not be made permanent at the moment. The provision of easily transportable teaching materials (mobile school) and rain shelter will form a temporary solution for this. As villagers are used to this kind of informal education, introduction of more sensitive issues will be relatively easy. BSDA staff has recently finished a course in ‘therapeutic community drug abuse treatment’, and intends to use this knowledge to teach villagers in Sambok Chap. 
  
  Capacity building program, co-operative mushroom growing project
  A select group of volunteer villagers will come to the BSDA office for a week of training. The training is provided under the condition that, when the family is earning income, children will be sent to school. This training, with help from expertise from the agriculture school, will provide information about how to grow mushrooms, when and how to collect and how to do marketing research. The training will be a combination of teaching and practical experience. 
  In a pilot scheme a few volunteer families will use their knowledge and grow the first mushrooms, these will be sold after seven weeks. This land will have to be borrowed and the well will be created for water supply of the mushroom growing in the first instance. In this phase there will be regular monitoring of progress by program advisors. The test group will serve as a model for the other project participants, who will be trained in a later phase of the project. After the first round, all villagers will evaluate the results; problems encountered and make any adjustments necessary to training or procedures. 
  The pilot group will act as advocates and serve as teachers for the second, larger, group. For the first year the project intends to provide all materials. 
  
  Market research
  A specific questionnaire will be developed for this project. Market research will be done using this questionnaire. Research will be carried out in Kampong Cham town. BSDA staff and village chief are responsible for this task. They will talk with hotels, restaurants and caterers for ceremonies to get relevant information. What kind of mushrooms do they use, how often and in what quantities they need mushrooms, and get an indication of the prices.
  
  Family income support/ Savings book
  After the pilot group receives their first income, the program will start a self help/savings group. Everybody involved in the project gets a family book; there will be one village bank account. Community members together make an action plan for the future development of the community: buying land for growing the mushrooms, build sanitation, find ways to support vulnerable community members like orphans or children affected by HIV/AIDS. In monthly meetings the income will be discussed, community concerns shared, and decisions made on community investments. Together it will be determined what income will go to every family, and a fair amount per family to donate to the village account every week.
  
  In order to create sustainable change, activities in themselves are not sufficient. There will be special attention given to advocacy aimed at changes in attitude and behavior. The next items describe the change the project will try to bring about: 
• Motivate the villagers to send their children to get education at a public school 
• Create a social network to provide support to orphans and vulnerable children
• Work in partnership and cooperation with relevant organizations and authorities
  When these attitudinal changes have been achieved, the villagers will be able to continue their cooperation without specific project support. Evaluation after one year will have to show if this phase has been reached.
  
  Motivate the villagers to send their children to get education at public school 
  Once an income is generated, people will be reminded of the importance of education. Jointly a solution is found to send all children of school age to get an education. There is a primary school at approximately two kilometers from the village. The nearest secondary school is too far to walk, so bicycles are a necessity to make basic education (Grade 1-9) possible. Currently 48 % of the children are going to school, 100 % in primary and 0 % go to secondary school. Monitoring of attendance will be addressed by the community.
  
  Create a social network to provide support to orphans and vulnerable children 
  In working together it is expected that the social cohesion will be strengthened. This opens the possibility of introducing the concept of a social network. In the village there are 3 children that are in need of support, because they have lost one or both of their parents. In Cambodian society it is considered normal to take children in, but there is no parental oversight or care. Because of poverty these children are at risk of child labor, and (sexual) exploitation. Awareness raising on community responsibility for all villagers, young and old, will be part of the project. Once the villagers recognize the need to do something about this issue, a special committee for orphans and vulnerable children will be elected to be responsible for taking measures against trafficking and child labor. 
  
  Work in partnership and cooperation with relevant organizations and authorities
  The BSDA is working together with several organizations. One of these is VSO, voluntary services overseas, who has promised to support the HIV/AIDS education. UNICEF will also continue to support. The villagers will have to build their own network, with support from the BSDA. As a first step the BSDA will introduce villagers to the people from the mentioned organizations. After this initial stage the village leader can take over this liaison role.

BSDA, Kampong Cham, Cambodia

Province: Kampong Cham
District : Kampong Cham, Kampong Siem, 
Commune: Kampong Cham, Bang Khok, Veal Vong, Sambo Meas Ampil 

Starting date: 01/10/2007- 30/09/2008 or upon the receipt of the grant 
Duration: One year

The aim is to heighten awareness of the impact and consequences of drug abuse, which have a negative influence on Cambodian society at this point in time. BSDA proposes this initiative in order to build the capacity of the community and provide human resources for drug abuse reduction to save them, their family and their communities. The communities will therefore live without drug abuse or addiction. The children, teenagers, adults or drug addicts will help themselves to protect/prevent from drug abuse and to find health care, treatment; rehabilitation and counseling from BSDA. Communities will understand the problem and be able to provide information on and suggest solutions for drug abuse. They will be more receptive to sending the drug addicts from their communities for treatment and rehabilitation in the BSDA programme. The project promotes gender awareness through encouraging women to participate in the implementation of the project activities, to engage more female staff and volunteers to be involved with the project management and more responsible for the project. The project ensures that the project target groups include both males and females.

• To reach and inform local people about the problem and solution of drug abuse.
• To build a “prevention and reduction of drug abuse network”.
• To build the capacity of the community to take responsibility for the continuation of the drug abuse network.
• To provide a model for primary treatment of drug users.
• To provide teenagers and adults with an opportunity to receive education about drug abuse protection/prevention and reduction, and give guidance using the Buddhist philosophy approach.
• To establish a sustainable program for a drug- abuse- free community in Kampong Cham province.
• Increase social responsibility and awareness of drug abuse issues including prevention, reduction, treatment, rehabilitation, intervention and counseling.

Component #1 Radio program to support drug awareness and prevention. 

The first component of the project, the radio program to support drug awareness and prevention to the communities and target areas will be a series of stories on drug abuse, HIV/ AIDS, and safe migration. The goal of the program is to promote, provide information on and educate about the problem and solution of drug abuse for the whole community. In order to reach the maximum audience these programs will be recorded, presented to and discussed with communities in their own environment by trained facilitators.

To promote the radio broadcast and the drug abuse program contact Information, stickers will be produced and dispersed. Confidentiality for those participating in the program will be emphasized.

BSDA staff members will preach and disseminate a Buddhist moral philosophy related to social issues and drug abuse every morning at the National Radio, FM 92.5 and every afternoon on Saturday and Sunday at the Private Radio, FM 100.5 in Kampong Cham province. The potential capacity dissemination of both Radio programs, will cover the whole province and neighboring provinces. The broadcast with National Radio, FM 92.5, will be done with a recording of the monk’s preaching, explaining the possibility of contacting BSDA with a personal question to address to the speaker, and general counseling to the addicts and families affected by drug abuse, for thirty minutes per day. 

Private Radio, FM 100.5, will be broadcasting a live show for one hour every Saturday and Sunday. The activities of the live radio show will be limited to one topic and honorary speakers will be invited to answer and advise listeners. Speakers will include: existing and former addicts (volunteers); families affected by drug abuse; local authority, police officers; experts such as psychologist, medical doctor or drug abuse program experts from NGO’s or Government. The show will have phone calls from listeners to ask questions and share ideas or experiences on drug abuse. The program aims to reach a combination of teenagers and adults. The radio show emphasizes the danger of carrying out drug related activities. 

In both radio broadcasts the information regarding where and when the support program will take place will be announced. The radio programme will be designed to target female audiences who are house wives in communities.

Component #2 Informal education: Life Skills for street children and teenagers/adults for both males and females 

Using the information collected during the implementation of a small teaching program, conducted from July 2005 until now in local communities, it was discovered that more than 50% of the street children and some of the teenagers/adults in Kampong Cham are engaged in glue, drug and substance abuse (Methamphetamine tablets (“yama“/“yaba“) and other Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS), increasingly “ice“ (shabu), Heroin, Glue/Solvents Cannabis, MDMA (Ecstasy), Cocaine).

Currently there are two separate activities, Life Skills classes for street children and education in foreign languages for teenagers/adults. The funding for these activities is phasing out; activities can only continue with support from a new donor like UNODC. The community knows about these facilities and encourages its youngsters to participate. This provides a great chance of introducing more focused lessons on Drug Abuse, HIV and AIDS. In preparation of this necessary addition to these activities BSDA staff have taken specialist courses on Preventions of Drug Abuse, Therapeutic Community, Treatment, Counseling, Rehabilitation, Relapse prevention. 

Every month, the volunteer teachers are provided with training on teaching methodology and drug curriculum content by expert volunteer staff from VSO, Peace Corps, BSDA advisors and a Reducing Drug Abuse Programme Officer. Chapters, articles and documents for teaching, on morality and drug abuse education, have been developed. 

The teenager/adult education program provides lessons in two groups, five days a week, and has a total of 22 classes. There are 880 teenagers/ adults who come to receive education from BSDA’s volunteer teachers. The UNICEF grant has almost finished and money for renting of classrooms, transportation of teachers, and production of curriculum material is running out. Only with a renewal grant from UNODC is it possible to continue the current level of activities and include more specific information on topics related to Drug Abuse. The project will reach out more teenagers and adults and will encourage girls/females to participate in this component.

Component #3 Community capacity building ‘network against drug abuse’ project

A selected group of village leaders, women’s groups, commune officers and monks of temple in target areas affected by drug abuse in the districts will get training from the BSDA program. The training is provided under the cooperation between BSDA, PDCC (Provincial Drug abuse Control Committee) and NACD (National Authority for Combating Drugs) of the Cambodian government. The training will be two groups and done in both district. Both groups will receive the same training, lessons; organization and preparation are under the responsibility of BSDA with use of documents from Friends International NGO, UNODC, US DayTop International, NACD and PDCC. Training subjects include: creating a community network, community capacity building, information on Drug Abuse related topics, sharing of hopes and experiences. Also participatory approaches will be used. The trainers formulate a contract and have each participant sign it.

A training outline will look as follows: 

• The trainers will identify the historical context of drug use/abuse, its progression within a society, and responses taken to ameliorate the problem.
• The trainers will orient participants in the basic tenets of the Drug Free Self Help Prevention Model.
• The trainers will create a learning community capacity building ‘network against drug abuse’ through which the concepts and skills of the drug-free self-help outpatient program will be acquired. This will include prevention, treatment, counseling and rehabilitation.
• The trainers will familiarize participants with research studies on outpatient treatment program approaches and outcomes.
• The trainers will introduce a framework for integrating HIV/AIDS prevention strategies into the drug abuse outpatient program. The training will provide a basic understanding of the origins of the Drug Free Self Help outpatient program and knowledge of how to work, connect with the community network, community laws and structure of the Self Help against drug abuse program. 

Component #4 Outpatient program: primary therapeutic treatment and rehabilitation

The outpatient program is based on the manual from Daytop International and uses the Self-help Social Learning Treatment Model (SSLTM). This model is based on the “self-help” concept and the Social Learning Model, and utilizes the community as the primary therapeutic vehicle to foster behavioral and attitudinal change. The project will provide this program for drug addicts in the target areas. A baseline survey indicates that there are at least known 148 drug addicts (32 females and 116 males) in the target areas.
A group treatment will be developed by the primary therapists (BSDA staff) or treatment team (BSDA staff and patients already in the program) in consultation with the clients, immediate and extended family members, and, when possible, representatives of the referring agency. Engaging both the clients and family in the treatment process, dealing with withdrawal and detoxification, can promote their willingness to participate in the actual intervention. The treatment will be comprehensive, specific, and objective so that progress can be measured. Naturally, the plan will address the environmental factors that may have contributed to the initial usage and that could be a hindrance to recovery. At a minimum, a treatment will identify the following:

• Target problems of the clients and the family, including substance use and psychosocial, medical, and possible psychiatric disorders. BSDA expects hospitals and doctors, among others, to refer clients to its program and provide information on the medical/psychiatric background. 
• Help clients recognize their involvement with substances and acknowledge responsibility for the problems resulting from substance use and take into account what the client wants to accomplish. 
  An important part is identification of gaps, such as lack of skills, vocational training, and basic education. In the relapse prevention phase there is a possibility of addressing some of these needs.
• Time frames for the achievement of the stated objectives. 
• Appropriate interventions, that is, treatment strategies and services that are needed to achieve the objectives.
• Assessment methods for measuring the extent to which goals, objectives, and interventions are fulfilled.

Educational, legal, seminar and external support systems. 
The specified treatment strategies and services will include the identification of the persons who will be provided treatment, an expected timetable for achieving the objectives, the date the treatment plan will be reviewed, and where treatment is to take place. The treatment plan will be subject to frequent reassessments to determine whether the client is making therapeutic progress. If progress is not being made, the client, family, therapist, and key interested players should examine whether the therapist's goals and the client's goals match. 
The target areas of the Outpatient Program: treatment and rehabilitation will be done in one community (Buddhist temple) of each target district. The treatment team includes monks and commune officers selected to be the local facilitators of the outpatient program. Four facilitators from the target districts who are selected by BSDA will respond to implement primary treatment and rehabilitation. 
The clients (addicts) agree to come to the temple for treatment every day. They will come voluntarily or be sent by family, the community and/or the local authority to stay in the Outpatient Program place for full day and go back home at night. The daily schedule of the treatment will be drafted by BSDA, and agreed to by the clients (through a contract).

During the primary treatment and rehabilitation, voluntary confidential HIV/AIDS testing, education and counseling will be offered. 

At the time of discharge from the outpatient program, a special ceremony will be performed as a psychological encouragement. Several clients at one time promise before their God(s) that they will not touch drugs again. Cultural beliefs will entice them to think that they and there families and the community will suffer a lot if they break this promise.

After recovering from drug abuse, clients will be sent back to school when possible or provided with vocational training such as computer, foreign language, musical and dancing training. BSDA will co-operate with the partner NGO network in Kampong Cham or Phnom Penh and associated government institutions in order to provide training on the specific skills. 

Component #5 Relapse prevention

BSDA will prepare the clients and their families to expect follow-up contacts. Both the client and their family will be told in advance that the service providers will contact them regularly. Follow-up, like other elements of the program, is voluntary, so BSDA will ask the clients for written consent to follow-up. The clients are expected to co-operate if convinced of the value of the process. 

Usually those who are still abstaining are more likely to stay in touch, although a sizable number of them will wish to stay away from the centre or anything else that may remind them of their addiction. Another means of follow-up is to organize home visits by BSDA officers to meet the clients or family members. BSDA will ensure that clients understand the possibility of a relapse, and that they are willing to seek BSDA’s help again if they need it. If a client experiences a relapse as an embarrassing crisis, it suggests that they were not sufficiently prepared for this possibility during the counseling process. 

Before graduation a BSDA officer or facilitator will make it clear to the clients and family that although they have attained rehabilitation goals, a slip may happen at any time. It will be far better for the addict to contact BSDA or a facilitator just after the slip – if not earlier, when they started feeling vulnerable – rather than waiting for a full-blown relapse. Crisis intervention immediately after a slip can ensure that the clients will not backslide too much before getting back on the recovery path. 

If a former client does not feel comfortable to reach out for help due to a slip, they may fall completely into relapse, requiring that they start the whole process of detoxification and rehabilitation over again. 

Result A: Members of communities in Kampong Cham province and four neighboring provinces have developed a better understanding about the problem and solution of drug abuse using radio broadcast. The majority of teenagers/adults and community members in general understand how to protect themselves from drug abuse and where or how to find a treatment and counseling service from BSDA.

Result B: Next to raising awareness of the drug abuse problem in the target communities in particular, these communities are provided with viable, local assistance by involving community members as facilitators in the outpatient treatment programme.

Result C: Free life skill classes and free foreign language classes have motivated the communities sending the children, teenagers and adults to get an education from BSDA.

Result D: Drug abuse is reduced by life skills, morality, meditation or Buddhist philosophy approach in the community through informal educational programme.

Result E: Trained participants in the project have capacities in how to set up and sustain a community support network; how to structure prevention programmes, therapeutic communities and counseling for drug abusers/addicts. Sustainability is addressed by involving community network member’s participation in the therapeutic community in 5 (five) communes a network is in place.

Result F: Community drug abuse, insecurity and (drug-related) crime are reduced by prevention or treatment. 

Result G: Community network members are able to benefit from Reducing Drugs abuse initiatives.

Radio program to support drug awareness and prevention. 

It is estimated that 50% of the population in Kampong Cham province (close to one million, especially girls and house wives at communities) will, directly or indirectly, benefit from the radio program. People living in adjoining districts of four neighboring provinces are seen as an addition to this audience. 

Informal education: Life Skills for street children and teenager/ adults

A total of 1010 children, teenagers and adults (approximately 460 males and 550 females) will be reached through the Life Skills classes. Indirectly their families and communities will benefit from this program.

Community capacity building ‘network against drug abuse’ project

Direct beneficiaries:

• 54-Voluntary-community facilitators (27 females and 27 males) will be trained, providing an opportunity to a better understanding about the drug abuse problem and giving them skills to deal with this.

Indirect beneficiaries: 

• All the residents in the target community and beyond, as they are connected with other communities to work together in protecting and controlling drug abuse in these communities. They have access to counseling and access to an organization that will provide specialized treatment. 

Outpatient program: Primary therapeutic treatment and rehabilitation 

Direct beneficiaries: 

• The community facilitators will help the addicts in the target communities with support from their families.

Indirect beneficiaries: 

• Families of clients who will be integrated into the community (especially the women who are the mothers, wives or sisters of clients) and, as a result of successful treatment, will have a family member who will not use (or steal) the family income to buy drugs, will be less violent and can contribute to the well-being of the family.
• In the communities there will be less theft and violence as a result of drug abuse reduction

All the clients who recovered and extended family members in the target area will be beneficiaries (same beneficiaries as under outpatient program).

BSDA Kampong Cham, Cambodia