Blending Innovation and Inclusivity for Social Change
Let’s catch up with winners of the NOW-Us! Awards Cambodia 2021, who have been driving incredible change from individual to community to government levels to improve inclusivity in Cambodia.
- Pichmony Thay
It’s already been more than a year since we wrapped up the NOW-Us! Awards Cambodia 2021. Maybe things have quieted down for me since then… but not for our winning teams! After an intensive bootcamp, mentoring, and pitch event, three teams were awarded grants of 25k euros, 15k euros, and 10k euros to implement their projects around diversity and inclusion in Cambodia. Those three teams are:
- Neary, is an online platform that works to combat all the negative social norms and stereotypes for gender equality. They won 1st place with their #IYOUAREBEAUTIFUL campaign.
- SAORI Organization, a non-profit organization that works for a society where people with disabilities have the opportunity to study skills, obtain decent employment, earn a living, and live a dignified life. They won 2nd place with their capacity building and women with disabilities empowerment project.
- SafespaceBTB, a community project working toward creating a safe and creative space for LGBT youth in Battambang province. They won 3rd place with their capacity building and space building project.
While each one of them has a very different target audience and approach toward creating a positive social impact in Cambodia, the one thing they all have in common is how they promote inclusion and innovation through their activities.
Over the past few months, I’ve been catching up with the teams. It’s time that I share some highlights with you!
The Beautiful Expansion of Neary’s #IYOUAREBEAUTIFUL Campaign
The Neary team started big and bold with an introduction video to their #IYOUAREBEAUTIFUL campaign full of inspiration, power and creativity. Throughout the campaign, they have published content on their Facebook page: posters, videos, a podcast series, and recently even a music video!
During one of my conversations with Linda, the co-founder of Neary, she shared that “Since starting this project, I really enjoyed the creative process of curating all the content with my team. And especially, seeing the impact we are generating in our community.”
From an outside perspective, I really can see how much this campaign has supported women, men, the LGBT community and others on their mindset of what beauty is. I’ve shared their content myself with many of my friends and family; it’s served as a great resource to understand toxic beauty standards, and helped them see how their words can be hurtful to me when talking about my body.
Linda also shared that “Neary is a resource and a catalyst for everyone. We have influencers who collaborated with us and afterward, the message they spread on their platform becomes more and more inclusive and supportive toward people regarding their beauty.” She added, “We also received many comments and many people reach out to us via the Facebook page to share that our content has helped them through dark times.”
Driving Systemic Change for People with Disabilities: SAORI’s Amazing Work
Bong Amraroth is the founder of the SAORI organization based in Kampong Chhnang province. Her and SAORI organization’s biggest task was to collaborate with governmental institutions and the private sector to create more accessibility and opportunity for people with disabilities.
I managed to hop on a call with bong Amraroth last week to talk about her next plans. She shared with me that one of her biggest highlights from last year was receiving an acknowledgment letter for SAORI’s work from the City Hall of Kampong Chhnang province. “To be honest Mony, I never expected us to go this big,” she told me. She said: “I work in many different jobs to fund this organization because I want to help other people with disabilities like me. I never expect to get any acknowledgment or anything. Because of this fund [from NOW-Us! Awards] we managed to do so many things. Receiving that letter means so much as it shows support from the local authorities but also validates SAORI’s hard work these years.”
Bong Amraroth, representing SAORI Organization, is also currently a part of the women and child council and council of people with disabilities at the City Hall of Kampong Chhang province. Beyond SAORI Organization’s amazing work at the government level, they also advocate with the private sector. I think this story totally sums up Bong Amraroth’s work. She shared:
“My staff cannot go to the bank to withdraw money, why? Because the bank does not have a way for people who use wheelchairs to go up to their ATM or inside the bank! I contacted the branch manager of the bank, we had coffee and after a few follow-ups, they agreed to build a slope for people who use wheelchairs.”
SafeSpaceBTB’s Progress Transforming Life and Community for LGBT People in the Province
This next story hits close to home as I can relate a lot.
Being LGBT in the province is not easy since there are not a lot of resources and open-minded people for you to feel safe there. All you wish is for you to leave and go somewhere better. But SafeSpaceBTB is battling that right now by creating a safe and resourceful space in Battambang for LGBT people there.
During my call with bong Thida, she shared that for her, SafeSpaceBTB’s biggest achievement has been the behavior changes of people in Battambang. She shared that “Right now, a lot of NGOs are asking us to share about sexuality and gender to their staff, to create awareness and safe space within a workplace.” Beyond institutions, what further impressed me is the changes in individuals. As bong Thida shared, “We have LGBT individuals who are now more open about themselves, who joined our events and gatherings. We also have non-LGBT individuals who are now more open-minded in Battambang.”
Hearing all of that really healed my inner child. I felt so neglected during my time in the province, but knowing bong Thida and SafeSpaceBTB team are working so hard every day for the future of LGBT individuals there, I feel relief.
Another thing I want to highlight is the growth of bong Thida herself after implementing this project. She has really put herself out there and showed that LGBT individuals can be whoever they want to be and our sexuality does not define us! She is setting an amazing example for LGBT individuals. Bong Thida shared that “This project allows me to truly feel myself, as I have come out and empowered myself. I am building relationships with my family, friends and colleagues as they are starting to accept me for who I am. I joined a TV show to share about being a lesbian in the province, something I never imagined I would do.”
The work of bong Thida and SafeSpaceBTB does not end here, as they are planning bigger things for the future (like… sneak peak… a comic book!!).
So much impact was generated just in the past year by these amazing changemakers. I am so grateful to be able to witness this and happy I could be a part of their journey. May this inspire you to start YOUR journey!
You also might like
“More valuable than helping with money”: How our hands-on support helped ADSA refocus their path
“More valuable than helping with money”: How our hands-on support helped ADSA refocus their path
Growing Green Businesses: How Entrepreneurs Are Helping Safeguard Cambodia’s Forests
Growing Green Businesses: How Entrepreneurs Are Helping Safeguard Cambodia’s Forests
