On February 7, DVV International opened a country office in Cambodia. The Institute has been supporting partner organisations in Cambodia since 2009. With the new country office, DVV International strengthens its engagement in Cambodia, which focuses on basic education, reconciliation, environmental education and political dialogue.
Around 35 representatives from the Government, non-governmental organisations and development partners attended the official opening event for the new country office of DVV International in Phnom Penh. On behalf of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the Under Secretary of State, Heang Sine, welcomed DVV International as a valuable partner for the development of non-formal education. Other speakers at the opening event included representatives of the UNESCO Delegation, the German Embassy and project partners of DVV International. Two volunteer teachers from the Kavet ethnic minority shared the details of their work in Ratanakiri Province, one of the most disadvantaged regions in Cambodia.
The event was followed by a planning workshop about DVV International’s strategy for the coming years. Civil society and government partners identified the main challenges to be the further improvement of the Community Learning Centres (CLCs), more possibilities for networking and sharing and the need for capacity building, especially for facilitators and management staff at the provincial and district level. DVV International was also advised to support action research initiatives, which are relevant for advocating non-formal education, a widely neglected sector with less than 1% of the education budget.
DVV International’s new country director, Vanna Peou, shared her vision of a more coherent cooperation between government and civil society with the partners. As well, she mentioned DVV International’s commitment to work for a deeper understanding of the concepts of Lifelong Learning and Adult Learning and Education (ALE) as an important condition for the development of the sub-sector.
More information on the work of DVV International in Cambodia can be found at the regional website of Southeast Asia: www.dvv-international.la
Top
Print