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The Khmer Rouge regime, with its failed agrarian experiment, was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people and the destruction of all records (all books, archives, currency, public institutions and laws), bringing Cambodia’s flourishing society to an abrupt halt in 1975. The resulting years of war, isolation, and uncertainty lasted until 1998. Cambodian people continue to recover from this trauma and have a strong desire to start over, rebuild their nation and develop a new civil society that secures a better future for their children.
The building blocks for a democratic and just system have been laid through establishment of elections, a Constitution and legal framework, free press, civil society organizations and the current Khmer Rouge tribunal. However, these changes in Cambodia are at times abstract for a nation still challenged by fear, corruption and limited access to their rights. For the past 5 years, VFI has supported local leaders who take enormous risks to lay the groundwork for civil society to grow in Cambodia.
In 2008, Village Focus Cambodia was registered as a local Cambodian organization under the local leadership of Dr. Meas Nee, fulfilling the goal of VFI to localize under Cambodian ownership and management. VFI and VFC share office space and operate as partners under a Memorandum of Understanding. “NY TIMES REPORTS ON CAMBODIA” |
