My short visit to the Pou Kroch village

As part of the pre-test for basic course round 21 part II, the course participants and ADI team are required to stay in the village overnight in order to conduct pre-test. In fact, conducting pre-test does not necessarily to stay in the village, but the indigenous villagers have different characteristic. During day time, almost all households go to do farming at their far away farm. If we visit the village at 10 am, we would meet none of them except young children.
The stay in village went so good last night. I stayed at village chief’s house. The village chief’s daughter is very socialize person, she sat with me while i was using internet and ask a lot of questions. Though she is originally bunong, she could speak Khmer language fairly well. She has two-year old daughter. She told me that she works on her 3 ha farm along while her husband works as district police rarely help her. Her husband works in Koh Nhek commune and visits the house once in two or three months. She, being alone, looks after her two-years old daughter and do farming for her own benefit. I wonder if this is common practice in indigenous villages whereby husband provide little support and help to the family. If this is the case, i would feel sympathy to those indigenous women who were born just as ‘housewife and farmer’ and gain little benefit from the husband.
The village locates along the road to Bou Sra waterfall. Villagers of the village gain benefit from the tourist to the waterfall through their small vending and wage labor. In the meanwhile, they also do farming which could support their family.
Over the last year, villagers faced problem related to drought. Villagers have poor system to save water and they do not have enough water to use for the whole year. Some villagers indicated that some months they do not have water to drink or for bathing. Though there is some rain fall during dry season, villagers still face such a problem. I observe that villagers did not have big water containers to save rainfall and they do not dig big pond too. The work on farm depends heavily on rainfall. If no rainfall, no foods.
I concluded that villagers do not have any adaptive capacity to climate change. They will face severe drought problem in the future if they were not trained about climate change adaptation. Indigenous villagers also have low capacity as entrepreneurship. Literacy level is also very low in this village.
[to be completed]

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សង្ឃឹមថាការបញ្ចេញមតិខាងលើរបស់ខ្ញុំអាចឲ្យអ្នកអានងាយយល់ ហើយខ្ញុំនឹងមិនទទួលរងការចោទប្រកាន់ពីភាគីពាក់ព័ន្ធ។​ :-)

Paradigm Shift

I attended two-day workshop hosted by ICCO for its partners and potential partners. ICCO presented its revise program and procedure of fund release. In its new strategic plan (2011-2015) ICCO will phase out its health program and shift it focus on Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Rule of Law (specifically on human right). these are new changes that will affect on its existing partners and how to make those changes beneficial to community or Cambodia as a whole.

The two-day workshop collect and share discussion

[to be continue...]

Impact Monitoring and Evaluation

 The course is facilitated by VBNK for the EED partners in Cambodia. This course aims to improve capacity of the partners in monitor and evaluate impact of their program/project.

The design newly introduced by EED will be incorporated into new proposal for new phase. While VBNK team facilitates the process of training, they will also provide direct support to partners who need help after the course. In fact, the course conducted by VBNK for EED partners is to share general idea and concept of what is 'Impact Monitoring and Evaluation' rather than merely a practicum exercise of EED 'Result Chaim' or 'impact monitoring and evaluation'.

It is expected that the EED representative will provide orientation to all partners in November on how to apply the 'result chain' framework into their new proposal and project report. In November seems to be long as the Analyzing Development Issues Center (ADI C) will develop its proposal with an inclusion of 'impact monitoring and evaluation'  framework in June and to be submitted to EED in June 17.

Below are general feature of Impact Monitoring and Evaluation introduced by VBNK team on May 23, 2011.

Impact Chain (OECD/DAC)-particularly in M&E
- Impact: Positive and negative, primary and secondary long-term effects produced by a development intervention, directly or indirectly intended or unintended.
- Outcome: the likely or achieved short-term and medium-term effects of an intervention's outputs [as a result of their utilization]
-Used of outputs
- Outputs: the products, capital goods and services which result from a development intervention; may also include changes resulting from the intervention which are relevant to the achievement of outcomes.
- Activity: Actions taken or work performed through which inputs, such as funds, technical assistance and other types of resources are mobilized to produce specific outputs.
- Inputs: The financial, human, and material resources used for the development intervention.

Hierarchy of Objectives -in Planning (of a program/project)
- Overall Goal: Higher development objective to which the project is supposed to contribute.
- Project Objective: Description of a desired situation that is supposed to be achieved through a tangible project
- Output/result: Material and immaterial products, goods and services directly produced by a project
- Activities: Steps taken by the project bearer to achieve the planned outputs and objectives
- Inputs: Used resources to carry out the planned activities.

These are just introduction part of the Impact Monitoring and Evaluation course. The more advance skill will depend on sharing of experiences of participants to the course and facilitator. The actual learning will reflect on how participants use this skill and techniques to meaningfully use in their own program/project of their NGOs. The practice is the challenge that facilitators will have to take into serious consideration. Learning is not for the sake of learning or learning for granting; but learning for the benefit of implementing your knowledge from the learning and how you can transform the learning into actual practice.

[to be completed]

Research as Generating New Knowledge or Business

I attended course on Research Project Development and Management organized by CDRI with support from Cambodia Development Research Forum (CDRF).

...

កំណាព្យដកស្រង់ពីរឿងទុំទាវ

៣០៥. មកយល់វាលវែងត្រែងដួលដុះ  ផ្កាសត្រសុសផ្លេកភ្លឺថ្លា
ដូចរូបសម្បុរពណ៌កនិដ្ឋា  ដូចផ្កាត្រែងត្រស់ស្រណោះពេក។
មៀងមើលទឹកជ្រៅស្មៅត្រកៀក  ចិត្តបងចង្អៀតរឹងវិវេគ
ត្រកួនដូចខ្លួនបងឈប់ដេក  ឈបដោយម្លប់មេឃត្របែកព្រៃ។​

កំណាព្យនេះពិតជាមានន័យមែន។​ ប៉ុន្តែខ្ញុំឆ្ងល់ថា​ ហេតុអ្វីបានជាព្រះភិក្ខុសោមអាចតែងរឿងទុំទាវជា កំណាព្យបានល្អយ៉ាងដូច្នេះ​ ជាពិសេសនៅត្រង់ឈុតដែលទុំមកសាសងស្នេហាជាមួយនាងទាវលើក ដំបូងបន្ទាប់ពីគាត់លាចាក សិក្ខាបទ។​ ថ្វីត្បិតថា ព្រះភិក្ខុសោម ជាព្រះសង្ឃ តែលោកបានតែងកំណាព្យសាសងស្នេហា និងរៀបរាប់សំរស់ព្រៃឈើតាមអារម្មណ៍របស់បុរសទើបមានស្នេហាលើកដំបូងបានយ៉ាងល្អឥតខ្ចោះ។

What every child needs to thrive?

You don't have to be a child development expert to give your baby a great start in life. Recent research confirms that we've known all along: love, attention, and basic care are all your baby really needs and wants. To help your baby reach his full potential, follow these eight simple steps. 

Show your love

Children need love. You emotional caring and support give your child a secure base from which to explore the world. This isn't just touchy-feely advice. Hard scientific evidence shows that love, attention, and affection in the first years of life have a direct and measurable impact on a child's physical, mental, and emotional growth. Love and touch actually cause your child's brain to grow, according to Marian Diamond, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of Magic Trees of the Minds: How to Nurture your Child's Intelligence, creativity, and Healthy Emotions from Birth through Adolescence. 

How do  you  show your love? Hug, touch, smile, encourage, listen to, and play with your little one whenevr you can. It's also important to answer his cries immediately, especially in the first six months or so, when experts say it's impossible to spoil a child. In fact, responding to your baby when he's upset (as well as when he is happy) helps you build trust and a strong emotional bond, according to Zero to Three, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of infants, toddlers, and families. 

Care for your Child's Basic Needs

Your baby needs all the good health and energy he can muster for learning and growing, and you can help by covering his basic needs. Take him for regular well-baby checkups and keep his immunization up to date. 

Sleep is anything but wasted time for your baby, so help him get plenty of shut-eye. During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep your baby's cells are making important connections. These synapses, as they're called, are the pathways that enable all learning, movement, and thought. They're the keys to your baby's understanding of everything he sees, hears, tastes, touches, and smells, as he explores the world. 

Breast milk or formular will provide all nutrients your baby's needs for the first six months, and will be an important part of his diet until his first birthday. Breastfeeding is best for your baby-among other benefits, studies show that breastfed babies have lower rates of allergies, diarrhea, respiratory problems, and ear infections. Breast milk may also give your baby's IQ a boost. Although formular can't replicate all of the unique properties of breast milk, formula-fed babies can thrive, too, so don't beat yourself up if you're unable to breastfeed. 

(if you're worried about your baby's sleeping or eating pattern, talk to your doctors)

Tend to your baby's physical comfort promptly. Be sensitive to the fact that he's too warm or that his diaper is wet. You and your baby are a team, and one of your jobs is to take care of the basics so he can get on with his challenging tasks!

Talk to Your Child

Research shows that children whose parents spoke to them extensively as babies have significantly higher IQs and richer vocabularies than kids who didn't receive much stimulation. You can even begin during your pregnancy - it's a great way to start the bonding process. 

Once your child is born, talk to him as you diaper, feed, and bathe him. He'll respond better if he knows the words are directed t him, so try to look at him while you're speaking. Don't worry abut words of wisdom. Just describe what you're doing: "Mommy is putting warm water in the tub so she can clean you up." Try to avoid baby talk, though. Once in a while it's ok, but your baby can develop good language skills only if you speak to him correctly. 

Read to your Child

Reading out loud is one of the most important things  you can do to help build your child's vocabulary, stimulate his imagination, and improve his language skills. It also give you an opportunity to cuddle and socialize. 

Jim Trelease, a reading expert and author of the Read-Aloud Handbook, says even newborns enjoy listening to a story. Make a point of reading to your child from day one. 

Stimulate all his senses

For your child to learn about people, places, and things, he needs to be exposed to them. Every new interaction gives him information about the world and his place in it. Studies show that children who grow up in an enriched environment- where they are presented with new experiences that engage their senses-have larger, more active brains than those who grow up without adequate sensory stimulation.

Of course, children can become overstimulated; you don't want to bombard your child 24 hours a day or try to engage all his senses at once. When he is interested in playing, though, provide a variety of toys and other objects. Choose things with difference shapes, textures, colors, sounds, and weights. Learn about the effect of music on your child's development at different ages, and sing the lyrics to your favorite lullabies. play interactive games such as peeaboo and patty-cake, go on walks and shopping trips together, and let your baby meet new people. Even the simplest daily activities will stimulate your baby's brain development. 

It's also important to give your child room to roam. To develop strong muscles, good balance, and coordination, he needs plenty of space to crawl, cruise, and eventually walk. He'll also benefit from safe spaces where he can explore his surroundings without hearing "NO" or "DON'T TOUCH." The easiest way to do this is to childproof your home (or at least he common areas). Keep dangerous objects out of your baby's reach and safe ones accessible. For instance, in the kitchen, put childproof locks on all the cabinets except one. Fill that with plastic bowls, measuring cups, wooden spoons, and pots and pans that your baby can play with safely. 

Encourage new Challenges

It's important not to frustrate your child with toys and activities that are way beyond his abilities, but a little struggling goes a long way toward self-improvement. When an activity doesn't come easily to your baby, he has to figure out a new way to accomplish the task. That type of problem-solving is the stuff better brains are made of. If he's attempting to open a box, for example, reesist the urge to help him. Let him try first. If he continues to struggle, show him how it's done, but then give him back a closed box so he can try again on his own. 

Take Care of Yourself

Parents who are depressed or upset are often unable to respond swiftly and sensitively to their child's needs.One study, published in the journal Child Development and Psychopathology, found that children whose mothers were chronically and clinically depressed had abnormal patterns of brain activity, suggesting that the children also suffered from depression. Seek advice about coping with postpartum depression, and talk with your caregiver any time you think you may be struggling with depression. 

If you're feeling drained, find ways to divide the household and parenting responsibilities with your partner. If you're a single parent, surround yourself with people who can offer you help and support. And don't forget to treat yourself to some time alone once in a while. Being a parent-especially an involved and active on- is tiring, and you need time to re-energize. 

Find Good Childcare

If you work and aren't able to care for your baby during the day (or need a babysitter regularly), a quality childcare provider is essential to your baby's healthy development. You'll want to find someone who can do all the things mentioned above when you're not around. Whether your childcare provider is a nanny, a relative, or a daycare worker, she should be experienced, caring, and reputable, with a genuine love for children and the energy to help your baby thrive. 

(source: http://www.babycenter.com )