In Thboung Kla village, O’maras commune, Stung Treng province, Mrs. Khun Sothy has emerged as a determined voice for grassroots development. A mother of four and member of an agricultural community, she once lived a quiet life farming and growing vegetables. But her journey took a meaningful turn when local authorities recognized her active participation and selected her as a community women’s leader.

Initially, Mrs. Sothy faced self-doubt and limited experience in leadership. “At first, I didn’t know how to lead women’s groups or organize meetings,” she recalled. That changed when she received capacity-building support from My Village Organization (MVi), including training on gender action learning, leadership, decision-making, and community mobilization.

Equipped with new skills, Mrs. Sothy began holding meetings to share knowledge and mobilize Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, youth, and women to engage in outreach activities. She led issue-collection discussions in her community and represented them in monthly commune council meetings, ensuring their voices influenced the village development plan.

Her growth wasn’t just personal—it was catalytic. Her efforts sparked wider community participation in development planning, especially among women and underrepresented groups. Through partnerships with fishery communities and local authorities, she promoted sustainable resource management and advocated for communal needs.“

“I want to urge all women to be brave and willing to work,” she said. “Even if it doesn’t bring income, everyone has the right to participate in developing our village and protecting our fisheries.”

In Koh Sneang village, Stung Treng Province, 26-year-old Mrs. Kon Somdon, a mother of two, has emerged as a dynamic force in community-led climate action. As the women’s group chief, she initially had limited understanding of climate change and its impacts. But through her involvement in the Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (VRA) initiative, her perspective and leadership were transformed.

The VRA process introduced her to critical climate concerns facing her village, including shifting weather patterns, rising water levels, and frequent extreme weather events. Equipped with new knowledge, Mrs. Somdon convened village meetings to discuss climate threats and adaptation strategies. Her leadership ensured that the needs of women, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, and children were integrated into local adaptation planning.

Capacity-building workshops boosted her confidence and skills, enabling her to actively shape the development of inclusive climate action plans. Recognizing her effectiveness, she was selected to advocate for climate priorities in the Koh Sneang Commune Investment Program (CIP). With determination and community support, she championed the inclusion of climate-resilient projects such as early warning systems (App 1294), installation of flood-level billboards, water-level measurement poles, and climate-smart agriculture.

Mrs. Somdon’s impact extended beyond her village. She began participating in district and provincial dialogues, ensuring grassroots perspectives were heard in broader climate policymaking. Her advocacy helped place community resilience at the center of subnational development agendas.

Her story underscores the power of inclusive leadership and knowledge-sharing. From hesitant participant to respected advocate, Mrs. Kon Somdon has played a pivotal role in transforming climate resilience in Koh Sneang. Her journey serves as an inspiration for other women seeking to shape development priorities from the ground up.

Recognizing that threats to forests, wildlife and biodiversity are the most important issues in the eastern landscape of Cambodia. My Village is an NGO that carries out a number of activities to conserve natural resources by empowering indigenous communities such as protected area communities, ethnic women’s networks, and ethnic youth networks.

Project of Youths’ Action for Biodiversity Conservation (YABC) focus on youth participation to increase the capacity for widespread dissemination of forests, wildlife, biodiversity and the environment, especially to local communities effectively.

Through the above issues, My Village Organization organized a training course on: “Reduction of Luxury Wood Furniture Consumption” for 13-school youth in the target area of ​​Mondulkiri province for youths. The purpose of this training is to 

– Increase awareness of the benefits of forests and biodiversity

– Raise awareness of the impact of using luxury wood furniture

– Increase the positive attitude of the participants and share it with their friends, family as well as through Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC)

A total of 325 youths (226 women) and 159 indigenous youth (116 women) participated. Through pre-testing the ability of youths, we observed that we provided the training, only about 43 percentage have an understanding of the forest and luxury wood furniture. In contrast, after they received the training from My Village Organization on: “Reduction of Luxury Wood Furniture Consumption”, they can learn more about the forest, as well as the problem of furniture made from luxury wood up to 80 percentage. In addition, they committed to reduce of using the furniture made of luxury wood from day to day, as well as to share the knowledge they gained from this training to share to their families, relatives, friends and the community as much possible. Furthermore, they also gained a lot positive thinking and how to talk about forest issues and luxury wood furniture to their relatives, families, friends and community for reduction of luxury wood consumption and forest and biodiversity conservation. The methods that have been successfully implemented in this training course include group discussion, presentation, Q&A, watching educational videos and role play which can encourage they to reduce shyness or fear to express themselves, especially the performance from role play helped the youths to remember and better understand the relationship between the forest and luxury wood furniture. 

***Note: For scoring the test of youth’s ability before and after the training, use the evaluation level of five numbers, the lowest score is represented as number 1 and the highest score is represented as number 5. Thank you!

In the riverine village of Koh Sralao, Stung Treng province, 52-year-old Mrs. Loeur Sin has emerged as a role model for women in agriculture and climate resilience. Living 35 kilometers from Stung Treng town and accessible only by boat, her community thrives on farming, fishing, and forest resources.

Among them, Mrs. Sin stands out as a leading agricultural promoter formed by My Village Organization (MVi), actively engaging in climate discussions and community development initiatives.

With technical support from MVi, Sin adopted the climate-smart agriculture (CSA) model, transforming her home garden into a diversified source of income and climate adaptation.

In 2024, she cultivated a range of vegetables including peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, and lettuce. Harvesting 10–20 kilograms each session, she supplies about 225 kilograms weekly to local buyers at the Mekong Bird Resort, earning approximately 337,500 riels per week.

Notably, she also collects produce from fellow farmers, strengthening local networks and livelihoods.

Beyond her economic success, Sin is passionate about empowering other women and youth. “They can do the same as I do,” she shared. “It’s about creating income and increasing our voices in community development.” Her learning journey—supported by MVi and Oxfam—deepened her understanding of gender equality and inclusive climate adaptation.

Yet, challenges persist. Women’s voices in decision-making remain limited due to heavy workloads and poor access to climate information. Sin stresses that women must play central roles in disaster risk reduction and climate resilience, engaging with institutions like CCDM, DCDM, and RUA to strengthen village planning.

Today, Mrs. Sin is not only a producer but also a speaker, sharing best practices in workshops and mentoring others. Her leadership reflects the potential of grassroots women to drive inclusive, climate-smart agriculture across Cambodia’s vulnerable landscapes.

Recognizing that threats to forests, wildlife and biodiversity are the most important issues in the eastern landscape of Cambodia. My Village is an NGO that carries out a number of activities to conserve natural resources by empowering indigenous communities such as protected area communities, ethnic women’s networks, and ethnic youth networks.

Project of Youths’ Action for Biodiversity Conservation (YABC) focus on youth participation to increase the capacity for widespread dissemination of forests, wildlife, biodiversity and the environment, especially to local communities effectively.

Through the above issues, My Village Organization organized a training course on: “Reduction of Luxury Wood Furniture Consumption” for 13-school youth in the target area of ​​Mondulkiri province for youths. The purpose of this training is to 

– Increase awareness of the benefits of forests and biodiversity

– Raise awareness of the impact of using luxury wood furniture

– Increase the positive attitude of the participants and share it with their friends, family as well as through Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC)

A total of 325 youths (226 women) and 159 indigenous youth (116 women) participated. Through pre-testing the ability of youths, we observed that we provided the training, only about 43 percentage have an understanding of the forest and luxury wood furniture. In contrast, after they received the training from My Village Organization on: “Reduction of Luxury Wood Furniture Consumption”, they can learn more about the forest, as well as the problem of furniture made from luxury wood up to 80 percentage. In addition, they committed to reduce of using the furniture made of luxury wood from day to day, as well as to share the knowledge they gained from this training to share to their families, relatives, friends and the community as much possible. Furthermore, they also gained a lot positive thinking and how to talk about forest issues and luxury wood furniture to their relatives, families, friends and community for reduction of luxury wood consumption and forest and biodiversity conservation. The methods that have been successfully implemented in this training course include group discussion, presentation, Q&A, watching educational videos and role play which can encourage they to reduce shyness or fear to express themselves, especially the performance from role play helped the youths to remember and better understand the relationship between the forest and luxury wood furniture. 

***Note: For scoring the test of youth’s ability before and after the training, use the evaluation level of five numbers, the lowest score is represented as number 1 and the highest score is represented as number 5. Thank you!

In Koh Sralao village, Stung Treng province, 51-year-old farmer Mrs. Loeur Sin has become a quiet yet powerful force for change.

Living along the Mekong River, her community depends on fishing and farming—livelihoods now threatened by shifting weather patterns and environmental degradation.

Once an ordinary farmer, Mrs. Sin transformed her role through active engagement in climate adaptation and sustainable agriculture.

Her leadership journey began with community involvement in climate discussions, where she realized the importance of integrating women’s and youth voices into local decision-making. She became a passionate advocate for gender equality and inclusive development.

With technical support from My Village Organization (MVi) and capacity building from the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), Mrs. Sin embraced climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices.

These innovations helped her improve crop yields, secure regular income, and reduce her family’s vulnerability to climate shocks.

She’s not alone in this movement. Youth members in the village, inspired by leaders like Sin, have been actively involved in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) initiatives. Together, they collaborate with key partners including CCDM, DCDM, PCDM, and the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) to strengthen community resilience.

“Being a farmer isn’t just about growing food anymore—it’s about protecting our environment and leading by example,” Mrs. Sin shared. Despite ongoing challenges such as heavy workloads and limited access to climate information, she remains committed to empowering others and building a climate-resilient future.

Her journey reflects the deep impact of community-based leadership and inclusive education. Through practical experience and strategic partnerships, Mrs. Sin is cultivating more than crops—she’s cultivating a legacy of empowerment, equity, and resilience.

Koh Sneng commune, located along the Mekong River in Stung Treng province, frequently faces the devastating impacts of climate change—floods, storms, and droughts have become part of daily life.

In recent years, these disasters have disrupted thousands of livelihoods, particularly affecting women, whose voices often go unheard in decision-making processes.

Ms. Na Osa, 62, the first deputy of Koh Sneng commune council, is one of the few women in leadership striving to change that.

Despite holding a position as the commune’s disaster management focal point, she initially admitted, “Even now, I’m not clear what climate change truly means.”

Supported by My Village Organization (MVi) and Oxfam, Ms. Na Osa participated in a series of capacity-building workshops focused on disaster management, vulnerability risk assessment (VRA), and early warning systems (App 1294).

Equipped with new knowledge and tools, she actively engaged in community planning sessions, contributing to discussions that identified local climate challenges and adaptive responses.

Her involvement became instrumental in shifting local governance toward more inclusive, climate-informed decision-making. Ms. Na Osa’s transformation—from uncertainty to action—motivated others, especially women and youth, to join climate planning efforts and steward the commune’s natural resources more responsibly.

She passionately encourages community participation: “Even if some jobs don’t bring income, we must take ownership and care for our resources to reduce disaster risks.”

Today, her leadership symbolizes the growing recognition of women’s roles in climate resilience. By bridging community knowledge and institutional processes, Ms. Na Osa is helping build a more informed, adaptive, and united Koh Sneng—one that recognizes inclusion as essential to sustainability.