By linking volunteering to the micro-project, La Guilde contributes to working for more inclusive development, with its expertise at the heart of the commitment. In order to learn more about International Solidarity Volunteering missions within micro-projects supported by La Guilde, we are heading to Cambodia and its capital, Phnom Penh, to highlight the Kampuchea Sela Handicap (KSH) association.
Kampuchea Sela Handicap is actively engaged in actions around the care of young adults with mental disabilities, such as autism, Down syndrome and mental retardation. It resulted in the creation of a community living space and a sheltered workshop, thus promoting the social and professional integration of these people. In Cambodia, NGOs mainly focus on disability among children, often leaving aside the condition of adults.
The association benefited from funding as part of La Guilde's Fall 2022 call for projects, intended to professionalize a workshop dedicated to the preparation of jams. The funds were allocated for the redevelopment and bringing the workshop up to sanitary standards. At the same time, the teams underwent training in structural management before launching the production and marketing of jams for Cambodians. To carry out this micro-project, Kampuchea Sela Handicap called on an international solidarity volunteer (VSI), through La Guilde.
Valentin, still working at KSH, tells us about his experience as a VSI: “After having obtained my diploma and working for a few years in the cinema industry in France, I decided to return to Cambodia, at the end of 2019, to set up a personal traveling cinema project but COVID arrived. Which meant that my project only lasted 3 months and was interrupted. I suggested to this famous NGO which was called Action Cambodge Handicap and which is now called Kampuchea Sela Handicap, to help them by volunteering […]. I did a one-year local contract to help the structure a little for a short year. Then, the French board of directors of the association suggested that I start in VSI at the beginning of 2022 […] I feel very good in the structure. There are a lot of prospects for development and enrichment for me too, from a professional and personal point of view.”
With his new status as an international solidarity volunteer, Valentin's missions evolved towards project management and the structuring of Kampuchea Sela Handicap, thus contributing to its development: “When I was on a local contract, I was a bit of a knife Switzerland, but my job title was responsible for project development and sustainability. I became deputy director so I had a few more missions such as participating in all the fundraising, project development, management of the social enterprise. Let's say that I touch a little bit of everything. When I started my VSI, there should have been 5 of us in total in the structure and today there are 12, so it has also evolved quite a bit in terms of management, HR, administration. With all the approvals that we have been able to obtain from the government, there are many more prerequisites, reports to be made and other things.”
In addition to his project management skills, Valentin has also developed expertise related to the theme covered by KSH. He therefore adapts the management of the structure and the microproject according to these elements: “Another aspect is that I am not an educator on a daily basis with young people and on aspects of interactions with young people, benevolence or other, I do not have these skills as an educator at the base because I am more in the management part of the structure. But I take into account all these social and educational variables in a project management process. So it doesn't really handicap me. However, I am starting to have a lot of knowledge about mental disability in general and also about its specificities in Cambodia, so things can also be learned gradually. It all depends on the position.”
Valentin wishes to continue his VSI with Kampuchea Sela Handicap until this structure is sustainable and autonomous, a major and essential aspect of development micro-projects: “I have just re-signed for one year. The idea is to stay working for KSH until the structure is truly sustainable. Sustainable from a financial point of view, on the project and especially the local team […] We have several new and larger projects under development. All this allows me to acquire more team management skills in a multicultural environment.”
