Advocacy - Engaging communities: claiming rights to access health services in Cambodia
Overview
Many Cambodians, particularly those in rural areas, still lack access to adequate health care. The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) is committed to improving access to health care but much needs to be done.
MEDiCAM, which is the umbrella organisation for local and international NGOs active in the health sector in Cambodia, is working with Healthlink Worldwide to increase the capacity of civil society organisations to create space for the inclusion of marginalised groups around health, strengthen the interaction between the most marginalised and the local operational health system, and ensure that local evidence and knowledge and community and civil society voices are brought to the attention of policy makers. The project seeks to strengthen the capacity of civil society to engage with existing legislation on human rights and its ability to hold the RGC accountable, and to strengthen the organisational capacity of MEDiCAM.
The goal of the project is to improve the health status of poor and vulnerable communities in Cambodia through equitable access to health services. The purpose is to develop processes and skills that will foster the empowerment of local communities to engage with decisions that determine their health. In doing so, dialogue on health concerns will improve between civil society and government officials and policy influencers in Cambodia.
Among the expected outcomes are:
- Increased participation of particular marginalised groups in civil society organisations;
- Clearer inclusion of communities at the operational district level, and at the national level;
- Greater awareness of and progress towards achieving specific health rights, and
- Increased engagement and resource allocation of civil society organisations with community led advocacy.
Outputs, activities and coverage
This project aims to help:
- 1. Increase civil society capacity to create institutional space for inclusion of most marginalised groups around health;
- 2. Strengthen interaction between most marginalised communities and local operational health system;
- 3. Ensure that evidence-based information, and community and civil society voices are brought to the attention of policy makers;
- 4. Strengthen the capacity of civil society to engage with existing legislation on human rights to improve ability to hold the RGC accountable, and
- 5. Increase the capacity of MEDiCAM to manage advocacy projects for results and learning.
All MEDiCAM’s member NGOs will receive training as part of the project. Where the project has most concentrated coverage, each of these NGOs is providing training to 30 CBOS in any one training event, who, in turn, will train approximately 20 Village Health Support Workers, each of whom represent up to 100 families(1). The total population of Cambodia according to the 1998 Ministry of Planning general population census was 11.4 million (with an annual growth rate of 2.5 per cent), approximately 85 per cent of whom live in rural areas. Assuming that there are six people per rural family(2), this should see a village-level project reach up to 12,000 people. Ultimately, an estimated 1.4 million people (some 10 per cent of the total population) will be reached through the community forums.
The project will ensure direct coverage in 12 operational districts in Cambodia including; Sanke, Battambang, Siem Reap, Sotrnikum, Stung Treng, Kratie, Samrong, Bang Lung, Mung Kulborei, Sen Monorom, Sampov Meas and Tbeng Meanchey.