Wednesday, 5 August 2009

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August 05 2009
KOMPONG CHAM, Cambodia : Widows and poor rural women in Kompong Cham area are now learning livelihood skills, thanks to the recent opening of a Church-run center.

The Society of St. Martha center, jointly operated by Kompong Cham parish, Caritas Cambodia and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, has been training them to make Khmer and Western sweets and desserts since it opened in June.

Ten women aged 35-50 years study at the center for two hours every afternoon from Monday to Friday, according to Rose Yip, the center's coordinator. The course takes up to four months to complete, she said.

The program is open only to poor or widowed women, Yip explained, adding that come on bicycles from as far as eight kilometers away. She said the center has engaged two volunteers from Singapore, in addition to several local Cambodians, as instructors.

As most of the course participants are illiterate, they also attend a Khmer literacy class at the nearby Caritas office after their cooking class. This is because trainees need to write down the recipes they learn, Yip explained.

Dy Von, 48, a trainee, said she has learned to make five different Khmer sweets while at the same time learning to read and write Khmer. She needs to help support her family of four children and her farmer husband during the non-growing season, she said.

Men Ros, another trainee, said she not only acquires skills at the center but also makes friends and learns to work with others. She plans to run a small business from her home after the course.

Yip said the center helps participants plan for their future and also loans them money to start their own businesses.

According to her, the center has received around US$4,000 from French and Singaporean donors, half of which was spent on the building and equipment. The center spends up to US$2 each day on cooking ingredients, she said.

Kompong Cham is the base of one of three Church jurisdictions in the country. The others are based in Phnom Penh and Battambang.

Courtesy : UCAN

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