Life With Dignity

Lauren Achen
Nov 11, 2018
4 min read

I've been in Cambodia for over 2 months now, and after training have started my volunteer work with the organization Life With Dignity (LWD). When I accepted my position through the ELCA, I knew that I would be going to Cambodia, but I had NO CLUE what type of work I would be doing. About 1 month prior to my departure for orientation, I received my placement letter stating that I would be working with LWD as well as teaching English. I spent the next 2 hours or so sitting with my parents reading every detail of my placement letter, looking up my location on google maps, reviewing the packing list to see what I would need to bring, and learning about what some of my various tasks might be. I was beyond excited to have the news so close to my departure, however I still didn't know what EXACTLY I would be doing. I've never worked with farmers or community members to establish the best way to buy/sell produce or adjust practices to climate change!! Shoot, am I really qualified for this work?! I've been out of school for 3 years; will I be able to get back in the swing of researching and editing reports?! After taking some breaths, and remembering that the mission is, accompaniment, I thought to myself I can do this! The ELCA defines accompaniment as: "walking together in solidarity that practices interdependence and mutuality. In this walk, gifts, resources and experiences are shared with mutual advice and admonition to deepen and expand God's mission". My self talk at this point was "I can do this, it will be hard, but it will help me learn and grow as an individual".

So, what is this organization LWD that I speak of? Well, LWD is an NGO (non-governmental organization) serving vulnerable communities by prioritizing human dignity. Originating in 1979 as Lutheran World Services, the organization focused on emergency relief. In 1993 the program was renamed Lutheran World Federation - Cambodia, with a focus on supporting rural development. In January of 2011 Life With Dignity was localized and is now led by Cambodians.

Vision

People living with dignity.

Mission

Facilitate the vulnerable people toward self-reliance.

Goal

To contribute to the equitable development of Cambodia.

Objectives

To improve socio-economic status of partner households with specific focus on women and persons with disability by 2020.
To increase community resilience to impacts of climate change and disasters.
To sensitize community members on safe and unsafe migration and provide them with adequate responses on migration and trafficking issues.
To improve organization development.

Core Values

Integrity
Transparency
Accountability

LWD has 2 approaches in their day-to-day work to help improve the living standard of the poor:

Community-led gives individuals a chance to lead and work towards becoming self-reliant; and
Partnership approach allows those with an expertise in the specific area to contribute their knowledge and resources.

Both approaches give community members a chance to work with different partners, and build relationships by working together.

LWD created a Livelihood Enhancement Action Program (LEAP) to guide their work over the 2018-2020 programmatic years, and includes the following components:

Civic education on community leadership
Capacity building of local government
Livelihood and income generation
Women and youth capacity-building
Inclusion of people living with disabilities
Climate resilient and water efficient agriculture practices
Disaster risk management and emergency response
Safe migration awareness raising and practices

LWD serves communities with the highest poverty rate in Cambodia and is headquartered in Phnom Penh. Based on an assessment, five provinces were selected as need based, with the hopes that LWD can continue to expand in more areas. YAGM volunteers have been placed in 4 of the 5 program offices located in:

Battambang (YAGM Sam)
Kampong Chhnang (Meeee!)
Kampong Speu (YAGM Will)
Pursat (YAGM Marissa)
Svay Rieng

LWD takes a unique and committed approach to their work in rural communities. During the weekdays, staff members live in the villages alongside the people they serve, to walk with them in the journey of development. Living in the villages demonstrates to community members that they are valuable, worth investing in, and supported as they develop their community. Within these rural communities, LWD works with target groups of poor farmers, landless and land-poor families, female-headed households, illiterate adults and youth, women groups, people living with disabilities and disadvantaged children, serving more than 239,106 people in all.

To learn more about LWD visit: http://lwd.org.kh/lwd/

I hope I didn't overwhelm you with too much information, but I would like those following my journey to understand and learn more about LWD as I learn.

My first couple of days started off great! Two young girls, maybe about ten, came to the site where I am staying, took my hand, and guided me on a venture through the village. We went through the streets, over railroad tracks, and along a stream. We spoke to each other in our own native language (I tried speaking in Khmer), understanding each other a little, and laughing a lot! Although I was a bit uncomfortable at first, I was intrigued. I trusted them both and may have met my first local friends.

My first official work day, I traveled with my mentor, Bunna, to interview individuals living in the Kampong Chhnang province for a case study. This study reviewed two Village Partnership Programs from start to finish; a culvert and canal construction project; and a cow support project. We visited and interviewed three families who were apart of the cow support project. Each family explained to us how their lives would/are changing because they've received a cow. It was a very humbling day for me personally as I was welcomed into a village and community to listen to their stories. I feel honored to be a part of this team and to be interacting with such a wonderful community.

I've also been given the opportunity to work with students from Australian Lutheran World Service. We had 13 individuals from 3 different schools stay at our site. The students joined LWD staff (myself included) in a variety of tasks while traveling around to different villages. We visited specific sites that the schools had donated money, and the students were able to see what projects their donations supported. One night we had the opportunity to stay in the village with members of the community which was an experience I will never forget. It amazes me how kind, genuine, and welcoming the people in the villages are, and makes the work we do so special.

I am looking forward to sharing more stories of my experiences with all. Until my next newsletter, please continue to hold us all in your prayers.

In peace,

Lauren