One of the big events that happened after the first i-REACH Project meeting was the district assembly in Kep. Since it was the first-ever assembly held in Damnak Chang'eur after so many years, the preparation was intense even the district Governor himself was involved in it. I, on my part, was a little bit nervous as I was in Phnom Penh for the meeting and I thought I should be in Damnak Chang'eur instead to lend a hand in the preparations. What added to my worries was the threat of monsoon rain. What if it rains and no one will come? Good thing that the rain stopped just before the meeting started. Good thing, too, that Gov. Tep Yuthy's staff were able to do everything that we planned out.
The district assembly was conducted at the same time that the i-REACH advisors had a field trip in Kep. The advisors who came were Sean O'Siochru, Cel Cadiz, Chat Ramilo and Pam Custodio. Mr. Chea Sok Huor was also there as the main guest and presenter and Dimanche from the Kamchai Mear Pilot, too, as I requested him to translate for the advisors.
The Ministry of Commerce representative, Mr. Tes Ethda was there along with the Kep Vice Governor which gave credence to the activity.
83 villagers attended the assembly, and they were composed of village and commune officials, farmers, fishermen, students, women, students, teachers and school directors, monks and achars (laypeople), police authorities, staff from different government line agencies as well as staff from other NGOs.
There were many speeches made. Governor Tep Yuthy welcomed the participants. He said that through this introductory meeting, the participants will learn about the project, its objectives, and benefits to the community. Kep Vice Governor Leng Loeung followed and in his speech, he thanked IDRC for choosing Kep as one of its pilot project areas. He talked about the low level of productivity in Kep and hopes that the project will help change that. Community development projects funded by international agencies are very rare in Kep and so he urged the participants to listen closely and take advantage of the benefits the project will bring.The third speaker to give welcome speech was His Excellency Tes Ethda, the representative from the Ministry of Commerce. He urged the people involved to be clarified of the nature of the project. He also mentioned that technology in Kep is still low and the people still use traditional methods. He also said that the problem is that people do not have the right market information, and so are not properly guided in their production.
The main man of that afternoon was i-REACH Project Manager Chea Sok Huor. Affable and gracefully natural when talking to common people, he easily charmed the crowd, especially the small group of women who were shy at first. He started his speech by translating iREACH to Khmer language and talked about one of its components, namely the Internet. Information, specifically on market prices, weather, techniques on rice production, etc., will be available through the Internet. He also cited the use of email (possible through Internet) as a way of communicating with other people inside and outside their community. He also told the participants that 3 centers or hubs will be selected in three locations/communes. These centers will receive Internet connection and community radio signal, and VoIP service. He also stressed that a committee should be formed with members selected by the community themselves to manage and oversee the services and other activities. He also said that community participation, especially women’s participation, is important because this IDRC project is aimed finding out how blended technologies, such as the ones he mentioned, can help in improving people’s livelihoods. Mr. Huor also mentioned that the district governor has provided rooms in the district office for the iREACH project to use as office. He ended his speech with a request to His Excellency Tes Ethda to give assistance in the renovation of the office building.
The crowd murmured, but it was difficult to ascertain whether the reaction was out of excitement or interest to the project or an expression of disinterest or that they did not understand at all?
So we encouraged the participants to ask us. There was a long silence, and the it was the Vice Governor of Kep who threw the first question. It served as a good lead as questions from the villagers came in. The following were the question and answers:
Question 1: Why Kep was chosen as the project site, how the staff will be recruited and who will be responsible for the equipment, and also about the sustainability of the project.
Answer: Mr. Huor explained that there was a set of criteria and Kep obviously came out fit to the criteria. The project has a capacity-building component. He said that in Kep there will be a pilot coordinator, radio manager, technical staff, etc. and they will provide training to the local people. He also mentioned that the project intends to recruit local people as staff and outsiders would only be considered if there is no qualified local person to do the work.
Question 2: I am interested to know more about the system of information and communication to be installed. Can you give us more information about it?
Answer: Citing Kamchai Mear pilot area as example, Mr. Huor said content developers will be recruited. This local content developers, guided by questions asked by the community, will assist them develop programs (for the community radio). The radio station has a scope of 10 km radius. The community computer/internet center locations will be selected by a committee, and that same committee that will oversee the communication system.
Question 3: Vegetable production in the area is unstable – sometimes it is too high that not everything can be sold, lowering their prices. Will the project then stabilize productivity in the locality?
Answer: Instability of vegetable production is due to the lack of market information to give producers bargaining power with the middlemen. The internet can help address this lack of market information. This will allow the people to access information not just from Phnom Penh but also from other parts of the world. Sean added how the quality of products can stabilize the farm gate prices of vegetable products. Dimanche added that schedule and timing of production are also important dimensions in improving the quality of vegetable produce. His Excellency Tes Ethda also added that a committee should (be formed and) coordinate with the centers to find out, for example, the price and variety of cassava or which crop is best suited in the market.
Question 4: Is there a post harvest technique that is appropriate for our produce?
Answer: Huor gave as an example sugarcane processing. The amount of production has to be based on the demand, which is information that can be gathered using the internet.
Question 5: How much rate (e.g. advertising) will the community radio charge? Will IDRC stop its support to the project?
Answer: The project will be implemented for three years, funded by IDRC. The cost of service charges will be set at an affordable rate, to be based on the advice of a committee from the community. IDRC is supporting this project to study how community life may be improved with the participation of the people in ICTs; to see how women’s participation may be improved; and to mainsteam ICT policies that favor poor communities. To make the project sustainable, the various ICT services will be costed, but only so that these may be sustained. It is also important that to set up an interim committee to advise the project toward its sustainability.
Question 6: Will all the equipments be pulled out after the duration of the project?
Answer: If the project and the community will be successful, the equipment will stay with the community. IDRC is interested in knowing the results of the project here. On the other hand, if there are still needs that arise at the end of three years, the project can ask for additional support from IDRC. Sean said that if the pilot here (in Kep) and in Kamchai Mear will succeed, the project management and advisers will try to persuade the government to do the same thing for the rest of Cambodia.
Question 7: Can you give us more information about ICT?
Answer: This is a new technology and a bit complicated to explain in just one sitting. Community centers will be put up in the future and the project and its components will be explained in great detail in succeeding meetings in your community. There will also be trainings as well.
There were other side topics, but equally important, that were discussed during the assembly. As there is still no electricity in the whole municipality of Kep, Governor Tep Yuthy assured that electricity will be in Kep by the end of the year. Electric posts and wires are currently being installed and it is expected that Kep will have power by the end of the year.
Over-all the assembly went well. Despite the threat of heavy rain, there were a total of 83 participants who arrived to listen and know about iREACH project. The participants were composed mostly of men. Although hesitant and shy at first, the participants showed interest in the project and asked questions. There were 15 women who participated, and through urgings from the audience, they stood up and participated in the open forum, and later overcame the initial shyness. ICT is a new concept for the participants especially in this remote town of Kep where the level of education and the level of technology awareness of the population is low. Although most have shown interest in the project, the challenge now lies in raising their knowledge, awareness and sustaining their interest not only in ICTs but in participation in the project in general.
