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Sokleap's profile

HAK Sokleap is the Pilot Coordinator of Informatics for Rural Empowerment and Community Health (i-REACH) Pilot Project based in Kep Municipality. Sokleap is responsible for the overall management of the iREACH Project in Kep Pilot Area in providing new technology to local community and empowering them to manage the pilot project when it will be phased out.

Sokleap joined CSD as Kep Multimedia Coordinator in January 2007. He was promoted as Kep Pilot Coordinator and joined as a senior staff and member of the Management Committee of CSD in August 2007 bringing with him his knowledge and experience for almost seven years from works with other local non-governmental organization (NGOs). He has extensive background in environmental and social issues. Sokleap is the author of a book entitled Environmental, Social and Economic Impact Assessment of Fastwood Plantations in Cambodia, first published in December 2005.


Sokleap was born in Preah Prasop village, Preah Prasop commune, Ksachkandal district, Kandal province where he lived for 17 years where he experienced rural Cambodia. He moved to Phnom Penh in 1998 to study toward a bachelor degree in “Tourism Management”. He completed the associated degree of “The Base of Journalism” while he was running a project called Environmental Radio and Advocacy Program. Sokleap has attended trainings, workshops and meetings in several countries, including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and Sweden.

First week resuls of KCM Multimedia Team

Hello from Multimedia Team, Kcm Pilot Project!

These are the results of the activities have been done for the first week of October 2007:

1. Guide line preparation: 3 guide lines (on topics of Brown plan hopper of Agriculture of my community Program, Pregnancy health care of My health My community Program, and Encouraging on School registration in community of Community and Education Program) were adapted in Khmer and English versions.

2. Script writing: Three script writing for three topics were already written in Khmer version and looking forward to seeing all comments and ideas from the project staff, but for the script on topic of Brown plan hopper is being recorded at the end of this week if available pagoda. More over, we had summarized translation on topic of Dengue fever as an English version.

3. Editing and Re-Editing audio: First version of Water sanitation was finished. Due to suggestion/ comment from project staff to replace the song of the girl in community by the public song, so we agreed to edit as a second version of this audio. Now it is finalized already. For other three audios all information/sound related to each topic (community voices, experts voices, music, information/sound recorded from VOA, RFA) were already edited and waiting for mix together with the host's sound.

4. Tap recording and distributing: Seven tapes with Water sanitation topic were recorded and distributed to five pagodas namely: Cho, Tamenh, Toul Roveang, Kamchay Mear, Smong, Keo thom and Prey Thom.

Some difficulties:
1.Difficult and take time to collect information from communities, because they shied to talk and have limited knowledge.
2.Take time for make an appointment with the experts, they are busy with their plans/works.
3.Recorded sounds are noisy with wind and other outside environments.
4.Raining all days, so we could not make voice record on time as planned.
5.Spent much time to reach the pagodas for distributing audio tapes, because of raining and bumping roads.

September Monthly Report

It's the end of the month again and here I am with the progress report for the month of September. This report covers the activities implemented within the month of September.

As a summary, the whole month of September had been a busy one for the project staff. We spent our time implementing activities based on our project plan. The following had been accomplished for the month of September:

1. Two new staff members were employed. They are Pin Tara who replaced the Research Coordinator Loek Sothea, and Sok Kanra as Community Facilitator in Tean Pleung hub.

2. Infrastructure (solar panel and internet connection) at the HQ and three selected village hubs (Tean Pleung, KCM Choeung, and La’ak) had been completely installed in September 26. The installation was done in two stages: 1) solar panels were installed temporarily at the HQ and the two hubs (Tean Pleung and KCM Choeung). Internet was only connected in two more hubs in Sept 9; 2) the temporary solar panels were replaced by the Solar Company in September 26.

3. Election of the management committee members had been elected from the three communes. As a result of the election, 12 representatives coming from the three communes (including 6 women) were elected in the management committee. Preparations for the election of the Management Committee started as early as the first week of September. The PC went around the community meeting with the villagers, explaining the rationale of the formation of the Management Committee, the roles and responsibilities of the said committee and the election process.

The election was done after the community approved the Community By-Laws. The election process involved two steps:

1) selection of representatives for each hub at the village level

2) villagers elected candidates (who were the representatives at the village level) at the commune level.

Since there is a big population in the three communes, it was agreed that each commune will have equal number of voters to ensure fairness and equality. The PC explained the election process as indicated in the community by-laws. In order for a candidate to win, he/she should have a vote of 50%+1 and when it comes to gender, the ratio employed was either 2:1 or 3:1, meaning for every two/three seats, one should be a female. The election was facilitated by the project staff with the student-volunteers of Maharishi Vedic University assisting the staff.

4. KCM welcomed the visit of Maria Ng Lee Hon (IDRC) and Denis Roy (Office of the Auditor-General of Canada). On September 11, 2007, the KCM Pilot Project staff welcomed Maria Ng Lee Hon and Denis Roy, a representative from Canada’s Office of the Auditor-General together with Sean O’Siochru, Ms. Seng Theary of CSD and the Research Manager. The delegation was welcomed by the PC, who then introduced the whole staffs to the visitors. The PC also gave a backgrounder on the installation of the infrastructure and the election process of the management committee. The activity was highlighted by the groups visit to the two village hubs, KCM Choeung Hub and Tean Pleung Hub. In both hubs, the group was able to meet and interact with the newly-elected management committee members.

5. Two audio materials were produced and broadcasted. The materials were dubbed in 21 tapes and distributed to 11 pagodas in the three communes of Kamchai Mear. Two topics were produced and recorded into 21 tapes. There were still several topics that are lined up for production (water sanitation, brown plant hopper, pregnancy, and student enrolment. To ensure that materials had been played, the CDs (Content Developers) visit the pagoda during the broadcast day and see how the activity is being received by the villagers.

6. PC attended the IDRC All-Partners Forum as well as the NiDA Research Seminar. This month, the project coordinator was invited to attend in the IDRC All Partners Forum and in the presentation of research by NiDA. At the IDRC All Partners meeting, we were able to meet with other IDRC Partners and it was an opportunity for all of us to introduce ourselves and share experiences among the partners.

8. The project provided training on Internet and Email to community and students. More than 100 students registered and 0ver 60 students were trained both in HQ and Tean Pleung hub. The training was conducted by Mr. Hen Sokchea the Technical Support. We had a large turn out of students who registered with us all hoping to receive training on basic computer and internet use. Of the 100 students registered, 60 had already been trained both in the HQ and in Tean Pleung hub.

Despite the many accomplishments, our team also met several difficulties and the following are some of the difficulties we've encountered:

- We do not have a proper place for recording, thus, we could not produce a high quality recording of audio materials. The staff used the agriculture office of the MVU for recording, however, since it is not noise-free, the quality of our recording is bad.

- Limited production skills and experience of the Multi-media Coordinator (MC). We are currently in discussion on how to better the capacity of the MC to produce good quality materials for the community.

- The installation of the infrastructure took a bit longer than expected. Being newly-installed and alien to us, we could not manage it well yet. We are slowly familiarizing with the infrastructure for better management and development of services for the villagers in the coming days. It will take a long time for us to get used to it.

Despite the above-mentioned difficulties, September was good in terms of implementation of activities. Special mention to the election of the management committee. We are so happy about the results because we have seen full cooperation from the villagers and local authorities.

As a parting word or conclusion, our team is slowly getting to know each other as we basically are a complete team. We are getting to know and are adjusting to each staff's work style and attitude. We find it important to each other so that there is harmony and cooperation (teamwork) within the team and we could find a way to solve project issues together. No doubt, the commitment of each staff is there.

Now that the much-anticipated infrastructure is in place, the community is starting to see what the project is all about. They can access the services provided by our project. In our view, this is the first time that a project is providing services such as outs in the community. They are all excited even if only two hubs at this point in time are working.

Kep District Assembly

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.

Site Visit to Kep Pilot Area

Attendance: Seng Theary (CSD), Im Sophea (CSD), Hak Sokleap (Kep Radio Manager, CSD), Kim Dara (Kep Pilot Coordinator, CSD), Grant Helling (Gateway Communications), Rattanak (Gateway Communications), Che Viseth (Network Solutions), Seiha (Royal University of Agriculture intern), Nara (Royal University of Agriculture intern), Chea Sok Hour, and Zarah Almeida

The objectives of the activity was to do a site survey that will help both Gateway Communications and Network Solutions to address issues raised by Alberto regarding connectivity and for these companies to be able to submit a tender for consideration of iREACH. It is also for the newly-recruited staff of CSD, Hak Sokleap and Kim Dara, to be familiar with the area and to know the key people in the pilot site. Two students also joined the activity as part of their internship program at the Royal University of Agriculture. They are expected to create maps for the Kep pilot project.

Since the locations for the internet hubs/centers have not been identified yet, the group visited potential locations identified by CSD in their previous visit. The group’s first stop was the district office where iREACH project will be housed. We also visited potential sites in Chamka Bei village in Pong Tuek Commune, Tuol Srangam and Angkol villages in Angkol commune, Damnak Chambok and Ou Krasar villages in Ou Krasar commune. Apart from the site visit, the group also talked to the people in the places visited for more information about their villages and village life. The group also visited the municipal hall of Kep and studied the Minister of Commerce’s mansion which is one area needing Internet connection. The engineers from both companies took out their equipment, studied the potential areas in terms of distance from the headquarters and interferences (mountains), took pictures and jot down notes. It is expected that in two weeks time they will submit a proposal with comprehensive details of the results of their survey and justifying their respective budgets.

CSD Executive Director said that they will do a detailed renovation plan, which was requested by Damnak Chang’eur district governor Tep Yuthy during their previous meeting with him, soon. The governor asked for that plan because he needs idea in terms of design and costs to be able to find financial support for the renovation of the building. Also during the trip, CSD proposed to the Project Manager Mr. Chea Sok Huor that additional unit of motorcycle be provided to the team for more mobility and efficiency of staff travel to the target villages. Mr. Huor suggested that CSD submit a proposal to him and he’ll forward it to the donor.

As to the project staff, the Radio Manager will start to work in January 2007, while the Pilot Coordinator will start in February. The Research Manager suggested a meeting with CSD to update on the situation in Kep and revise existing plan of activities based on the current situation, as well as to draw the renovation plan needed by Governor Tep Yuthy. The agreed meeting date will be on the 2^nd of January.

August Update from KCM Pilot

Good morning from KCM,

This is Dimanche again, the Pilot Coordinator for Kamchai Mear. I would like to keep all of you up to date about KCM pilot, as right now, we have some project results to present to you all:

1. Building renovation: The renovation of iREACH HQ building is now 90% complete and we are hoping that we (the staff) will be able to move to the new building this week.



2. Antenna Installation: The internet antenna for the village hubs was installed and today, we are expecting the installation of the antenna for 4 hubs will be completed. Currently, only the Tean Pleung hub is functional with internet signal while the three are waiting for the necessary equipments from Gateway.

3. Community By-Law: the first draft of the community statutes and by-law was already finished weeks before. The presentation-workshop was held last Friday, August 20 with 109 participants coming from the three target communes (88 participants with 25 women, 2 local authorities and MVU students). The workshop was aimed at presenting to the community the statutes and by-laws drafted by the Interim Committee members and to get its feedback and approval. The response of the community was enthusiastic, commenting on various parts and ultimately voted for its approval.

4. Multimedia: The multimedia team were working hard to develop the content for broadcast. This month, the team were researching their topics, interview resource persons and just last week, they were already editing the story for its first pagoda broadcast.

5. Research: The Reserch Coordinator Loek Sothea finished all of his work assignments last Friday. He's going to work for another organization and before leaving, he returned all iREACH things that was given to him and also endorsed to the PC all the documents that he had completed and that are still in draft. We wish him good luck as he take on a new job.

6. The newly-recruited Community Facilitators (CFs) were supposed to be given basic computer and internet training before starting to work with iREACH. However, some of the CFs could not work for us so that means the training will be postponed until we have recruited new CFs.

7. Last week, the KCM management team (I and Mr. Vannaro) met with the Technical Support and accompanied him to the village hubs where he will be working and also to discuss more on his employment details. The Technical Support was interviewed at the central HQ in PP by the Project Manager Mr. Chea Sok Huor, the Research Manager, Kep PC Hak Sokleap, I and the Team Leader of PAN-Cambodia Project. After his interviewed he was contacted to meet with us (Mr. Vannaro and I) for management discussion. He agreed to work with us and he started last August 16.

We also had a meeting between KCM KEP and Central for the preparation for the big September event. During the meeting we discussed which activities do we need to do for the visit and how do we encourage our staff to be more committed to the project to achieve success in the project implementation.

These are all the events that had happened over here in Kamchai Mear... We hope to receive feedback from you all.

With my best regards,
Dimanche