Good Neighbors Cambodia (GNC) serves people in need beyond ethnicity, religion, belief, and nationality. GNC strives for long-lasting benefits of projects in the community and sustainably provides advantages to everyone involved and related. Therefore, we decided to continue the KIRI project in Hills Communities even if the project period has ended by 31 December 2023.

The ‘KIRI Project’ improves maternal and child health in hill communities to ensure all mothers and children under five years old continuously receive quality services. The project aims to promote a happy family with low-risk childbirth and a well-educated community. Annually, the project benefits more than 35 thousand indigenous and vulnerable people in Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces.

The KIRI project developed, supported, and cooperated with local medical personnel and organizations and had excellent relationships with community people who trusted us with their lives and families. Good partnership and project effectiveness required GNC to continue supporting the Maternal and Child Health project. With the voices of the community and their willingness to be involved, GNC has no hesitation in continuing its mission in Ratanakiri Province.

OUR INTERVENTION

GNC continued the KIRI project to strengthen project sustainability and effectiveness for the community. Start from calling out KIRI project staff to a journey, reforming the organizational structure, and transforming the KIRI Project to be the Community Development Program of GNC.

In terms of continuing the Maternal and Child Health project, The KIRI project worked on renewing cooperation, creating masterplan, and hosting training together with Operational Health District Offices, Operation District, Hospitals, Health Centers, Medical Staff, Village Health Support Group (VHSG), and community people. Moreover, we added marketing and communication online and offline into the plan to improve awareness and invite more partnerships and further support.

On the other hand, as the project is now a CDP, GNC opens other gates to implementing more projects, programs, and activities in Ratanakiri province. So far, KIRI Project implemented WASH and Gift in Kind Distribution. We aim to improve KIRI project as much as we do in the other six communities in Cambodia.

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

In collaboration with the Ratanakiri Provincial Health Department, 50 partners joined the GNC journey to continue and started to discuss the KIRI Class Phase III plan. Moreover, through good partnership, RTK CDP recruited 20 Village Health Support Groups (VHSGs) and successfully conducted KIRI Class Phase III Training before running KIRI Class Phase III for community people in 10 villages in 4 districts (Lumphat, Borkeo, Oyadav, and Konmom) in June 2024.

To start the next mission in semester II, KIRI project collaborated with the Banlung and Borkeo Operational Health District Offices to host the 1st ODs Bi-Annual Meeting with 29 Health Centers in Ratanakiri Province to review project progress, share partner achievements, and provide updates on the status of medical equipment and facilities and to reflect on lessons, strategies, and indicators, remind the role and responsibilities of partners. The whole team is ready to process the plan for the next semester.

QUOTATION

Impossible things are possible through involvement and the combination of Good Neighbors, local partners, and community people. Together, we made sustainable projects and society.