A Bunch of Chopsticks Can't Be Broken! - Khmer Saying

I happen to be one of those strange people who really loves change.  What isn’t to love about new beginnings? Fresh slate, fresh excitement and if you’re lucky, a good party. Chab Dai celebrated a new beginning yesterday at our new office celebration.  It was a wonderful gathering, celebrating Chab Dai’s history and dreaming about the future with friends and members. And in typical Cambodian fashion, there was enough food to feed us all five times over.

It was a fantastic time to get together and reflect on how much Chab Dai has grown and remember how important it is to be united.  From the humble beginnings of begging for office space from friends to now, being settled in a spacious, beautiful new office - great things are happening! It wouldn’t have been possible without partnerships, support, and teamwork. To reiterate Helen’s words at our celebration, thanks for being part of the history and part of the future.

{By the way, this is also a new beginning for me and I should introduce myself! My name is Mary and I am a new Chab Dai team member.  I am interning in 2012, working on social media and communications stuff.  I am so honored to be a part of the Chab Dai family and engage with all of you.  Feel free to say hello on twitter (mary_chabdai) or find me on Facebook (Mary Hoey).  I would love to ‘meet’ all of you.}

'Shine On'

Reflections and prayers for grassroots collaboration around cross-border trafficking issues in the region: celebrations of the past, and hope for the future.

Collaboration can be challenging, and I'll admit to say so.

At times doing what I think is best,

.......Alone,.......Can seem easier.

But the regional impact I've seen in the last year through people working together

Causes me to hold to the belief that

........it's

........always

........worth

........the

........extra

........efforts.

So this is my prayer. God, remind us daily of this greater, collective impact.

Help us to act

.......Collaboratively,.............Not-competitively,....................Willing to compromise {our paths, not our vision},...........................With open hearts that strive to include others,
And help us to continually hope for unity.
Thank you God for showing me how your power can shine brighter through people united-
Like last year, when cross-border talks happened and a grassroots safety net was created for protecting Cambodian migrant women exploited in Malaysia.

........God, shine on in our partner referrals.

Like today, when I saw networks of people communicating ideas & strategies back and forth.

........God, shine on in our daily communication.

And like next week, when a collective Call to Action statement will go public and the endorsements of over 60 regional civil society organizations will shout together for Cambodian & Malaysian governments to expeditiously put mechanisms of protection in place for migrant workers!!

........God, shine on in our shouts across the region.

And like next year, well I don't know exactly, yet, but I know God that you care about migrants and victims of trafficking & exploitation. You are and will take care of them.

Through us.

God, shine on.
May our trust match your faithfulness

and your light magnify
as we join hands with others.

God restore our hearts to trust each other,

........To see together what alone we only dream is possible.

Learning,
Hoping,
And praying,........Together.

Amen.

'Maybe change isn't so bad after all!'

I am not the fastest person to accept or adapt to change. It's not really that I'm opposed to it or like I'm an anti-new-ideas kinda person. (I love new ideas!) It just takes me longer than some to fully accept and learn the why about the change - the good thing is that when I commit I really commit. I guess you could say I'm an all-in or all-out kinda girl.

So, when it came time to re-pack and fly from a country I love (Cali, it's almost like a country right?) to another country I love (Cambodia). I had to prepare myself for change. In fact, before I left for home to be with my family for Christmas, I thought, 'Whats going to change this time (internal gasp for air)?!'
Because... Chab Dai likes change. And we need to. It's one of our strengths as a coalition. Our flexibility as grassroots practitioners allows us to collect and map trends, but also to respond proactively and adjust quickly to spoken and identified gaps.

But for a staff member who has a teacher's assistant background, and pre-Cambodia was on the 9-5 work track, plus breaks and recess (oh ya, and summer break of course!), adapting to change can be tough! I've patiently been coached by Helen and the overall nature of living in Cambodia these last two & a half years at Chab Dai, and have learned that change is both inevitable and expected.

And not only is change expected, but its necessary.

It kicks people out of ruts and bad habits.

It adds innovation to projects with changed project managers' perspectives.

It forces people to do spring-cleaning and re-prioritizing.

And better yet, for me it is exactly at one of these such transition spots that I am reminded to trust God with the changes, press into the uncomfortableness of it, and sit back to see what amazing things God is planning and creating and has already 
                                                                   dreamt will happen.

So, was there a big change when I got back to Cambodia this year?

Oh ya! My homecoming surprise was a boxed up desk and a new office address! And of course I first internally *freaked* --- but after a long cappuccino pep-talk and reminder to myself of all the things I just wrote about- change is positive, what a great time to trust God, wait and see the good things to come- I walked out of my comfort zone and through our bright red new gates, and my first internal dialogue was...

'It's orange! I love orange!' (big smile)...

'Maybe change isn't so bad after all (internal sigh of relief)!'

And it's true. Our office is lovely. It spacialy integrates our programs- we have a giant Coalition Program room and a packed Prevention Program room- which means not only are we all about collaborating with members & partners, but we are also intentional about integrating our projects.

And the best 'trust God's innovation and wait for what is to come' part of this change? The third day in the office I learned that the office had previously been a recruitment center that recruited/boarded/ trained Cambodian women going to Malaysia as domestic workers, but was shut down (for good reasons, like this & this). Talk about redemption!

From being a place of trafficking to a place committed to ending trafficking,

this change is the greatest of all!

Find our new office on Google Maps, or a map & more photos on Chab Dai's Facebook page.

From Small Beginnings

Richard Branson said that it is amazing how long it takes to become an overnight success..

I was stood in the Chab Dai member meeting two weeks ago, looking out at more than 160 participants from more than 50 member organizations, remembering our small beginnings.

I am always inspired and encouraged by our member meetings but at this one, our fourteenth, I found myself reflecting on the past and how we got here.

The very first 'official' Chab Dai member meeting was held less than a week after we began in June 2005.

In many ways that was the most daunting meeting of all.. Not only was I organizing everything from logistics to food, chairing and note taking but this was the real test to see how much commitment and support there would be from these first twelve member organizations to the vision and goal of working together to end sexual abuse and trafficking.

We have experienced many successes and failures in the time between that first meeting and this month's fourteenth meeting. We have embarked on many ambitious projects - the most recent one being the Chab Dai Charter which in many ways epitomizes everything we have been working towards during these years - committing ourselves to excellence in all we do.

I am not only encouraged by the increase in participant and member numbers but more in hearing them share their commitment to excellence within their projects and organizations makes the vision more of a reality to those who we are committed to.. The care and long term healing for survivors and beyond that to inspiring new advocates among these survivors and their communities.

..the path to success is often marked by many failures and numerous lessons learned but as long as we keep the goal in sight, and are able to see how far we have come, it helps us keep going on this journey.

Still working - still hopeful

Helen

Follow Helen on Twitter @helen_chabdai

My Morning Read: 'They Deceived Us at Every Step' by Human Rights Watch (2011)

Good Morning Fellow End-Trafficking Advocates!

Well, I don’t know if I could classify the totality of today's morning as 'good', perhaps 'solemn' or 'overwhelmed' would be more appropriate terms to use. I spent the last hour flicking through the new report by Human Rights Watch (October 2011): 'The Deceived Us at Every Step: Abuse of Cambodian Domestic Workers Migrating to Malaysia' Inside the report it documents interviews with domestic workers, government officials, non-government agencies about the abuse, exploitation, and trafficking of Cambodian women & girls who work abroad in Malaysia.

The report confirms, with lots of well-researched documentation, the stories and rumors that have been floating through my ears over the last year plus. What I loved most about reading the report today was how beautifully it highlights the voices of 28 female domestic workers. While tediously reading (okay, skimming) through the facts, recommendations, and definitions of trafficking, debt bondage, and forces labour, it was their voices that caught my attention. I wanted to hear how they felt, what they needed, and where I could fit into their stories. Each word they said spoke more passion & frustration & angst into my body.

This report is not the beginning of this issue, nor is it a report of how the issue has been successfully-forever-resolved (oh how I wish!). It falls somewhere gracefully in the middle -between the general Cambodian public becoming aware of the issue, the government stating a ban on domestic workers to Malaysia, as well as a larger call to action for the wider globe to join in this awareness & advocacy.

I strongly urge each person reading our blog to 1) download the report (here, in English & Khmer) and 2) pray about how you can add your voice to the increasing volume of collective voices shouting for PROTECTION, for DIGNITY, and for HOPE!

Interested to read more?

Human Rights Watch website

Phnom Penh Post online newspaper

EQUITAS Group blog

Follow #Camlabor on Twitter