Empowering Women Forest Defenders in Cambodia

Dear friends and supporters,

We hope you are doing well during these challenging and unpredictable times.

Here at Peace Bridges, we have shifted to working at home and moved a lot of our meetings, peacebuilder events, and bible study online. For now, we are trying to care for our staff and our peacebuilders, especially those who are vulnerable to the increased economic impacts of COVID-19.

We also know that not everyone has the luxury to a safe home these days. We're very sad to know that home violence has increased, in some cases. It is our hope that these people will find hope and safety in the mean time, and as soon as it is safe for us all, we will be back out there to help grow peace in homes and communities. 

Thank you for supporting us even as you face your own challenges. Please care for your mental and physical health. 

Warmly, 

Peace Bridges

“I used to abuse my power in the past because I thought I had that right as a leader,” said Kong, a 50-year old village chief in Preah Vihear province.

“I was afraid to speak honestly with people who did something wrong, especially if I knew they had connections to rich and powerful people. I also didn’t like to work with poor community people,” he recalled. Kong said his attitudes and behaviors changed a lot since studying in Peace Bridges’ Conflict Resolution & Transformation course.

Kong has learned to lead his community by being a good role model. “I learned to control my emotions and treat everyone as equals,” he said. He thinks he's a stronger leader because he is equipped with tools like conflict resolution and communication skills. It's not his power that makes him a leader, it's how he influences people through his own positive actions.

Now when someone in the community does something wrong he follows the law. In addition to that, he tries to build good relationships with people so he can talk openly and honestly with them, regardless of who they are.

One day, Kong was driving his motorbike to his farm that he works on in his free time. “I saw one villager who I knew was very poor but he wasn’t going to work on his farm. In the past, I would have judged him as lazy.” Kong said that Peace Bridges taught him to think critically and withhold judgment. “This time, however, I thought about why this guy didn’t go to work instead of judging him.”