Empowering Women Forest Defenders in Cambodia

Mr. Set is a pastor in his 50s who serves at a church in Kandal province. His recent participation in Peace Bridge’s Part A “Training for Peace” program has already begun to change how he relates to people in his community, church, and family.

Mr. Set has changed how he thinks about leaders in his community. “I know at all levels of leadership there is corruption and nepotism, and in the past, I was very negative and prejudiced against these people,” he said. Set learned from Peace Bridges that he must seek to understand others, even if they are people he doesn’t agree with. “Now I realize that all people face constraints and want to have a good life for them and their families. I also understand that I shouldn’t hate people who participate in corruption. I can have a positive outlook and not look down on them. Instead, I should be a positive example for everyone.”

In his pastoral role, he often provides counsel to people in his congregation and sees himself as a role model. “I used to look down on people who abuse alcohol and I used to make judgmental remarks about them to other people,” he said. “Now that I’ve learned about peacebuilding and nonviolence, I have stopped using harsh words.” Now Set takes time to ask how people are doing and he listens without judgment.

At home, Mr. Set has noticed his ability to manage his anger and communicate well has improved some of his relationships. “I have eight children who I have to help get up and go to school. In the past, they were always late to school which made me so upset. I used to yell bad things at them and punish them. We were all so unhappy. Then, Peace Bridges taught me about conflict and communication skills. I decided to try to understand why my children were late; it turned out that they were staying up until midnight to do homework, so they were too sleepy to get up in the morning. When I realized this, I asked them to get up at 5:00am to finish their homework and then get ready to go to school. My children agree this is a better way and are happy that I took time to listen and solve this problem. Now I no longer blame and yell, so they are pleased to get up early and leave on time.”

Mr. Set is looking forward to studying more with Peace Bridges. For now, he is sharing what he about stereotypes, prejudice, and nonviolent communication with students, family members, his church, and people in the community.

When Sokhern* was only six years old, Cambodia collapsed into a state of civil war, commencing years of genocide and extreme hardship for Cambodians. Sokhern survived, but he had lost out on many things, including the opportunity to get a good education as a child.

“[After that time,] I really wanted to learn more," he reflected. When he had his own family, Sokhern tried to give his son a chance to study. "I just didn’t have a chance, so I pushed my son to study hard in order to overcome poverty.” Education, Sokhern claims, is an important part of improving one’s situation in life.

Today, Sokhern is a village security guard and fishery community representative. He acts as a bridge of communication and trust between the village people and the local authorities. When his job was tough in the past, Sokhern used to have trouble controling his anger and respecting people with different opinions. He sometimes let his frustration spill over into his family life, negatively impacting those relationships.

In late 2017, Sokhern was given the opportunity to join Peace Bridges Organization's long-term training program on conflict resolution and transformation. He recently graduated from the “Training for Peace” course and returned to his community to apply and share what he learned with people there.

Sokhern said that Peace Bridges helped him to release his negative habits and absorb new skills and attitudes. "The biggest change I've experienced is my new ability to use nonviolnce to communicate and interact peacefully with people around me," he said.

As a community leader, Sokhern has become a better advocate for the fishery community. He is a more effective communicator and listener, rather than using his position for personal gain. His new skills like active listening, negotiation, and servant leadership have aided in his work. Sokhern no longer lets his anger control him and does not disriminate against people who are different. As a result of his changes, Sokhern has improved his cooperation with the local authorities.

Additionally, Sokhern has strengthened his relationships with his family members. He let go of his habit of using rough language around his wife and children. “Now I know these behaviors are not good for my relationships.”

Sokhern is grateful that he had the opportunity to educate and better himself. He said he will work hard to spread peace to even more people. “Peace begins with me,” said Sokhern, with a smile.

*the name has been changed to protect the identity of this individual