Empowering Women Forest Defenders in Cambodia

“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.”