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| Theary Chan (in large hat) participates in a USAID project to improve access to safe drinking water among poor floating communities in Cambodia. (credit: Sok Kata, RACHA) |
April/May 2011
Theary Chan | HEALTH
USAID
I belong to a generation that has witnessed political upheavals, genocide, civil war, drought, and poverty. After the Khmer Rouge regime, when an estimated 1.5 million Cambodians were killed or died of starvation, my family and I fled the country, joining thousands of others to become refugees in the Thai-Cambodian border camps.
I spent 12 years in the border camps, surrounded by barbed wire and soldiers. During that time, we always kept our belongings packed in a small bag, ready to run if the camp was attacked. Sometimes we moved five times within a year to escape fighting and insecurity.
Our homes and hospitals in the refugee camp were built from bamboo and thatch, and we lacked water, electricity, and land. At night, this largest city of Cambodian people was plunged into darkness and fear. Our common goal was survival.
It was in the camps where I developed a passion to work for the empowerment of women. I received my initial health training in the border camps, spending more than a decade of my life working in the maternity ward of a makeshift hospital. I eventually became the chief midwife, working with a team of 25 Cambodian midwives.
We found great satisfaction in providing quality care and kindness to desperately poor and stressed women. At that time, our salary was a bag of rice and a few canned fish, but we felt rich in capacity development, friendship, and achievements.
I recall assisting a woman with a prolonged and complicated labor. When indiscriminate shelling wrecked the roof of the hospital, only the woman, her family, and I remained. The expatriate health staff had been evacuated by the United Nations security group and other health staff ran for their lives. Unmindful of the danger, I successfully assisted the woman to safely deliver a healthy baby, and stayed with her until her condition improved.
After the experience I gained in the maternity ward at the Thai-Cambodian refugee camp, I worked for two years as a resident midwife at Hospital Jean-Verdier and Hospital General de Romans, in France, and completed a Masters of Public Health in Holland. Afterwards, I spent 20 years working with international organizations. Then I felt ready for a new challenge in my life.
This led me to apply to the Reproductive and Child Health Alliance (RACHA) in 2003, where I was offered the post of executive director. When I started, RACHA was in the process of becoming a local NGO. In 2004, RACHA began to receive funding from USAID.
New Approaches to Save Lives
My country currently has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the region.
Through generous funding from the American people via USAID, RACHA works in collaboration with government counterparts, especially the Ministry of Health, and other development partners, to reduce maternal, newborn, and children-under-5 mortality in Cambodia. RACHA’s strategy is to improve the lives of individuals in Cambodia by making services for reproductive, newborn and child health, infectious diseases, and HIV/AIDS safe, available, accessible, and sustainable.
RACHA also assists the government to implement the “Health Sector Support Project, Fast Tract Initiative Road Map” in five provinces. That includes: training health ministry workers; strengthening the links between health facilities and communities; mobilizing communities to improve referral systems; and increasing the number of community-based transportation systems to improve access to comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care.
RACHA constantly seeks new approaches and technology that will improve the lives of the communities it serves. One example: the conversion of lake water into safe drinking water through a biotech filtration system that supports thousands of poor communities living on and around the Tonle Sap Lake.
Cambodian people today wish to join the rest of the world in marching towards peace, progress, and prosperity. RACHA will do its best to use USAID’s resources effectively to reach more beneficiaries in remote areas, and to pursue innovative interventions to contribute to the achievement of the Cambodian Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
Theary Chan is the executive director of Reproductive and Child Health Alliance (RACHA), a USAID/Cambodia local implementer.
12 comments:
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 30,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 30,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 30,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer every day.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 30,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Koh Tral was a Cambodian island, and technically and legally, remained a Cambodian island until today.
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
Are those boat people Vietnamese immigrants who flood to Cambodia to vote for Hun Sen? If so they should be forced back to Vietname.
Ms. Theary Chan should start with Khemr farmers who have no clean water to drink. If you don't know where they are I can help.
Most of the boat people are Viet but this group looks like they are Cambodian except the lady with yellow shirt holding her baby on the right of the picture, I' m sure she is a Viet.
Viet or no Viet, they are all in the same boat/water.
The new policy of Hun Sen regime today is to kill all Ex Khmer Rouge because they are the true Khmer patriot that can be harmful to Hun Sen regime as Vietnam slave.
Hun Sen regime sends all Ex Khmer rouge soldiers to frontline fighting with Thai army without enough weapons and foods. Hun Sen ordered the front line army do not fire back to Thai Army while they bomb Ex Khmer Rouge over 50 000 shells. These actions are representing very clear that Hun Sen is trying to clear or kill all Ex Khmer Rouge army by using Thai hands.
The true and real Khmer patriots are the enemy of Hun Sen regime. Vietnam is scare of Ex Khmer Rouge Soldiers as they have been defeat Vietnam army (Over 10 000 Vietnam soldiers have been killed by EX Khmer Rouge Army in Cambodia. That is lead to Vietnam withdraw out of Cambodia) before 1993.
The new policy of Hun Sen regime today is to kill all Ex Khmer Rouge because they are the true Khmer patriot that can be harmful to Hun Sen regime as Vietnam slave.
Hun Sen regime sends all Ex Khmer rouge soldiers to frontline fighting with Thai army without enough weapons and foods. Hun Sen ordered the front line army do not fire back to Thai Army while they bomb Ex Khmer Rouge over 50 000 shells. These actions are representing very clear that Hun Sen is trying to clear or kill all Ex Khmer Rouge army by using Thai hands.
The true and real Khmer patriots are the enemy of Hun Sen regime. Vietnam is scare of Ex Khmer Rouge Soldiers as they have been defeat Vietnam army (Over 100 000 Vietnam soldiers have been killed by EX Khmer Rouge Army in Cambodia. That is lead to Vietnam withdraw out of Cambodia) before 1993.
Stupid comments:
How about some of us live in the US or in Europe. Are we immigrants or caucasian or we are the native indian american ?
Our children born in the us, Europe are us and European citizen no one called us Cambodian as illegal people.
Viet live and the next generation born in Cambodia, speak the Khmer language are Cambodian.
Can some of you change the world situation, that will please your mind, brain and feeling ?
old wife's pussy ms. rattana keo is a bitch who love to fuck her boyfriends when her dickhead younger husband at work. Her mother in law does the same thing as ms rattana keo too. They are making love to their boyfriends when their husbands at work.......threesome families...Love treesome cultures.....ms. rattana keo is a great leader who lead all khmer girls to be like her ( fuck husband and boyfriends at the same time...)
smart khmer girl or fuck smart khmer girl...hhhhhhaaa
Seng Theary,
Good for you and thank you very much for making me knowing you better. I am watching you!
All of them are Viet.
The government should ban people who are living in the water and polute the water, all waste discard in water and we down stream drink this water.
These people should live on land rather live on water.
All house builded on river bank of Tonle Sab near Japonese bridge should be removed because they build by rear of hour face the river that made the city look urgly. the front of the house should be faced river that make city look goog.
in cambodia women do most of the daily rearing of small children, so it is crucial to help them and educate them in terms of water safety like water consumption, etc, etc, really! women in cambodia need help and support from NGOs, gov't, etc... god bless the women in cambodia.
Congratulations Ms Theary Chan for being a courageous Khmer woman! You’re a living witness of the life in the refugee camp. You have become the harbinger of compassion and dedication to help the mother and the child. I salute to you! Cambodia needs more committed and brave women like you. You deserve to be a leader. You made RACHA politically neutral and committed to non-discrimination among its beneficiaries. You have shown that humanitarian mission does not discriminate and it is a moral obligation to help regardless of people's race, religion and political color. But, still you cannot please everybody because you also serve non-Khmer in your program areas which some insensible people call them the “enemy.”
Your project of converting turbid lake/river water into safe drinking water is impressive. It’s innovative…something new in Cambodia. I hope it will help reduce incidence of diarrhea and waterborne diseases among children and adults in the site where it is located. Maybe you can reach out to the poor farmers too within your coverage area if there are available funding and contribution from the community or government, charitable institutions/donors and importantly, there is potential source of water like pond, lake, etc. that can be processed into safe drinking water.
Bravo RACHA! May you have more water projects in places that need them most…
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