Organization Profile: Volunteer Action for Cambodia VAC

(Volunteer Action for Cambodia VAC)Log-in

View Photo Gallery (5)

Add to My Organizations.

joshywashington
United States | view profile

Ben
United States | view profile

No posts yet. View other Travel Forum posts.

Organization Name:

Volunteer Action for Cambodia VAC

Located In:

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Operates In:

Cambodia

Areas of Focus:

Social Responsibility
Human Rights & Civil Liberties
Environmental Conservation & Activism
Youth Development & Education

Type of Org:

Volunteer Organization

Contact Person:

Gabi Vogel

Phone:

+855 (0) 23 211 612

Website:

www.vacambodia.org

Our Mission:

The program “Volunteer Action for Cambodia” (VAC) is organized by STAR Kampuchea, a Cambodian non-governmental organization. It is our mission to build up democracy and to strengthen civil society in our country.

What We Do:

STAR Kampuchea was established in August 1997 and is dedicated to building democracy by strengthening civil society. Since it was founded, STAR Kampuchea has become a well-known and respected organization with a solid reputation among civil society organizations, government bodies and donors. Thousands of people and hundreds of NGOs have benefited from its activities.

STAR Kampuchea’s keyword is advocacy. Advocacy activities should strengthen democracy, the respect for human rights and civil society on the basis of the rule of law.

To achieve its objectives, STAR Kampuchea currently runs three programs: the Advocacy Action Program (AAP), the Advocacy Capacity Action Program (ACP) and a new program to establish the “STAR Kampuchea Foundation” (SKF). The VAC program is part of the third program.

Profile URL:

http://matadortravel.com/organizations/volunteer-action-for-cambodia-vac

How you can support Volunteer Action for Cambodia VAC

How You Can Help:

The VAC program invites volunteers from all over the world to work with Cambodian non-governmental organizations. The idea is to bring foreign volunteers to Cambodia to exchange cultural and work experience and to contribute new impulses and fresh ideas to both Cambodian and the volunteers’ home society. VAC is designed primarily for college students and recent graduates. We help the volunteers to find a suitable placement and to organize their stay in Cambodia. The length of stay depends on the volunteer’s interests and varies between one and three months. To gain a deep insight into the organizations and their activities a minimum stay of four weeks is strongly recommended.

VAC works together with 41 partner organizations of STAR Kampuchea in seven provinces. Among them there are international NGOs, trade unions and local organizations in remote areas. Depending on the volunteer’s interests, placements are possible in many different fields, such as advocacy training, HIV/AIDS, Health, Rural Development, Human Rights Protection, Legal Rights Work and Environmental Issues.

The VAC-program is looking for candidates with a specific interest in our work. The volunteer must have a real interest in strengthening democracy and the empowerment of those who need it most.

Featured Project:

Local Cambodian NGO Project

During the last 10 years, comitted Cambodians have set up Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to aid the rebuilding and development of Cambodian society. VAC program cooperates with a network organization including 41 local organizations in Phnom Penh and the provinces that focuses on community and rural development, democracy development and gender issues. The organizations do a great job by supporting the poorest of the poor and those who have become landless, offering capacity building opportunities and organizing advocacy for the reconstruction of the country.

The local NGOs themselves usually have only limited (if any) financial resources. They often struggle to run their programs and to raise funds from international donors. Many staff members are volunteers receiving no salary. Often the organizations lack skills and resources to become powerful players at the local level. They urgently need support, for example, in fundraising and proposal writing, organizational development, administration and community development.

Internships are offered in the following fields:

• Community development
• Health, HIV/Aids awareness, prevention and rehabilitation
• Conservation
• Women and child issues
• Advocacy