What we do?
Vision
All Cambodians enjoy a high quality life with dignity, sustainably accessing, using and protecting their rights.
Mission
DPA partners with all relevant stakeholders, including government, civil society and the private sector, to empower and support poor and vulnerable Cambodians, especially in rural areas, actively contributing to an enabling environment for sustainable and equitable development.
Values and Behaviours
DPA’s approach to all its work is guided by the values that state the shared organisational beliefs about how things should be. Each value has a linked behaviour statement to show how the belief is translated into practical action for the way that DPA conducts its work.
Background
Development and Partnership in Action (DPA) is a Cambodian non-government organisation (NGO) which localised from an international NGO called CIDSE. The organisation has been active in Cambodia for over 30 years, tackling issues as diverse as building capacity to community leaders, gender equality, natural resource management, health and education, and food security and as well as adapting to address emerging issues such as climate change and extractive industries as these topics became relevant to the Cambodian context. DPA has applied a new strategic plan for 2013-2016 with a vision for all Cambodians to enjoy a high quality of life as full citizens, accessing, using and protecting their rights. DPA continues to apply the key approaches as Community Organising (CO) and Rights Based Approach (RBA) for empowering and supporting poor and vulnerable people, building community resilience, building engagement and cooperation with relevant stakeholders and advocating for an enabling environment for sustainable development. Through these approaches, poor and vulnerable Cambodians in target areas will increase the access to rights and resources, improve livelihood, increase ownership, improve the capacity for participation, leadership of women, youth and Indigenous People (IP) and increase community resilience. In addition, the strategic plan makes further progress in the areas of improving, strengthening and empowering people, particularly women and those living in indigenous communities, encouraging them to participate in decision-making for development activities since they are the keys for the success of sustainable development. This strategic plan is focusing on the areas of natural resource management, climate change resilience and food security, support for grassroots organisations and social enterprises and other initiatives related to livelihood.
DPA has three main programme areas: Integrated Community Development Programme (ICDP); Partnership Programme (PP) and Development Education and Advocacy Programme (DEAP). The ICD programme aims to improve the quality of life of the rural poor through improving food security, health, education and natural resource management for and supporting collaboration between commune councils and people’s associations. The Partnership programme supports Community NGOs, Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) and Agricultural Co-operatives, providing capacity building for their organisational management and funding support for their activities. The DEA programme team aim to strengthen development education on gender, as well as strengthening advocacy on issues related to land, logging, extractive industry (EI) social environmental impacts and resource revenue management.
| Year | CIDSE Cambodia | Cambodian Context | Global Development Policies / Issues |
| 1979–1981 | Emergency/relief programmes Provision of material inputs Working through Government A few expatriate staff |
Vietnamese-backed government – No UN recognition Fighting continues Severe food shortage Huge Aid Campaign to Thai Border camps but little within Cambodia Massive infrastructural damage Collectivised Agriculture Local NGO staff not allowed |
UN/US sanctions against Vietnamese-backed Government State-centred development Modernisation Theory Large Infrastructure Projects OPEC oil crisis and huge debt defaults leading to the gradual decline of the statist model of development |
| 1982–1987 | Emergency/relief programmes From material inputs to technical assistance & skills transfer Working through Government Small office established Expatriate and counterpart staff |
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| 1988–1990 | Shift towards grass roots level Sectoral focus: agriculture, irrigation, health, education Office located within Government More counterpart staff |
Vietnamese withdrawal Entry into free market economy Greater social and economic disparity Great exploitation of Cambodia’s Gem and Timber resources Fighting intensifies between Government and Guerrillas |
End of the Cold War Introduction of Neo-Liberalism Crisis in development thinking Heavy indebtedness leading to Structural Adjustment Policies Aid Tied to SAPs |
| 1991–1993 | From emergency relief to rehabilitation /reconstruction Sectoral, infrastructure-based programmes More Cambodian staff Expatriates in all senior management positions |
Signing of the Paris Peace Accords UNTAC First National Elections Opening up of political and social environment making it easier for NGOs to operate Weak human and social capital |
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| 1994–1997 | From sectoral approach to ICD Emphasis on community management of development activities Hand over of sectoral programmes to Government New programmes: Partnership with CNGOs, development education, Training in advocacy, gender and Community Development First external financial audit Major organisational restructuring process; consolidation of two main programme departments – ICDD and PD Cambodians in most senior management positions; Expatriate FR |
Improved Economic Growth and Agricultural production Pervasive poverty affects most of rural Cambodia Sporadic Fighting remains Launch of the UNDP support SEILA programme to pilot a system of decentralisation Political turmoil in 1997 Growth in INGO and CNGO presence Crisis in Governance: Country plagued by corruption, illegal logging, land grabbing, etc. |
Emergence of Civil Society Massive growth in number of Non-Governmental Organisations Beginnings of “Alternative Development Theories” Greater focus on Partnerships, Grassroots Development; Participation; Gender; Equitity; Sustainability Greater ‘professionalisation’ within NGOs More focus on social and environmental concerns |
| 2002-2005 | Formation of CBOs in Svay Rieng and Muk Kampul Phase out of Svay Rieng and Muk Kampoul ICD programme ICD/PD partnership & Small Desk Office support to CBOs in Svay Rieng Expand ICD programme to Mondulkiri Decision to become CNGO approved Transition Process underway – advisory board selected; by-laws developed Transition of Advisory Board to Governing Board Registration of DPA at Ministry of Interior Launching of DPA |
Decentralisation: First Commune Council Elections Governance Action Plan approved Greater co-operation, co-ordination and partnership between civil society and government Third National Elections Economic growth without equitable distribution Corruption and a culture of impunity remain Entry into WTO |
Reflection on innovative approaches to community development and strengthening of civil society |