Peace and Development Aid Organization (PDAO) is a local, non-profit non-Governmental and organization, that through financial and technical support from HEKS Swiss Interchurch Aid Cambodia commenced independent operation in  July 2005. At this time HEKS handed over the operation and management of all its programs in Cambodia that has been in operation in Takeo and Kampot Province since 1996. PDAO was officially registered by the Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Cambodia in August 2005.

PDAO’s current strategic plan is a 5 year plan to the end of 2018. The organization has a solid foundation with an active Board of Directors that consists of seven members, and a clear Vision and Mission, Goals and Values. We have held official Certification with the Code of Ethical Principles and Minimum Standards for NGOs in Cambodia – NGO-GPP since early 2010. Over the past nine years PDAO has received an average budget of around US$165,000 per annum from a number of donors/development partners for projects and operational costs and have increased our operating budget from US$171,940 in 2010 to US$340,894 in 2012. At the end of 2012, PDAO had an operational staff (including counterparts) of 35 people (8 female).

Our past and current donors/DP are including: HEKS Swiss Interchurch Aid Organization, USAID through Pact Cambodia, DFID through Options Cambodia, World Bank though The Asia Foundation (TAF), Heifer International Cambodia, EU through Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Australian Business Volunteer (ABV), Engineering Without Border (EWB), Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland through Environment and Energy Partnership Mekong (EEP), The Community Development Fund (CDF) of the Australian Government (DFAT), Oxfam Novib, Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) through Plan International Cambodia, EU Lot 2: on the supporting the Local Authorities in contribution to the Cambodia National Strategic Development Plan, the Cambodian Millennium Development Goals and the National Programme for Sub-National Democratic Development.

PDAO has a history of success in supporting participatory development. PDAO’s programs are aimed at developing good governance at the local community level by empowering women and the poor to participate actively in local and provincial government. PDAO has been working with communities in two provinces (Takeo and Kampot) since 2005 and has recently expanded services to six other provinces around Tonle Sap in March 2011 (Kg. Thom, Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pursat, and Kg. Chhnang) under a consultancy contract with the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) / Asian Development Bank (ADB) grants which will operate until May 2015. Recently, PDAO has awarded grant from EU for a join project called: Enhancing Local Good Governance through Application of Social Accountability (ELG-SA) for 2015-2017 which Don Keo Municipality is a lead with other two co-applicants, CFED and CHETTHOR being operating in Takeo, Prey Veng, and Svay Rieng province.

Through these experiences, PDAO has been successful in developing and strengthening a number of community based organizations (CBO), self-help groups (SHG), farmer cooperatives, and farmers’ association in Takeo and Kampot provinces. Two provincial associations namely, the Association for Peace and Progress of Farmers in Takeo and Kampot have successfully been established and now operate independently and sustainably, functioning effectively in the community without being dependent on PDAO for support. These two associations comprise of a total of 54 members’ associations located in 54 villages. Aside from this PDAO has facilitated the development of 96 SHGs within these two provinces that now function confidently in the community.

The linkages and strong relationships that have been built from the grass-root up to the provincial level influence PDAO’s work greatly. PDAO continues to collaborate with these organizations to further strengthen community mobilization in the areas of climate change adaptation, food and water security and local good governance, while continuing to search for opportunities to build social enterprise for self-sufficiency. The expansion of PDAO into the Tonle Sap region of Cambodia through consultancy work is enabling similar relationships to be developed in new areas of Cambodia and expanding the scope of PDAO’s engagement.