Message from Executive Director

PDAO’s focus has been on addressing the common problems limiting social and economic development in rural areas. These include the lack of knowledge, skills and experience of rural people in participating in good local governance processes. There is also a poor understanding of agricultural practices, which enable a better use of available natural resources. Rural communities also suffer from inequitable access to community services provided by local, provincial and national governments. PDAO focuses its programs on addressing these problems.

PDAO has grown its programs and its expertise and in 2011 was operating in eight (9) provinces till recent year. In this year we have undertaken a diverse range of programs including: renewable energy; water supply and sanitation; food security and value chain, and humanitarian response and disaster risk reduction through diversity and increased productivity; participation in local governance; women’s empowerment and gender equity; child protection; and flood recovery. All these programs have required mobilization of the community to assist them in adopting new ideas and empowering them to take their destiny into their own hands.

The decline in the world economy and donors trend having created a difficult environment for PDAO. These have been uncertain times with limited opportunities to apply for grants, strong competition for limited resources and limited success in obtaining new grants. PDAO’s staffs have, despite the difficult times and the threat of staff reductions have continued to perform in a professional and very competent manner. I want to thank them for their efforts.

The following report details the successful delivery of programs in 2016. This year, has been a year for continuing the existing projects and starting the new projects being consider funding by CARE, Australian Embassy (DFAT), Oxfam, Terre Des Homme Netherland, and the EU.

In addition PDAO staffs have been active in planning for the future. A review of the Strategic Plan and Turned to be a 5 Year Business Plan 2017 to 2021, it has commenced as yearly basis. This will provide a sound platform on which to build the organization over the next five years.

We have been applying for new grants, some of which have had lead times of over a year, and are starting to be successful with some of these.

PDAO is working hard with its relationship and partnership building. PDAO is an active participant in civil society groups in Cambodia. Through these networks we maintain a current understanding of current issues and opportunities. We have good working relationships at commune and provincial government level with both elected representatives and officials. PDAO has long established relationships with several key funding organizations and we work hard to maintain these relationships. Most importantly PDAO has an ever expanding list of clients who have benefited from PDAO’s programs and are important advocates for PDAO, as well as being willing recipients of new development initiatives.

PDAO has many informal partnerships with other organizations in delivering development programs to rural communities. PDAO is, however, working to formalize some of these partnerships in order to offer a more complete package of services and in order to be able to operate at a larger scale. The first of these partnerships is expected to be in place in 2017.

I would like to extend my thanks to all our funding organizations, development partners and to the government authorities, especially our colleagues, that have helped PDAO implement its program throughout the year. We can not do it without you and look forward to working together over the coming years to help lift Cambodia’s poor out of poverty.

Sincerely,

Vicheth CHOEUN
Executive Director