The Women's Resource Center

Mission

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These Khmer women are the future of Cambodia. The woman on the left, standing in front of the ancient temple, Angkor Wat, has both strength and endurance etched in her face. She is the woman, who through genocide and civil war, lost many family members and friends. These years of war left Cambodia devastated. Among the many problems are inadequate health care, a very small and developing mental health care system, and the need for increased educational and economic opportunities, including Khmer and English literacy, employment and skills training.

The face of the women on right reflects hope. She can expect to have a better life and a longer one, but she needs help. Still living in a village, she is learning English for her work with tourists, and soon she will need to learn a skill for the family she hopes to have and will need to help support. Both of these women, and the others like them on this web site, are the the women who will become leaders. And, as leaders, they will help to determine the future of their country.

The City of Siem Reap faces a problem familiar in the developing world. The poor from the countryside are lured here by the hopes of a better life. But, when they arrive they find only the most menial jobs, earning very little money. In their villages they had support from family and community. In the city many women have no such support..

At the same time, there are women working and living in the city with better jobs but, they also are in need of health education, mental health assistance, and opportunities to improve their language skills. Some of these women will be able, with additional support from the Women’s Resource Center, to go on to further their education or they already may have begun climbing their ladder of improved economic opportunity. Still, navigating an increasingly complex number of services is difficult, and they need support. These women need this help for themselves but also for their families, for whom they may be the primary care givers.

Depression among Khmer women is very prevalent. Post partum depression, depression caused by physical and emotional abuse, and by trauma and grief affect many women from every economic level, and there is very little help available.

The Women’s Resource Center can assist all of these women, through direct service or through a referral system that helps them get the information, education and the care they need. It is a place where women can come to get help.

An important part of the WRC is its governing Board of Directors and staff. Together the board and staff of Cambodian women direct the program, deliver services, and continually evaluate the effectiveness of the program in fulfilling its mission.Therefore we describe our organization as one of "women helping women.

Judy Larkin
Founder 2008

Overview

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WOMEN'S HEALTH SERVICES

HEALTH EDUCATION

Reproductive Health, Pregnancy and Child Birth

The wish of every woman is to have a healthy, normal, reproductive life which can lead to having a full term pregnancy, and giving birth to a healthy, normal birth-weight baby. This group addresses all aspects of reproductive health, conception, pregnancy and childbirth.

For those women who are not pregnant, this group will provide an opportunity to learn about the health issues that impact their reproductive systems and futuure pregnancies.

Maternal Health and Infant Care

The focus of this group is on the mother’s care of herself and her infant. Topics of the group will include infant and early childhood development and the identification of problems that may arise, especially during an infants first few months of life. The group will discuss both the mother and infants nutrition, disease prevention and immunization.

Participants in both health education groups will have the opportunity of talking privately with the nurse educator to receive individual counselingand/or referrals for additional care.

When referrals are made women will be given assistance in accessing the care and services they may need.

MENTAL HEALTH

PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT

Stress Management Group

Meditation, Art therapy, rituals, story telling, individual and group counseling are included in this stress reduction/ relief program. The group is designed to help women gain understanding and coping skills for the improvement of feelings which may result from physical and mental stress, sadness, trauma, grief and loss.

EDUCATION SERVICES

Their Khmer teacher, helps this group focus on learning to speak informal, conversational English.
Helping women gain expertise in using

English assists in making more job opportunities available to them.

WORK SKILLS SEMINARS

A series of seminars are presented covering career opportunities and the education and skills these careers require.

Seminars provide also information concerning employment and, for those who are ready, ways to manage or own a businesses.

Volunteer experts lead seminars, answer questions and provide guidance for participants.

In addition, a workshop is given focusing on work readiness. This workshop helps women prepare resumes, learn how to participate in interviews and how to present themselves when seeking employment.

WORK READINESS

This focus of this group is to prepare women for employment. It includes how to prepare a resume, how to present oneself and how to be interviewed. In a group setting, participants are able to "play act" as a way to increase learning and gain confidence. The group leader will also help women in making a choices concerning future employment, what jobs they would qualify for, what jobs they would like to have.

OUTREACH, REFERRALS AND COMMUNITY COOPERATION

Many organizations provide services which are supported by the government, non-profits, businesses and individuals. WRC continually reaches out to these groups seeking to form linkages and develop methods of collaboration, cooperation and advocacy for all women.

SUMMARY

These brief descriptions of health education programs reflect the concerns of Khmer women. They focus on the connections between good reproductive health, prenatal care, normal infant/child development, good health practices and disease prevention.

Stress management frequently experienced by Khmer women is addressed in the mental health group which also address problems of depression, grief and loss.

The education groups and seminars help women increase their knowledge, literacy and skills which can lead to better jobs and employment opportunities. It also assists those women who want to start their own businesses or improve the ones already begun.

Contact

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TO CONTACT US and TO MAKE DONATIONS

We are in the process of making arrangements for tax credits in the United States and the United Kingdom. When this process is complete, we hope to make it easier to donate through use of the Paypal crdit card system. When tax credit is avaialble we will post a notice and payment instructions on this site.

At this time, if you are interested in any of our programs and would like more detailed information or would like to contribute, please contact us at either of these email addresses:

info@angkorwomen.org

jlarkin32@gmail.com

Links

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Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

About Us

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WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER

The Royal Kingdom of Cambodia, Ministry of the Interior, granted approval of the WRC as a local non-governmental organization (LNGO) in May 2008. All of the women who are pictured below have helped plan and develop the Women's Resource Center and its program. They have contributed both time professional expertise, and the organization could not have been founded without their help.

STAFF: We are very pleased to announce that we have an Executive Director, Bouny Te.

Bouny was born in Cambodia and lived her first few years in the refugee camps along the Thai border. Then, after moving to Canada, she attended school and was graduated from the Simon Fraser University, specializing in Early Childhood Education. Upon Graduation, she returned to Cambodia volunteering at the Angkor Hospital for Children as a translator. Later she joined the Cambodia Orphan Save Organization.

Following her volunteer work, Bouny was the project coordinator for the NGO, Human Translation, an agency focused on building local capacity. Her experience in working in communities and her interest in helping women make her a wonderful leader for our organization

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: There are 6 Khmer women who serve on our board and 3 women from other countries.

Thy, Engneang works as an assistant at a hotel while she completes her university studies. She is in the Business School of Build Bright University and plans to be employed as an accountant when her studies are completed. At the hotel she works at the reception desk, handling reservations and helping guests plan their itineraries and helping assist with their many requests and assorted problems.

Dary, Vanna was born in Kampong Charm Province and attended the Kampong Charm Regional Nursing School. For six years she worked at the Angkor Hospital for Children. In 2007, she was recruited for the position of Executive Secretary.

Dary, concerned with the welfare of mothers and children, is also interested in the administration of health services.She is married and the mother of two children, a four year old boy and two month old baby girl. Depsite being a very busy mother and employee she has devoted much time to the planning and developent of WRC,

Visal Maray (Mom) is an administrative office manager at the Angkor Hospital for Children. Mom is married and has a baby boy named Ros Manit.

Mom is a great help to WRC, assisting staff in the translation of documents. This is a very important part of our work. She also actively spreads the word about our programs.

(Picture) Vanthat Kong is the Deputy Director of the Sangkheum Center for Children. Van is very concerned about the mental health of Khmer women in our community, and she is helping with our stress management group. Generous with her time, Van is also working on our public relations planning committee.

Ouk Mon, Sohpeap is an active member to our board group. She is an accountant and office manager at a local NGO and she has volunteered to help WRC as our accountant. Previously, Sopheap was responsible for the translation of documents and the lengthy and complicated submission requirements for our NGO, and she is dedicated to helping women be empowered through our program.

(Picture) Sreymom Eng. (Profile to come)

Michelle Morin, a Canadian from Montreal, was formerly the General Manager of La Noria Hotel and Restaurant in Siem Reap. While at La Noria, she arranged training and educational opportunities for her Khmer staff, encouraging them to increase their skills and further their personal development. The owner of Possibilities World, a North American consulting firm, she has provided management training for corporations, governments, NGOs and youth groups for the past ten years. Now, her company has expanded and is offering training in Asia.

Michelle is a tireless worker for WRC. The dedication to her La Noria staff, her emphasis on training through her company and now her efforts for WRC, underscore her deep commitment to helping people improve their lives.

(Picture Daniela Vagni: Daniela is from Italy. A psychologist, Daniela came toCambodia to establish the Sangkheum Center for Children. (additional profile to come)

Judy Larkin, MSW, LCSW, is from the United States and the Founder of WRC. A recent member of the Adjunct faculty at the VCU School of Social work she twice volunteered at the Angkor Hospital for Children. In New York City, following the attacks on the World Trade Center she worked as a counselor and coordinator of trauma services.
A licensed therapist, Judy was the Director of Clinical Social Work Services at a hospice, and also worked with at-risk youth and their families. Prior to her work as a clinician, she was a community planner working in Harlem, NY, with American Indians in Arizona and with migrant workers. As a consultant to local, state and federal governments she helped draft legislation for substance abuse, rape, fair housing, communityhealth, and mental health.

Our Thanks to

Michael Ownen who is a principal and co-founder of Baystrategy, LLC, a management consulting firm based in Los Angeles.

Michael is sponsoring this web site for us and we apprecitate this support. It makes it possible for us to reach people who are interested in our work.

Tobias Rose-Stockwell for his design of this web-site. Tobias is the director of Human Translation, an NGO bringing services to villages in Cambodia.

Advisor

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Mary Katherine O'Connor

Biographical Sketch

Mary Katherine O'Connor is a Professor in the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University where she teaches in the MSW and Ph.D. programs. She received her M.S.W. and Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. Prior to entering academics, Dr. O'Connor was a member of the Peace Corps, working in community organizing and public health education for seven years and had extensive direct and administrative practice experience in child welfare both in State government and the non-profit sector.

As a Fulbright scholar in Brazil she conducted research with street children, and helped to develop a masters program in social work.

Dr. O'Connor has written numerous book chapters and journal articles with a particular focus on child welfare issues, social justice, research methods, and collaborative or alternative models of organization practice. She has just completed a research project funded by the Pew Charitable Trust investigating best practices of organizations serving the urban poor.

As of 1998, name change from Rodwell to O'Connor

A Journey

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My journey through photographs and all the women I have met along the way.

Each photograph on this web site depicts part of the Women’s Resource Center program, and each conveys part of my personal journey.

Today, looking out my office window, I see women moving heavy stones to rebuild a paved road, in front of our center. Tomorrow, perhaps, they will be rebuilding their country.

My journey has not ended today, but has been an exciting one, and I want to share it with you.

The photograph on the “Mission” page captures the beauty and essence of Khmer women. Standing in front of the Ancient Temple this picture suggests to me the continuity between the long and complex history of this land, and the women who survive and sustain it. And, looking closely, there is light at the end of the tunnel and I imagine women are standing there, just out of view, ready to become tomorrow’s leaders. This is why I am here and why I started the development of a program of mental health, health and education for women.

When I first arrived I stayed at the La Noria guest house - my “home away from home” where I am pampered by staff whenever I am there. My first encounters with Khmer women took place here, and on one unforgettable afternoon, a Christmas Day, after I returned from work, I found my bed strewn with flowers put there by one of the women who fixed my room each day. I also talked, as I usually did, with a beautiful young woman whose picture you see at the left. She has recently had a baby boy and she shares her family with me.

As I ventured from La Noria, camera always ready, I met and spoke with manywomen. One young woman, learning to make krama's, beautiful Khmer scarves, sold me the one in this picture. She is learning to weave because she loves weaving but also because one day she hopes to have her own business. Many young women are learning to weave and also to sew. It is not unusual to look through a door into a Khmer house and see asewing machine.

It was not long before I developed a love of Khmer food and for the women who cook for their families, in the Psar Chas (the Old Market) and on push carts. On the carts they may roast small bananas and sell them on a skewer, or cook you a breakfast of delicious waffles, even making fried eggs and omlets.
In the big markets and in small stands there is an abundance of delicious fruit; mangos, coconut, papaya and many others whose names I am still learning. And there are wonderful herbs. One of my favorite greens is morning glory, mixed with other vegetables, herbs and rice it makes a delicious meal.

When I stop to take pictures, most women want to smile, even when I try to catch them while they work. But there are some who have come to know me and they have begun to share some of their stories. Through these conversations, using very limited English or no spoken word, their faces tell stories of concern and unhappiness. This has been particularly true of the mothers who are holding newborns or are ill, with other ill children hanging on their long skirts, as children do everywhere. I have not taken their pictures, but they are the ones who made me think first of a program that would help ease their sadness, their depression, their fears.

The drawing of mandalas is part of our art therapy/stress management program. This picture, drawn by a young Khmer woman, looks forward to her marriage and she dreams of the home she hopes to have one day. You may also notice the hammock under the trees, this most ubiquitous of all Khmer possessions. However, when talking about her picture she became sad, because she did not ever think she would have such a happy life. These mandala drawings, even the happy one above, are a way for hidden feelings and thoughts to emerge.

For the three years that I have been here I have had many "conversations" with Khmer women, their thoughts translated for me. Each woman has expressed an eagerness to learn to speak English. The tourist industry is growing every day but even the most low level jobs require women to speak to foreigners. So, when a group of girls, working in a massage parlor, expressed a desire to learn English, I worked with a young Khmer woman to provide informal English glasses. Below is a picture of these young women at one of our group sessions.

Skills training is another important part of the life of Khmer women. All women, even small girls work. If they are very young they may stay at home and care for still younger siblings, helping a grandmother when their own mother is away working. One very enterprising young woman chose a shady spot near a hotel and made lovely flower arrangements. Someday she would like to have a real business, using her skills to offer her flower arranging skills to hotels and restaurants. In the picture at the right, she is at work in the park.

My journey here is not over. The Women's Resource Center is a reality. Staffing and the selection of women to serve on the board of directors is underway. Programs have begun and we are very pleased at the interest and the participation of Khmer women.

Judy Larkin
February, 2009