Cambodia

In Cambodia, story collection took place around iDE’s two major projects, Climate Smart Commercial Horticulture (CSmart) and Climate Resilient WASH (CR-WASH). Fifteen stories were collected from individuals in the CSmart area, and fifteen stories from the CR-WASH area. 

There were three rounds of story selection in Cambodia, beginning with two regional selection committees (in the CSmart and CR-WASH) regions, where three stories were chosen for each regional committee. These six stories were then sent to a third Selection Committee which chose the final story. Stories were rated based on how well the story reflected the local reality and resonated with the community. 

In addition to the above criteria, the Selection Committee assessed how relevant and realistic respondents’ activities were to reach their goals, the challenges respondents faced, and whether the stories reflected the reality of their communities. 

Themes that resonated with the committee included land expansion to grow vegetables, water storage, use of modern technology for farming, increasing prices for agricultural products, all-season growing, and overcoming obstacles through various sources of income. 

The final selected story was about a widow who ran diverse businesses so her family could earn money year round, in both the dry season and rainy season. In the dry months this woman sold latrines and iron, and in the rainy season she sold fertilizer and seeds. This woman also valued ​ education and wanted her youngest sister to complete her bachelor's degree. This story was chosen as it resonated with and inspired people in the community, raised the issue of expanding land and using farming technology like a Koyon (small machine cart) and showed the storyteller’s vision and strong commitment to achieve her goal. 

Storytellers from Cambodia were more likely to discuss horticulture, water filters, and personal hygiene than those from other countries. Additionally, transportation infrastructure, specifically improved roads was a theme present in 60% of stories across Cambodia. With respect to GESI themes, Cambodian stories focused most frequently on equal rights and on men and women helping each other. While GBV was not a frequent topic across stories, four of seven total GBV mentions were in Cambodian stories, where individuals described a desire to stop domestic violence and forced sexual intercourse. Another unique aspect of stories collected in Cambodia is that several individuals specifically mentioned that the APSARA National Authority (the Authority for the Protection of the Site and Management of the Region of Angkor) was a barrier to achieving their goals for various reasons relating to housing, construction, and relocation requirements. Finally, stories collected in Cambodia were most likely to relate prosperity to happiness.