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I.
OVERVIEW
1. Past
and Current Activities
2. Proposed Activities (Strategy and Capacity-Building)
2.1 Meet with Potential Donors and Supporters
The Council plans to meet more formally with potential donors and supporters to
request financial and in-kind assistance for the development and growth of WASMB,
including:
·
UNDP, GTZ, ADB, Asia Foundation, USAID, CIDA, JICA, MPDF, IFC,
etc.
·
Embassies
·
Large Cambodian businesses / Ohknas
2.2 Conduct Workshops and Speaker Series
Once every three months, WASMB plans to invite a speaker to address the general
WASMB membership on relevant issues of interest to the Members.Monthly, as the need arises, WASMB plans to conduct half or one-day workshops to
address specifics needs of WASMB members and the female population at large.
For example, the first year, WASMB plans to conduct workshops on:
·
How to Start a Business, Market Access
·
How to Prepare for an Interview, Prepare Curriculum Vitae
·
How to Access Micro-Credit Financing
·
Leadership and Management Skills
2.3 Create Bulletins and Bi-annual Newsletters
WASMB believes information is power. One of the methods WASMB plans to
disseminate its information to its Members and the public at large is via
periodic Bulletins and Bi-Annual Newsletters.
2.4 Create Website and Build-up IT Capacity
In addition to meetings, workshops, bulletins and newsletters, WASMB plans to
have a website. Moreover, WASMB understands the power of information technology
and plans to build its capacity in this respect.
2.5 Build Membership Base
WASMB will hold bi-monthly meetings of Council members to deliberate about the
welfare and strategies of WASMB. WASMB will also hold monthly meetings for
general Members. In pursuit of this goal, we plan to disseminate via personal
visits an information sheet/brochure (in both Khmer and English) about WASMB to
as many SMEs in Phnom Penh and the rural provinces as possible to attend our
seminars and conferences.
To build its membership base, WASMB plans to hold membership drives and to
actively engage in the public sphere. In particular, WASMB plans to work with
existing associations relating to SMEs, ie, Small & Medium Enterprise Cambodia,
headed by Mr. Seyha Rin and another SME headed by Mr. Sokros Heng, both men
befriended by Theary during the UNDP Manila conference. They are SMEs already
working in the rural areas. WASMB plans to visit provincial sites on a regular
basis with these SMEs.
2.6 Conduct Training, Surveys and Write ReportsTwo of the goals of WASMB are to be a forum of information and a voice for
women. Currently, very little information and data have been collected on the
state of women generally and particularly in the economic field. The most
notable study done took place in 2003 on Cambodia Gender Assessment, A Fair
Share for Women. Much more can be done. Pursuant to this goal of
information collecting, WASMB will conduct trainings and surveys.
Two WASMB members are being trained by ILO at a Siem Reap seminar, "Get Ahead
for Women in Enterprise". These two WASMB members will in turn be disseminating
their knowledge by training employees of other associations/NGOs/groups,
beginning with Sobbhana, on a weekly basis.
Regarding surveys, for example, from the start, we would like to know about:
·
Small and medium-sized enterprises run by women and the informal
business sector
·
Feasibility of Nursery / Childcare
2.7 Liaison with Other National and Regional Business Associations
Some of the institutions and associations we plan to be involved in include:·
Ministry of Women's Affairs (Neary Rattanak, Women's Development
Centers, Women's Empowerment Centers) and its monthly Technical Working Group;
·
Cambodian Silk Forum, headed by our member Nina You;
·
CAMFEBA;
·
Women for Prosperity and other women-focused groups;
·
Government-Private Sector Forum
·
Cambodian Chamber of Commerce
·
ASRI (Asian Strategy and Research Institute) -- Malaysia
·
International Business Council
·
Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce
·
Singapore Chamber of Commerce
Future events whereby WASMB has been invited to attend: ·
the Ministry of Women's Affairs high-level delegation to the world
women conference in Mexico City, Mexico, June 23-25, 2005. We are looking for
funding to send two WASMB representatives to this global conference on women.
·
Seminars conducted by the MOC and ITC.
WASMB already has members who are members/officers in other business
associations. We plan to have WASMB presence in all relevant associations, ie,
International Business Association, the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce.
2.8 Publicity and Fundraising Events
We plan to invite the active participation and contribution of the larger
Cambodian companies and corporations. We would like to view this as an
opportunity for the Khmer Ohknas to help their society by assisting their
younger sisters, that is to link Khmer companies with women SMEs.
2.9 Social Gatherings and Field Trips
WASMB is a voluntary business association for the welfare of women; the welfare
of women affects the larger community. Naturally, we focus on the economic life
of women. However, WASMB believes in the holistic development of women and
encourages the social development of its members as friends in addition to
economic colleagues. Thus, WASMB plans to hold social gatherings and field
trips for its members to become better acquainted with each other, with the
larger goal of building trust, support and solidarity.For example, we have
been invited by the well-established NGO, SME
Cambodia, to visit its members in the rural
provinces, especially around the Tonle Sap region
where many female micro-businesses are making "prahok".
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