Building Community Voices (BCV) :

Building community voices is a Cambodian Non Govermental organisation whose main aim is to help provide a safe space and platform for vulnerable, marginalized and indigenous groups in Cambodia to protect and exercise their rights, build networks and engage with different stakeholders by voicing their opinions and concerns. The goal of our efforts is for the target population to be part and parcel ofthe decision making process, development planning and seeking solutions to the probems affectingthem. Our target groups include People in communities and community networks facing loss of land,natural resources, livelihoods, and/or are experiencing violent conflict.The geographical scope of our work is 6 provinces.They are: Kampot, Kampong Speu, kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri Provinces. As of now, we have 6 ongoing projects at various stages of implementation in these areas. BCV works with these communities through community organizing, financial support, capacity development, needs support, Our Media programme and connecting them to a wider network. Some of the major stakeholders that we engage or cooperate with in our activities include the local,regional and national government, partner NGOs and CBOs,Donors and community members through their representatives(Focal Point Persons, CommunityFacilitators, Community journalists and the film crew).

Governance and leadership, financial management & Current donors:

Building Community Voices has created a clear structure to implement its strategic plan and it distinguishes clearly between the roles and responsibilities of the governing and management bodies. The Board of directors provide oversight and approve Building Community Voices’ strategic direction, policies, and financial management. The management team provide day to day guidance and support for managing BCV’s programming, HR and financial management functions and consults regularly with the staff team to ensure democratic decision-making and ownership within the organisation. Building Community Voices has five strategic objectives (1-People’s participation in the decision-making process to ensure that the development is responsive to their needs is promoted. 2- BCV’s target communities are organized and their networks are built at different levels to gain support and jointly work to address issues affecting them. 3-The capacity of the community members and the CBOs are strengthened to actively engage in the decision–making, problem solving and development process. 4-Supports to target communities and CBOs are effectively coordinated and provided. 5-Capacity of BCV is developed to effectively deliver the core programs and achieve the strategic objectives.) to guide the development, implementation and M&E of programs and projects. BCV holds the 2 times of quality assurance certification (CCC-GPP), and an organizational wide quality assurance audit is conducted annually by the CCC -GPP team to assess the organization’s performance and ensure consistently high levels of governance and accountability to our stakeholders.
Financial Management: BCV uses the QuickBooks system supported by Excel spreadsheets to robustly manage our funds. Annual financial audits are conducted by an external independent firm as assigned by the Board. Financial Transactions are under the supervision of the finance manager who is supported by the finance officer and the project accountant. BCV has different bank accounts for each donor so that their funds can be managed in a transparent and accountable way.
Current Donors: HEKS, Diakonia, AJWS, EWMI, Misereor, EU, Action Aid Cambodia, NOREC.

Vision, Mission & Goal

Vision

Cambodian people are fully exercising their rights to voice out their issues of concerns and lead their own development for better quality of life/ self- reliance.

Mission

BCV works to empower community members and community – based organizations (CBOs) through community media, organizing, capacity building and providing needs support in collaboration with relevant stakeholders (national and international) to raise their voices for appropriate solutions.

Goal

Communities are self-reliant and effectively engage in people led development.

Core Values

Ownership

We believe that all women and men have the right to be informed, to participate actively in decision-making that affects them, and to take responsibility for implementing and/or responding to these decisions.

Transparency and accountability

We believe openness is essential for earning women’s and men’s trust and support. We believe we must first answer to the women, men and communities whom we serve. We also recognize the importance of answering to the government, our donors, and each other.

Diversity

We believe that each of us have important contributions to make to Cambodia’s development regardless of and often because of our gender, ethnicity, social status,age, (dis)ability and other differences between us.

Ongoing learning

We believe that learning never stops. We believe that our learning is symbiotic – we learn as staff from communities, as communities from staff, as staff from staff, and as communities from communities.

Teamwork

We believe that our best work happens when we collaborate, respecting and valuing each other’s ideas and working towards shared goals.

Organisational Strengths, Recognition & Reputation

BCV utilises a bottom-up approach in project design; in doing so BCV consults with beneficiaries at the ground in order to collect the issues and needs of the community so that it can respond effectively to those needs.

BCV instigated the Community National Advisory Group and Conducted the National Community Media Forum from 2008-2013 with 280-320 participants through collaborating with ICSO, NPA, CPN, EHE, AEC, HRTF, NGOF.

Community members are board members of BCV projects (elected by the Community National Advisory Group (CNAG)); BCV also shares budgetary information about projects with their beneficiaries.

BCV is linked to all relevant networks and works jointly to achieve its aims with a range of Civil Society and Community Organisations; the BCV team have a good reputation for their strong commitment, managing their work effectively and achieving good outcomes and impact.

We have established 3 groups of Community Film Crews to support our media and communications activities. Other activities include photo competitions from 2014-2017 and in 2018 we conducted a media forum for Indigenous people in Boeung Yak Lom, Ratanakiri Province.

BCV was the first institution who have initiated the establishment of a community radio centre to extend media freedom at the ground level to the national level in Cambodia. Up to now, the BCV has established 4-community radio centres; two of which have received licenses from the Ministry of Information and the other two are in the process of registration. We support community radio and talk shows and build the capacity of youth to be community radio volunteers.

The Liberty Centre for Development (LCD) in Ansachambak Commune, Krokor district, Pursat and Jaray community Radio Center in Pork Nhay Commune, Oyaday district, Reatanakiri Province are an innovative model for bringing communities and local authorities especially the commune council members together to work on local social development issues. The centre also hosts the community radio station and is a hub for mobilising media and awareness-raising activities.

BCV Organisation Statement

History and scope of programmatic experience and expertise

Media Program Providing Media Training to Community Journalists (CJ), Film Crews and Radio crew to produce community documentation to inform their advocacy activity. Mobilizing communities through capacity building and empowering Peace Building and Conflict Transformation - supporting communities to overcome conflict so that they can live in peace. Local Rights Projects - empowering communities and CBOs to have their voices heard in local decision-making processes so that relevant stakeholders (local governments) can response and resolve community issues. Cambodian Civil Society Strengthening Project is to strengthen the capacity of CSOs and marginalized communities affected by inappropriate development, land rights violations, and commercial exploitation to increase their access to and control over land. Empowering CSOs and Marginalized communities in Cambodia to claim land tenure security. Supporting People-led Initiatives on Self-reliance and Strengthening Community Media Programs to achieve Sustainability

Population served; how we consult with stakeholders and gather evidence of need:

Building Community Voices serves approximately 22,028 people in our target communities (34152 women/75367population) in six Provinces across Cambodia: Kampot, Kampong Speu, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri Provinces. BCV staff travel regularly to meet with the communities at the ground to understand their needs, issues and concerns to ensure that these are incorporated into all of project 3 planning, design, implementation and M&E activities. This bottom-up approach ensures that we are directly responding to the diverse needs of our beneficiaries and can provide tailored responses to work effectively with them to address and resolve issues and jointly implement our activities with them.

Methodology and evidence based approaches BCV uses that makes us unique, innovative and effective

BCV utilises a ‘Rights-Based Approach’ within all of our program activities in order to promote awareness of citizens’ as rights holders so that they have the knowledge and confidence to hold their local authorities and other duty bearers to account. BCV builds community ownership through community-led advocacy, people led development and collaborative action planning. Our target communities organize their actions by themselves and are supported in their reflections and reviews by BCV. In our effort to maintain transparency and accountability to the communities we serve, BCV provides budgetary information relating to the projects and activities to further instil a sense of ownership by the community members involved.

Partnership and joint working experience

To ensure that we are networking with all relevant partner agencies, BCV is currently a member of the following membership organisations and networks: CCC, NGO Forum, LARHiN, EISEI (, IFPN, Prey Lang, Oral network, CEDAW and Phnom Kok. Additionally, we work in close partnership with ADHOC, CWDCC, CCHR, SK, RFCD, CLEC, API, LICHDO,FACT and the NGO Forum to achieve our shared goals and aims. Through this joint working with our networks we strengthen our projects and gain a strong sense of solidarity to support our communities effectively.

M&E: How we measure results and impact

Building Community Voices’ Theory of Change is built on the hypothesis about the ways that positive social change happens. Building Community Voices envisions that: “Communities are self-determined, networked with a vibrant civil society, and sustainably lead their own development”. Building Community Voices’ Results Chain ensures that we are constantly measuring our work with a focus on impactful outcomes

Sustainability

Building Community Voices believes in community ownership as one of its core values. This belief influences our activities to actively support women and men to define their own rights and priorities, to make their own decisions, to advocate for themselves, to assume responsibility for self-development, and finally to becoming fully self-reliant. Building Community Voices develops the capacity of communities, connects them to wider networks for working with and learning from each other, and supports their advocacy initiatives. Capacity development contributes towards long-term change and strengthens community ownership.

Our Donors & Partnership