Ratanakiri Province – Handicraft weaving is part of the cultural identity of residents of Ta Gnach village in Ratanakiri province in the northeastern corner of Cambodia. The art of weaving has been passed on from one generation to another. But recently, the villagers have begun learning new entrepreneurial concepts where they see quality control and marketing as key to selling their products.

Kratie Province – Chev Phin, a widow in Bos Leav commune, smiles whilst looking at her new white water filter.   “We were suffering from diarrhea and severe stomach pains when we did not have the water filter. However, now we have the water filter, our health is better,” she recalls.

Koh Kong Province – When So Phorn gave birth to her first child three years ago, she rode on the back of the motorbike driven by her neighbor from her house to a river where she was transferred onto a ferry to cross. At the other side of the river, she was loaded onto a rickshaw powered by a motorbike to go to a health centre in Boeung Preav commune. The trip took her nearly two hours to complete.

Phnom Penh–Despite feeling optimistic about the overall direction their country is taking, many young people of Cambodia still face challenges in seeking opportunities to meaningfully participate in the political and socio-economic life of Cambodia, said a new study of the United Nations Development Programme.

Kampong Cham Province – Kong Theara beamed broadly when she was handed a seaming machine as a special prize for graduating at the top of her sewing class. Giggling intermittently, she spoke of her plans to set up a tailor shop and about a new, better life that she hopes the business will bring.