Intern in Local Social Enterprise

35% of the Cambodian population lives under the poverty line ($1.25/day) – in order to strengthen the private sector and local economy, NGOs have begun setting up social enterprise in order to find sustainable solution to social or environmental problem.  A social enterprise uses revenue-generating strategies to directly serve its goal to create social value. This program will show us about how good work of local enterprise in Cambodia work it out. 

With a deep understanding of the challenges of rural living, some NGOs have set up this program in order to support rural communities through initiatives designed to put the community in charge of their future with the main areas of activity. Usually, we help the local business by supporting or help them to develop  business plan or some technical with their business. 

 Activities will vary day to day, depending on what is happening at the time of your placement. Normally, the working hours is from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm & 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. We are usually running multiple projects and programs at any one time, and so our team is often very busy! You can expect to get involved in activities that are mostly office-based, supporting the work of our team (rather than field work). We do not allow interns or volunteers to deliver workshops or work directly with our program participants, mainly due to language and cultural barriers (all of our programs are delivered by Khmer female professionals, in Khmer language, and tailored to Khmer culture). As an intern or volunteer, your role is to support our team in doing their work, and learning new knowledge and skills. This can mean supporting the development of program materials such as evaluation reports, collecting data, creating communications content, assisting with event organisation, or helping to develop new systems and processes.

Every volunteers will get the weekend off. There are many places volunteers can visit at the weekend including the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, Wat Phnom, National Museum, Killing Field... Volunteers can also travel by bus to visit many provinces at weekend or during national holiday such as to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat, the famous historical place or Sihahouk Vill and Kampot to see beaches. Phnom Penh is a very international city, you will find a lot of western bars, supermarkets offer western articels, and especially the riverside is the spot for diplomats, travellers and international ngo-workers. But of course, you will also find the Cambodian Culture everywhere in the city. Walk around the different markets, try the food of the food stalls at the street or just walk around the streets, there is really always something to explore. Phnom Penh is a good base for trips through the country as it is very central.