CSARO goal: Assist residents to improve their community infrastructure, solid waste management and hygiene knowledge. Improve the communities capacity to develop itself for a sustainable future

CSARO helps low-income communities in establishing mechanisms for responding to their own needs, particularly those that affect their environment, health and sanitation conditions. Through the establishment of community development committees (CDC), they are able to identify these needs and arrive at workable solutions to improving their situation. The CDC facilitates planning, resource mobilization and implementation of small infrastructure projects which are envisioned to improve the health and safety of the entire community. CSARO provides continuous support through provision of training, conducting cross-community meetings and exchange visits for mutual learning.

Alleyway paving under construction

Community Development Committees

In 2005, CSARO staff facilitated the formation of 4 new CDCs, bringing the number of CDCs formed since the program began to a total of 43. CDCs are formed through an election process whereby residents choose community representatives who are then tasked with collecting socio-economic information about residents, facilitating discussions on the community's situation, and identifying community needs. Once these tasks were completed, the CDC's participate in meetings with CSARO to assess community improvement priorities and identifying resources to enable its implementation.

In the past year, four quarterly meetings were conducted with 67 CDC participants. The meetings also provided an opportunity for CDC members and the CSARO staff to exchange ideas and share feedback. Discussion topics included:

• Brainstorming achievement activities in communities
• Developing strategy plans for communities
• Accessing clean water and paving of alleyways
• Understanding community contributions and bookkeeping
• Involving and communicating with local authorities and other NGOs

Alleyway paving after completion

Training Workshops

A vital aspect of CSARO's community work is training, which builds the skills and capacity of CDC's and their communities to take responsibility for continuing improvements to their environment. CSARO held three training workshops for CDC members, covering the topics of urban community development skills, community leadership and budget planning. There were 64 participants in total.

Community Exchange Visits

Three community exchange visits were conducted in 2005. The purpose of the visits was for new CDCs to learn lessons from communities who have worked closely together to respond to their own infrastructure needs and how they have achieved fruitful collaborations with local authorities. A total of 74 CDC members participated in the community exchange program. For many this was the first time they would have visited another community to learn from them in this way, and they were able to take back valuable lessons about how to improve their own area, as well as building relationships with others on the visit.

Ribbon cutting and inauguration of alleyway paving

Small Infrastructure

In 2005, CSARO also continued to assist communities in completing small infrastructure projects:

Paving

608m2 of road and alleyways were paved in two communities, benefiting over 500 people. The result has been a cleaner and more sanitary environment for residents of these communities. The community provided 67% of the costs including labor, while CSARO covered the remaining cost.

Community based waste storage center

CSARO worked with three communities (2322 people) to discuss, plan and gain permissions to build a waste storage center. The work involved filling the site and building a wall round the facility, new toilets and a water tank as well as rebuilding 2 waste separating buildings, 2 store rooms, and 1 office room. The communities provided 84% of the cost and CSARO the remaining amount. The center was opened in July and is the base for waste collection and sorting activities in these communities.

Inauguration ceremony for alleyway paving

Community Clean Water System

CSARO helped one community gain access to piped clean water. The CDC worked with CSARO in preparing and submitting an application to the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA). Once the application was approved, the PPWSA installed 40 meters of water pipes and 21 water meters. Piped water was provided to 21 households with 172 people. The communities provided 94.64% of the cost of this project and CSARO supported 5.35%. Now they have access to good clean water for the first time.

School waste store rooms

CSARO worked with two schools to discuss, plan and construct waste store rooms. The communities provided over 40% of the funding while CSARO covered the remaining cost. The store rooms have been completed, providing a cleaner environment for over 1000 students who use these schools.

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