The project will support video and audio production by indigenous peoples in remote northeastern Cambodia. This is so they can document their issues across language barrier (by using dubbing and sub-titling) and upload the video on blogs and websites to reach both national and international audiences.
This possible now because a small number of indigenous people have learnt video and audio production, a community advisory group formed, and an indigenous peoples’ media support NGO is being created.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Ratanakiri province
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
Indigenous people in northeast Cambodia are extremely marginalized. During consultations conducted in 2010 it was revealed that to 80% of community people cannot speak the national language. Also present were deep concerns over natural resources alienation, lack of access to education and health services as well as a critical shortage of accurate and independent information. Land alienation, particularly disputes between marginalized communities and powerful interests, was the most frequently expressed concern and there was a consensus that it had reached a critical stage. . All indigenous groups reported that communities are ignored, and that their lack of access to media is severe. The way forward is thought to be promoting appropriate and empowering media through “community ownership”.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
Ms. Pry Phally Phuong, Executive Director, BCV.
Mr. Ran Sopheak Pagna, Community Media Coordinator, BCV. https://www.facebook.com/Pagna.Kh?fref=ts
Mr. Naung Sam Oeung, Provincial Program Coordinator , BCV . https://www.facebook.com/samoeung.naung?fref=ts
*BCV= Building Community Voices
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The content will be set by the “Promoting Indigenous Voice” groups. Their main concern is that people outside of their indigenous areas are aware of understand indigenous culture and the impacts of development on indigenous peoples’ lives.
The major impacts are land grabbing and land concessions. Quite simply, indigenous people are being removed from their land. This is explained in a report to the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination found at the BCV website:
http://www.bcv-cambodia.org/lib_doc.php
Priorities for the first stories include the indigenous religion and beliefs systems, indigenous land issues and the role of community media in indigenous peoples affairs.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
One staff member of Building Community Voices (BCV) is an indigenous person from Ratanakiri. He is fluent in 2 indigenous languages, Khmer and English and is trained in video production. His job has been training other indigenous peoples in these skills.
He and others, supported by BCV, will start an indigenous peoples’ media support organisation expected to start operating in 2012. Until then, the program will be administered by BCV.
This fits with BCV mission:
•Community are self-reliant and lead their development in sustainable manner. Communities are linked and networked into a vibrant civil society. BCV is also considered the best organisation to support, because BCV is flexible and skilled in the area of supporting community voice.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
There are approximately 114 key focal people involved in “Promoting Indigenous Voices” in Ratanakiri. The approach taken is to operate with many volunteers and only use support allowances for people who cannot survive without them. Community ownership is important and will be the focus of the work – community people decide the priorities and the NGO just support that. It is important to note, however, that the activities will require some ongoing support.The program will also link in with regional and international indigenous peoples media movements in an attempt to access longer term support.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
The plans are to use a medium-quality video camera. A standard desktop computer will be used for editing. It is important to keep the technology as simple and accessible as possible.
The choice of not using a flip camera, which is cheaper, is that they have proven to easily break in the conditions present in Ratanakiri. Also, by using a higher quality camera, products will be more open to sharing through other avenues, such as film festivals.
BCV main program will support the project with the skills and experience necessary to develop websites and blogs. BCV already has these skills available.Some support from Rising Voices may be required on how best to maximise exposure for the media produced by indigenous peoples. Linking to Raising Voices internet sites would be greatly appreciated
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
At the moment, in collaboration with EC and AIPP Communication for Empowerment unit, indigenous peoples are undertaking a review of the information and media needs of indigenous peoples in Ratanakiri province, Cambodia.
This is expected to ignite ongoing interest as many donors are interested in supporting improvements in governance and community media is an important part of that.
Around 4 computers, and internet connection using Dial-Up and USB modem.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
BCV is supporting Indigenous people in Ratanakiri province to have their own community media since 2010 with three main IP languages Tampeun, Kreung and Jarai. The three IP groups formed a media project called Promoting Indigenous Voices. Due to IP have less voices in public and they are not well-known by other people in countries and in the world they are venerable citizen in Cambodia. The Indigenous people are facing to many issues to the land, forest, culture lost, identity lost, health, education, livelihood and other natural resources.There are many NGOs in Ratanakiri working with IP to provide services on human rights, IP rights, and other laws related to IP, but up to today they still have issues. BCV build IP capacity to have their own media to strengthen their voices.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
There is a possibility that local authorities in indigenous peoples areas will try to prevent videos and audios being made. So far this has been dealt with by working on cultural videos and audios and building a positive relationship with authorities.
Another challenge is to get videos out to people. To assist with this, the project will coordinate with other programs, such as research on impacts of forced evictions by Amnesty International. By forming these links it should be possible to have indigenous people’s videos visible through AI websites and activities.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
A primary measure of the impacts will be the production of an expected 3 short videos and at least 15 audio stories. When these videos and audios are on internet, the number of views will be monitored.
There will be monitoring of the skills development of the community media producers.
At the end of the project, there will be a review workshop of the “Promoting Indigenous Voices” so they can report their experiences of the project. Of course, the meetings of PIV after each 1 videos and 5 are made, will also involve evaluations.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
The project would, if possible start at the beginning of June 2014. It is expected to run for 6 months. The program will have to be flexible responding to the availability of the people from “Promoting Indigenous Voices”.
As soon as possible after funding has been secured, a meeting of this group will be called and “Promoting Indigenous Voices” will set the details of stories to be made by the indigenous media producers. As each story is made it will be uploaded onto internet.
After each 3 videos and 15 audios are produced, there will be meetings of “Promoting Indigenous Voices” in order to review the work and set of the topic of the next 1 video.
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
1-Trainings, meetings and workshops 550 USD
2-Media prodection ( include travel, food and accommdation for Indigenous People community media team) 960 USD
3-Time for project coordinator 720 USD
Other cost such as internet will be paid by BCV.
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
It would be great is Rising Voices supported BCV and “Promoting Indigenous Voices” in getting the media made available to as wide an audience as possible.
Contact name
Ms. Pry Phally Phuong, Executive Director, BCV.
Organization
Building Community Voices (BCV)