Like many Cambodians, I’m noticing changes in the weather in my country. The temperature is getting hotter, floods and storms are happening more frequently, and our dry season is longer than ever before.

With 75% of the population living in rural areas and relying on farming or fishing to make a living, these weather changes are already having a big impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.

I helped conduct BBC Media Action’s newly-published research exploring how people across Cambodia are experiencing these weather changes, and whether or not they’re doing anything about them. The report outlines priority audiences, the challenges they are facing in responding to climate change, and tips for how media professionals can communicate climate issues to them more effectively.

We interviewed 1660 people across five regions of Cambodia, and conducted in-depth community discussions. Most people (85%) who we surveyed felt that the weather changes could be having an effect on their health. When I visited Anlong Raing community in the Tonle Sap region, for instance, many people told me they thought their children had been getting diarrhoea more often, and in some cases more serious diseases like Typhoid.

People also felt that weather changes were affecting their income (81%), and what’s more, we discovered that rather than take simple steps such as changing their farming methods, people were more likely to make big life changes in order to get by - 33% said they had changed their job as a result.

Transforming lives through TV

That’s where our brand new TV documentary series – Don’t Wait For Rain – comes in. Informed by our research, the show aims to improve knowledge of climate risks and encourage Cambodians to make easy and affordable changes to become more resilient to the changing climate.

We filmed in locations across Cambodia to showcase the real weather issues people are facing – from flash flooding in the mountainous area of Kampong Speu province to lower fishing yields in the Tonle Sap.

Providing role models to encourage action

For me, one of our most interesting findings is that there is often a social barrier to adapting to climate change. In our survey, 37% of respondents said that they weren’t responding to climate change due to being fearful of discussing actions with others, and 35% said that it didn’t fit with their religious beliefs or community culture.

This was an important insight which we reported to the TV production team. We knew that trust would be a key factor when helping people adapt to new techniques, and that audiences would need to see people they could relate to in the show adapting successfully to be encouraged to try it out for themselves.

That’s why in each episode we pair up an ‘impact’ community struggling to cope with the weather with local experts who have overcome climate challenges.

For example, in one episode, audiences see a female farmer called Ming Mao who lives in Central Cambodia. Ming Mao felt helpless when all of her crops were washed away by flood waters, an increasingly common risk in her region. We paired her with a local expert who teaches her how to build a raised vegetable garden to grow food above flood levels. When she’s revisited later in the episode after another flooding, Ming Mao’s new garden has remained completely untouched!

A more resilient future

My hope is that Don’t Wait For Rain proves to be a hit with our audiences and helps them to better cope with the weather challenges we’re currently facing, and will face in the future. I also hope that other media organisations will use our research findings to tailor their own communications, helping even more Cambodians to adapt.

At the very least, I believe the show will prompt awareness of these weather changes and lead to families and communities questioning what more they could do to prepare for further unpredictability. But of course, what I really want is for people to take action!

--

Khuon Chandore is the former Research Manager for BBC Media Action Cambodia.

Our factual TV series Don’t Wait For Rain is on air nationally in Cambodia from late February until May 2019. The show is part of our Neighbours Together project, funded by Sida, which also includes outreach activities and social media.

To discover more about how people from other countries in Asia are experiencing climate change, check out our Data Portal where you can find further data from our Climate Asia series.

Young people were soon happily crowding around the main stage for the music, singing, magic shows and dancing. Our popular MCs, including a well-known Klahan9 presenter, did a great job getting the crowd involved by inviting people on stage to share their own stories. Our partners joined us on stage encouraging young people to be Klahan (brave) in pursuing the job they want.

I’m so happy we are able to reach and inspire people in remote areas who would not otherwise have access to this kind of information. As Youm told me, “the roadshow games are fun and educational which makes me brave to pursue my dream.”

Being brave and achieving one’s dreams is what Klahan9 is all about.

For International Women’s Day (8 March 2016), YoKi – a writer and director for TV series Love 9 – describes how the women who inspire her work are “everyday superheroes”.

I'm one of a very small number of female TV directors in Cambodia.

My work helps raise awareness of the issues facing women. Until recently, I produced a youth TV series called Love9, consisting of a 30-minute drama and a 15-minute discussion programme featuring sexual health experts. Using drama to tackle sexual health issues is really effective because everyone loves a good love story!

On a personal level I hope I can inspire women to do what they want, even if it's taking a traditionally male career path like directing. Women need to work in the media industry to make sure there's a female voice out there.

In Cambodia, when it comes to sex, there are many customs about what women can and can’t do. Even talking about it on TV was a first. Sometimes people thought we were too bold - featuring taboo topics in our Love9 storylines. But by confronting these taboos, Love9 is also empowering young women with solutions.

For Valentine’s Day, we produced a wonderful video addressing the pressures women face on this day. Young women can often be shy when talking about sexual issues. With the help of well known young Cambodians, the film helped provide a new perspective on the rights and choices people have before consenting to sex.

Each week we receive hundreds of comments on social media from people who are inspired by our female role models. It makes me proud to see the show so positively embraced by society, especially the younger generation – who are my inspiration.

Super women

Stories need heroes, but in Cambodian films or dramas, they are almost exclusively men. I’m thankful that I get to write and direct parts for women – super women – who often face tough choices in their relationships, about contraceptives, their sexual partners and their lives.

One day, I hope our society will be in a place where both men and women work together equally. But for now, what I do makes a difference in encouraging women – all those real super heroes – to be brave talking about sensitive issues in their lives and to make safer choices.

Read more inspiring stories of how women around the world are using media to make waves.

Making Waves in Libya: Libya's story       
Making Waves in Nepal: Bidhya’s story
Making Waves in Tanzania: Meena’s story
Making Waves in Sierra Leone: Bisi’s story
Making Waves in South Sudan: Winnie's story
Making Waves in Kenya: Stellah's story
Making Waves in Somalia: Yasmin's story

The presenter of Love9 looks at why Valentine’s Day in Cambodia is the perfect time to talk about sexual and reproductive rights.

Valentine’s Day is extremely popular in Cambodia. But the celebration isn’t always a happy one. Here’s why.

‘Valentine’ in Khmer is ‘songsar’, which can roughly be translated as ‘sweetheart’ or ‘someone I want to marry’. To call your partner your ‘songsar’ hints at something more than just a cute expression of commitment; it implies an expectation of sex. And in Cambodia, Valentine’s, or ‘songsar’ Day has been blamed for a rise in young women being pressurised into unprotected sex or assault by their partners.

When I first heard about this trend, I was shocked. If I had a partner, there would be no way I would pressure them into doing something they didn’t want to do. For me, Valentine’s Day is about respecting the people I love.

Last year I shared the love on Valentine’s Day by giving flowers and chocolates to my mother and sister.

A radio show about sex

This year, I’m marking Valentine’s Day by presenting a radio show about sex, and aiming to encourage people to talk about it.

Love9 is the only radio and TV show about sexual and reproductive health for young people in Cambodia. This is important – talking about sex is still a taboo for many people in Cambodia – leaving many in the dark about what to do in situations where sex is involved. The show is hugely popular, with nearly 500,000 followers on Facebook, and twice as many views on YouTube.

Its popularity makes me very happy. We believe that the more young people speak openly about sex, the more information they’ll have to make the right choices to protect themselves, and their sweethearts.

The programme is presented by a young team (I’m just turning 23 myself) using music, drama, comedy and light hearted discussion with celebrities and guests to get young people talking about issues such as contraceptives, sexual orientation and consent.

Our upcoming episode looks at the pressures young people face to have sex on Valentine’s Day (watch the film below); and how parents can have a role in advising their children about sex and contraception – something that is still very unusual in Cambodia.

We’re not about telling parents and children what’s right and wrong on our show. We want to let ‘songsars’ know that they have options on Valentine’s Day. If they don’t want to have sex, they shouldn’t be pressured into it. And if they do choose to have sex, they should do so safely.

Related links

Read more about our work in Cambodia
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Red carpet, flashing cameras and glamorously dressed people – no, it’s not the Oscars, but the launch of the second series of Love9, a hugely popular TV show addressing sexual and reproductive health issues for young Cambodians through discussion and drama. To welcome the new series, I joined four members of the Love9 cast at one of the biggest cinemas in Phnom Penh for its first screening.

A few months into the series and we’re as popular as ever. Aired on MyTV and CTN, the most popular TV channels in Cambodia, the programme reaches millions of people each week.

In the new series – which includes a 30 minute drama and a 15 minute discussion with presenters and sexual health experts – we follow the lives of characters as they navigate the highs and lows of their relationships and deal with common issues surrounding sexual health such as contraceptives, multiple sexual partners, sexual orientation and consent.

An explosive argument

In a recent episode focused on violence against women, the main character Vandy, while socialising with her friends, is asked by her drunk husband to have sex. Angry and embarrassed, Vandy refuses – leading to an explosive argument between the couple. In the morning, Vandy’s husband realises his mistake and desperately works to apologise and repair their relationship. In the discussion part of the programme, a gender expert explored why domestic violence happens and its emotional, mental and physical consequences.

While writing and directing for Love9, young people are constantly in the forefront of my mind. The programme aims to help young people to be brave when talking about sensitive topics such as love and sex with their families and friends. In particular, many young girls can be shy when talking about sex with their loved ones. We hope to break this barrier by educating young people in entertaining ways about sexual and reproductive health and rights so they can confidently make healthier and better choices in their lives.

Sex on TV

It’s heartening to see how far we’ve come since the first series. When we first started, some people were surprised to see a program about sex on TV. They felt that talking about it might encourage more young people to have sex.

The popularity of the programme as space for discussion has proved them wrong. We receive hundreds of comments on social media each week from people sharing their views on topics raised in the programme – and telling us what they’ve learned.

As one audience member said on Facebook: “I really like the performance of the Love9 actors and actresses. Even though I’m young, the program helps educate me to understand sexual and reproductive health more clearly.”

I hope audiences will continue to enjoy the new series. As a result of the programme, more people will have better knowledge about their sexual and reproductive health and rights – and be able to discuss these issues more easily with their family and peers.

Love9 airs on MyTV every Friday at 7pm with a repeat broadcast on Saturday at 5pm. The project is funded by USAID and UNFPA.

Related links

Read more about our work in Cambodia
Read more about Love9
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In celebration of International Youth Day, Sok Phalyka looks at how BBC Media Action’s new radio programme in Cambodia is helping improve young people’s job prospects.

Ever since I was very young (I’m now 23), I’ve had a love for film, TV and radio. Hollywood blockbusters are my guilty pleasure and I’ll listen to music on the radio for hours on end. So when I first started thinking about a career, I naturally wanted to follow my passions by studying media at university. But, my parents wouldn’t support my decision – Cambodia has had a difficult history with journalist safety – they were afraid for my welfare.

Working in media

Fortunately, I developed good negotiation and research skills during my schooling. These tools would help convince my parents that ‘working in media’ was a diverse, respectable (and now safe) line of work – and not just the territory of traditional news journalism. After much discussion they were finally happy for me to follow my dreams and enroll into a media degree at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

Unlike many other young people in my position, I was lucky to have learnt these skills. Lack of career advice and confidence can limit young people’s chance to make a case to their families (and potential employees) about their future. I’ve always asked myself, ‘How can I help other young Cambodians facing the same problems as I once had?’ Fortunately, through my job as radio manager for Klahan9 (meaning Brave9), a new youth employment radio programme, I’m in a position to help.

Brave

Klahan9 is a youth-led, weekly radio programme aiming to improve the employment prospects of young people in Cambodia. Through call-ins, drama, live events, gameshows and interviews with experts, Klahan9 provides young people with advice ranging from training opportunities, job hunting and CV writing to interview skills, workplace safety and employee rights.

With this information, Klahan9 is helping young people make better, bolder and most of all, braver decisions in pursuit of their dreams.

Happy International Youth Day!

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Read more about Klahan9
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The Loy9 team here in Phnom Penh are getting used to rising to a challenge. Last year, as a finale to our first TV series, we broke the world record for the largest ever Madison dance. But this time we had set ourselves a far harder task. This time, we needed to get 999 people to donate blood in nine different locations in Cambodia in just nine days.

Called Loy999, the blood drive was the second Big Challenge of our multimedia youth project Loy9, which encourages young Cambodian people to contribute to society and become involved in local and national decision making. 

And as the event manager for Loy9, it was my job to make sure that our events across the country attracted enough blood donors to hit our target. 

The challenge

We knew it wasn't going to be easy. Last year we succeeded in getting over 900 young people to come and dance the Madison in a windy square in Phnom Penh. But that was just convincing people to come and dance – giving blood is altogether another matter! 

Not only are people often afraid of needles but in Cambodia, some people also think blood donation can make you ill and that you won’t recover after donation.

So the most important thing we had to communicate to young people was how giving blood is safe, not painful and a chance for people to really contribute to society.

How we did it

Our first step was to spend a month brainstorming ideas about how to make each blood drive an event young people wouldn’t miss.

And while we came up with ideas for the events themselves, we were careful to do the groundwork by identifying useful partners and making sure young people in our nine target locations - Battambang, Siem Reap, Kompong Cham, Sihanoukville, and three different places in Phnom Penh City - knew as much about blood donation as possible.

We teamed up with Cambodia's National Blood Transfusion Centre (NBTC) and the United Nations Volunteers programme, and also partnered with local hospitals and other organisations who could host the drives.

Then we lined up workshops across the country covering what people can expect when they give blood, the health and safety facts about donation - and, of course, how it can save lives.

We also showed clips at the workshops from our much-loved TV drama, in which the drama’s main character Metrey successfully persuades her fellow students to donate blood on Valentine's Day to express their affection for their loved ones. 

And then a month before the event, I organised training for our volunteers so they knew all about blood donation and could answer donors' questions. 

The Big Challenge

But the real test was only just beginning: how do you get 999 people to show up to nine events and give blood in just nine days? The answer: put on a really good show.

So at each of the blood drives across Cambodia, not only did we play clips of the Loy9 TV show but we also had bands and singers performing live, dancing competitions and performances,  stand-up comedy acts, games hosted by the Loy9 presenters - and even a magic show! 

The audience filled out registration forms and completed a health test before donating blood and then having a drink and some food - all while enjoying the performances on stage. 

The 999th donor

But then it was our ninth and final day and we only had one hour left to hit our target.

But suddenly, the excitement mounted as word got round that the 999th blood donor was getting ready and the Loy9 team ran to interview him.

17-year-old Chan Ratana had never given blood before and as the nurse set up the equipment, his friends gathered around to cheer him on.

After he had given blood, he said, said "I'm fine and in fact, I feel great. I decided to come and volunteer for a blood donation because I wanted to help and support Loy9 and because I believe my friends. They told me that it doesn’t affect my health and it doesn’t hurt. Now I see that's true."

I told him that I couldn't agree more as I had just given blood that day for the very first time too!

With Ratana and all the other donors' help, we had done it: 999 donors in nine locations in just nine days.  All the preparation and hard work was worth it.

Related links

BBC Media Action's work in Cambodia

Loy9 

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One of the current aims of Loy9 is to explain what their National Assembly is, and this is where I come in. I lead the visual journalism editorial design team that creates information graphics for BBC News on mobile, tablet and PC, and earlier this year, I was invited to mentor the Loy9 team in producing infographics.

Before I knew it I was in Phnom Penh armed with post-it notes, marker pens, and mosquito repellent.

It was an incredible experience to arrive in the searing heat, and swap my normal London commute for a speedy £1 tuktuk ride and my cheese baguette lunch for an amok trey, a delicious fish curry.

But why infographics?

Well, they're great for getting around low literacy which is important for a rural Cambodian audience, who typically watch Loy9 on a small TV that runs off car batteries, and is shared between a few village homes.

They are visually stimulating and can bring order and simplicity even to huge, complex amounts of information – crucial when politics and government are not familiar concepts. They can make that information less threatening and more human in tone. And they're not expensive to produce.

Tutoring by YouTube

When I arrived, I was surprised at the technical ability of the team. While some had formal design training, many of them had taught themselves advanced techniques from YouTube tutorials.

I realised that the most useful thing I could share with the team was my knowledge of the creative process. Among all the YouTube tutorials, you can't really find guidance on the best process to follow to get from a design problem to an effective design.

I explained to the team that I wanted to follow a problem-solving process commonly used in design that draws on what we call "divergent and convergent thinking".

"Divergent thinking" means generating and exploring as many solutions as possible. So the team began by gathering dozens of facts about the National Assembly.

They then "converged" – ie agreed the single best solution – by selecting the few key facts that we would include in the infographic.

The team diverged again by each creating their versions of the graphic, and then converged by deciding on the strongest version.

We spent two days working very hard on the production of three different graphics, during which I spent a lot of time directing the team in maintaining visual simplicity and consistency.

Our graphics relied on a range of icons to represent things like school, voters, representatives and the National Assembly. We wanted to be confident the audience understood these icons, so decided to run some user testing.

Testing under trees

The team set off in pairs, managing to interview 30 people despite the legendary wet season rain forcing them to shelter under trees during parts of the interviews.

Now that we had the guidance from the audience, we could converge our design thinking.

We worked up one final sketch of the structure of the graphic and then a final sketch for each of the icons. This formed the basis for the digital version of our graphic that appeared in three TV episodes of Loy9, each of which were viewed by at least 2 million people.

It was great to get the chance to show everyone the process of divergent and convergent thinking, as this process can be applied to help solve any creative challenge; from designing Loy9 T-shirts, to deciding what merchandising campaign to run.

My two weeks with the team were just the first step in the training process. I have continued to make myself available to them, and have kept them up to date with all the important developments in the BBC design teams, and wider infographic design community.

And I enjoyed the experience so much that I returned in February for a couple of weeks, but this time it was a holiday – the post it notes stayed in London!

Looking back on my time with the team, I am optimistic the infographics we created can help young Cambodians understand what the National Assembly is and why it matters.

A visually engaging, clear and simple presentation of the key facts, which can be understood even by people who cannot read, has to be one of the best ways to reach this audience.

A picture tells a thousand words no matter where you are in the world!

Related links

BBC Media Action's work in Cambodia

Visit the Loy9 YouTube channel.

Follow BBC Media Action on Twitter and Facebook

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The second series of Loy9 TV has launched on MyTV in Cambodia, and I hope that millions of people tuned in to watch like they did with Series One.

The first episode showed how the whole community benefits when women participate.

As Assistant Producer on the TV drama, my job is to make the script and its themes visual. For example, in the drama in the first episode we feature a dancer who teaches other girls in her community. The other characters admire her because she is strong and independent.

Strong young women were also in the magazine segment of the show, where we saw a girl who is a star footballer and coaches other girls, young people participating in a camp where they learn about transparency, and a young woman who is part of the One Billion Rising campaign which uses public dance performances to raise awareness of violence against women.

I personally admired the woman who danced in the group because she used music and dance in public to attract attention and bring an important message to people. 

On Loy9 we always involve both male and female guests, presenters and characters. We prioritised International Women’s Day for the first episode because, in Cambodia, it is a day to think about how everyone should have  the same rights.  Not all the women here express themselves and men have more power, especially in rural areas. Many parents still give more value to boys than girls.

We also run a superhero competition to find the best idea for a community development programme. One entry, from a sixteen-year-old girl from the countryside could not get permission from her parents to come to Phnom Penh.  They were worried that their daughter couldn’t take care of her herself. She is a very smart girl and we knew she could prove herself if she had a chance, so we went and persuaded the parents to let her come, and she participated in the fun and educational event.

Before I joined BBC Media Action in November 2011, I had always worked with older people and sometimes I found it hard to communicate with them. Now, I feel that I have a lot of opportunities to learn, and I enjoy how we work in groups, talking freely and giving suggestions.

I have also learned a lot of technical skills. I have been most inspired by my colleague, Seangheang, a TV producer until recently on the show. She works so hard with the editor to finish her work and do it well, and she has told me that I can do the same to show that a woman can do their work as well as any man.  

At the launch event for Loy9 TV series two at a cinema in downtown Phnom Penh, I was so proud to watch the show that my colleagues and I worked so hard to make. And my proudest moment was when some people in the theatre asked why drama had to end, and begged me to say what happens in the next episode! Of course I told them, you will just have to watch next week to find out!

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Our work in Cambodia

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Two out of three Cambodians are under 30, but most don’t know how to get involved in important decisions in their communities.

Loy9, a TV show, radio programme, online and mobile project which aims to change that, has passed its important first anniversary milestone.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Loy9 aims help young people in my country to access information about civic life and discover opportunities to in the world beyond their homes and schools.

We also hold live events around the country to make sure the audience across Cambodia gets to meet us. And when the TV series is on air, the radio show covers the same topic and usually shares the same guests.

I’ve been here since its launch and the first year has passed in just the blink of an eye.

So what has changed since it started?

Well, take Sophea, the live producer of the very first show. I would say he has grown up a whole lot. I remember he was quite nervous during the first show because, as the live producer, he always has to be super-flexible, calm and most importantly he must make sure that everything runs smoothly.

But it is worth it – you can see this from the satisfaction on Sophea’s face as he watches the famous Cambodian singer Pou Khlaing when he appeared as our special studio guest.

The audience loves it when we have famous stars on Loy9, and the celebrities are really supportive of our work to help youth in Cambodia get more involved. 

As for the two young presenters, Anni and Pheap have changed so much in the past year. They are so confident – no longer shocked when time is running out, or the guest talks too long, or even while a call is suddenly disconnected!

We all understand the pressure of doing a live show. So many things to talk about - so many headaches. But if you ask the team, I am confident that everyone will say they love what they have been through.

We do not yet know the exact number of people in our audience each week because there is no system for gathering those figures in Cambodia. We will do our own survey later this year.  

But what we do know is at least 2300 callers called this one hour weekly show between January 2012 and January 2013. Many of them were able to tell us what they thought and also what was happening in their daily lives in relation to the topics of the show.

We had just over 60 guest speakers during the first year – and each put a smile on our faces. People might think they were just people who happened to come to talk but actually they were selected and considered very carefully by the live producer each week from several possible options.

As a Cambodian and a BBC programme maker, the Loy9 radio show has made me proud! I am glad that I get to serve my people by entertaining them and making them think and learn more about meaningful youth participation.

Many of the young people in my country do not get the chance to help develop this country. There were also times when we felt that making the show was too difficult. But we are doing what we love and this is what brings us back with a smile, ready to face the new day.

Elsewhere on BBC Media Action

Find out more about the Loy9 project

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On a stormy day in April, almost 1000 young people gathered in Wat Batum Park in central Phnom Penh to try something that had never been done before. For exactly five minutes, and observed by dozens of independent witnesses, they performed in perfect unison a line-dance called 'The Madison'… and set a new Guinness World Record in the process.

The dance event was timed to mark the end of the first series of hit youth TV programme Loy9. Launched in Cambodia in January 2012, Loy9 has seen audiences of up to two and a half million viewers on TV, and the participation of thousands of young people on its radio phone-in shows, online discussions and other live events around the country.

While verification of the record took some time, it comes just as we have secured the agreement on broadcasting a second series that will launch in March 2013. Series Two of Loy9 will continue to help young people get involved in their local community, and to understand their electoral process in time for the July 2013 national elections.

So, why a mass dance event? Well, because having dealt with topics like local governance and debating complex social issues, Loy9 wanted to end its TV series with a celebration of young people’s ability to take on major challenges, and a reminder that participation in public life is fun and beneficial.

And why the Madison, rather than a traditional Khmer dance? The Madison originated in the US and became particularly popular in France, but since the 1960s Cambodians have taken to it like it is their own. It is performed at weddings and other celebrations all over the country. Most people in the country therefore know the basic moves, so it was a realistic goal to have a massive Madison dance as the big finish to the first TV series. And the fact that it is also danced in a number of other countries means that 'Largest Madison' is a recognised category with Guinness World Records®.

Cambodia is a country still recovering from decades of conflict, and commentators generally agree that space for public participation and freedom of expression are limited. Our own research also shows that young people’s engagement in civic life is usually minimal; few have significant experience expressing their opinions, talking about their achievements, or having a say in how their communities are run. Outside of school and the home, young people tend to keep quiet.

Loy9 aims to change that - safely and sensitively. The programmes we are making now will give young people a better understanding of topics such as what their local government and the national Parliament do, how to register to vote, and what opportunities exist to use the arts and media to express their opinions, form networks or carry out research. This in turn will help young Cambodians to take part in - perhaps even lead - cultural and sporting activities, local development projects, and both traditional and new media.

When we got together this week to celebrate receiving the official recognition of our achievement, DJ Khlaing also turned up. A nationally celebrated hip hop artist and esteemed 'Loy9er' (he wrote and recorded the Loy9 theme-tune entirely pro bono), he said to me, "The world already knows Cambodia through culture and Angkor Wat. Today we have come together to make the world know us for our youth activities. I strongly believe that we can break another record, when we work together and learn from each other".

To me, that's Loy9 in a nutshell – learning, achieving, supporting self-belief, and working together to create a place for young people’s meaningful (and fun) participation.

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Elsewhere on BBC Media Action:  

Our work in Cambodia

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"Fan-tas-tic!"

A new word has caught on in the classroom.

Around 40 teenage Cambodian students sit at their fixed wooden desks, listening and singing along to a new series of the radio programme English Is Fun.

"How's it going today? Fantastic!" they sing-come-yell in unison with the singer, clearly enjoying this way of learning.

And it's a relief. Using music to teach English is still something very new in Cambodian state schools and it's taken seven months to put the series together, scripting, pre-testing and evaluating along the way.

I work for BBC Learning English and since 2010 we have partnered with BBC Media Action to produce three series of English Is Fun, 120 programmes in all and funded by The Nippon Foundation of Japan. They are designed to help Cambodian students with their English speaking and listening skills in an engaging and interactive way, using songs, quizzes, pronunciation sections and the voices of native speakers of English.

There is also a storyline which follows Cambodian schoolgirl Devi and her friends as they journey through rice fields and jungles on a quest to open a mysteriously carved box. They are helped by their talkative buddy Mr Parrot, who finds love on the journey.

These programmes help meet a dire need for teaching materials in Cambodian schools, which are seriously underfunded. Of course things have come a long way from the Khmer Rouge period (1975-1979) during which all schools were closed and many teachers persecuted or killed. These days, teachers suffer from poor pay and most schools have no electricity or running water.

With English Is Fun, teachers tune in to the radio programme at an assigned time and listen and interact together with the students. They then do a series of follow-up games and activities so students practise what they have learned.

It’s a model that seems to be working. One of our stakeholders, the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport conducted an assessment of speaking and listening skills, comparing students who were using the programme with students who are not. Their figures show English Is Fun students performed an average of three times better in speaking tests and four times better in listening tests.

We've been working with the ministry to ensure our programmes mirror the state curriculum for English, and are also culturally appropriate. We’ve also been working with ESC "Kizuna", the non-governmental-organization, who are responsible for implementing the school side of the project, and producing textbooks to accompany the radio programmes.

 

For me, the best part about this project has been this spirit of working together. By bringing together two BBC departments, three talented young Cambodian producers and scores of teachers, ministry officials and our Japanese donors and partners, I think we have crafted something that can help inspire students now and for years to come.

The next practical step is to get these programmes made part of the state syllabus nationwide, so every Cambodian student going through school grades 7, 8 and 9 would use them.

If we can achieve that, it really would be "fantastic."

The new series of English is Fun started on Monday 8 October and is broadcast nationwide in Cambodia on AM on three local FM stations.

Related links

BBC Learning English

The Nippon Foundation 

Elsewhere on BBC Media Action:  

Our work in Cambodia

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International Youth Day is right around the corner, so I'd like to look at the situation of young people in Cambodia and the impact we could have if we all could just find out a way to get involved.

Throughout my life in Cambodia, never once did I realise that my country has the youngest population in Southeast Asia, with about 66% of the population of 14 million under 30.

Despite the huge youth population, the level of civic engagement of young people here in Cambodia is really low. Most young people – and most of my friends – have very little knowledge of simple civic facts, such as what the parliament or the local government is, and they have little experience of participating in life outside home and school.

They either don't have access to that kind of information or they just don’t care. In the end it all comes down to the fact that we don’t think it's important enough.

On the contrary, youth participation is extremely important, especially in a country with as many young people as ours. Let's say 66% of the Cambodian population don't go out there and get involved in their community and make something of themselves – where would we be five years from now?

Those 8.5 million young people are our country's main human resource. In a few years, we'll become the leaders and the brains of Cambodia.

The next step is to get this message across to all of Cambodia's young people. And that is where our project called Loy9 comes in.

I am a presenter on Loy9 which combines a TV magazine show, a radio phone-in program, online content and live events where we go to meet young people in different provinces and get them involved.

In Loy9 we cover topics such as the simple ways youth can participate in their community and what the local government is and what it does. In the months ahead we are going to talk about the idea of democracy and the role of the Cambodian parliament.

The first series of the TV show was a big success and had about 2.5 million viewers per week. We are now in production for the second series. With the popularity of the campaign still increasing, we are able to reach more people and spread the word regarding the significance of civic engagement.

And this weekend Loy9's radio and online teams will be featuring guest speakers and bloggers from the International Youth Day organisers in Phnom Penh to encourage young people to participate.

I believe I share the same dream as all of our Loy9 teams here. We hope that by the end of this project we can take a stroll down the street and ask any young person about basic civic facts or how they participate in public life and they will make us proud.

That is the kind of future for Cambodia that we envision and we are working hard to achieve. Come on, guys, let's go out there and start getting involved. Happy International Youth Day!

 

Related links

Loy9 website

The Loy9 YouTube channel

International Youth Day – Sunday 12 August 2012

Elsewhere on BBC Media Action: 

'Bright Spots' inspire young Cambodians in Loy9 show

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