http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/wfdd DC20007 Washington, 3307 MSt.NW World Faiths Development Dialogue | Suite200 Faith-Inspired Organizations & Development in Cambodia in Development & Organizations Faith-Inspired DIALOGUE DEVELOPMENT FAITHS WORLD November 2010 Development in Cambodia Faith-Inspired Organizations & WORLD FAITHS DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUE WORLD FAITHS DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUE COUNTRY REPORT | 2010 Faith-Inspired Organizations And Development In Cambodia November 2010 World Faiths Development Dialogue Faith-inspired OrganizatiOns and develOpment in CambOdia About this Report About the Authors This report reflects the conviction that religious The report reflects a year-long research project ideas, institutions, and leaders play critical roles undertaken by Augustina Delaney and Michael in Cambodia’s development but these are not well Scharff, WFDD Princeton in Asia Fellows; they are understood. The report represents a broad exploration the report’s principal authors. Thomas A. Bohnett, of the landscape that aims to support Cambodia’s Claudia Zambra, and Katherine Marshall provided development efforts but also to learn some global les- oversight and significant inputs. Esther Breger pro- sons. It represents a first effort of its kind, for WFDD vided material support in finalizing the document. and to our knowledge more broadly: this in-depth We recognize the special contributions of Bandol Lim, country review is designed to test both methodology Por Malis, Khong Pheng, Long Sarou, Ney Someta, and audience, eventually serving as an inspiration and and Khmerint, whose hard work allowed the authors model for other such efforts. The report was led by to deepen their understanding of Cambodian society. the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), whose creators were James D. Wolfensohn and Lord Augustina Delaney earned her B.S. in Biology in Carey of Clifton, and whose Executive Director is 2007 from Seattle University, where she worked as Katherine Marshall. The effort has involved partner- a teaching assistant, volunteering at a Children’s ships with the Princeton-in-Asia program, the Asian Regional Medical Center as a research assistant in her Faiths Development Dialogue (AFDD), the University spare time. Following graduation, she taught at the of Cambodia, and Georgetown University’s Berkley Asian University for Women in Bangladesh, where Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. The she also worked on curriculum and policy develop- report benefitted from comments received on an ment, before joining WFDD as a Princeton-in-Asia August 2010 draft. Fellow in August 2009. Photographs: Michael Scharff graduated from Princeton University Augustina Delaney and Michael Scharff in 2008, majoring in Politics. Following gradua- tion, Michael worked for the International Rescue Cover: Committee in Uganda, before joining WFDD as a Megan Clavier Princeton-in-Asia fellow in August 2009. He currently holds a position as a Senior Research Specialist at Cover photo: Venerable Huot Ve Ram teaching Princeton University’s Innovations for Successful students Buddhist chanting at Charay Svay school Societies. 3 WORLD FAITHS DEVELOPMENT DIALOgUe Table of Contents Foreword—The Country Vision . 9 Preface . 10 Executive Summary . 11 Abbreviations and Acronyms . 20 Glossary of Terms . 22 Introduction . 24 CHAPTER 1: Cambodia’s Religious Diversity and its Historical Setting . 31 Religious composition of modern Cambodian society . 31 Cambodia’s tortured past: religious threads . 32 Roles of non-Buddhist faith-inspired actors . 38 CHAPTER 2: Faith, Development, and Cambodia’s Development Challenges . 47 Why focus on faith and development? . 47 Rethinking development from a faith perspective . 48 Challenges of “mapping” Cambodia’s faith-inspired world: development challenges . 50 What distinguishes faith-inspired organizations? . 51 A proposed categorization of Cambodia’s faith inspired-organizations . 57 Faith-inspired organizations in modern Cambodian society . 57 CHAPTER 3: Buddhism and Development in Cambodia . 67 Buddhism from national, local, and international vantage points . 67 Cambodian Buddhism basics . 69 Special challenges at the community level . 71 The Pagoda . 72 Engagement of Buddhist structures—a survey . 76 Debates about Buddhism and its role in Cambodia’s development . 78 CHAPTER 4: Faith-Inspired Organizations and the Cambodian Millennium Development Goals . 83 Goal #1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger . 84 Goal #2: Achieve Universal Primary Education . 88 Goal #3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women . 98 Goal #4: Reduce Child Mortality . 102 Goal #5: Improve Maternal Health . 104 4 Goal #6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Other Diseases . 106 Goal #7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability . 117 Goal #8: Global Partnerships . 123 Goal #9: De-mining, UXO and Victim Assistance . 123 Additional Sectors Not Covered by the Millennium Development Goals . 126 CHAPTER 5: Financing . 139 Funding for faith-inspired development efforts . 139 Foreign financing: fixed-income and trade . 144 CHAPTER 6: Aid Effectiveness and Coordination . 145 Technical Working Groups . 147 The Global Fund’s Country Coordination Mechanism . 147 Networks . 148 Interfaith partnerships . 153 CHAPTER 7: Towards Conclusions and Recommendations . 155 Engaging the Buddhist Community . 155 Coordination—Get a Grip . 157 Tensions among Faiths—Is Interfaith Work a Solution? . 158 Corruption and Governance—Where are the Faith Voices? . 158 Peacebuilding and Development . 160 Appendix A: Trends in Development Assistance . 162 Appendix B: Breakdown of Official Development Assistance . 163 Appendix C: Aid Disbursements by Province . 163 Appendix D: Aid Disbursements by Sector . 163 Appendix E: Funding by Organization . 164 Appendix F: List of Individual Interviews . 166 Bibliography . 170 5 WORLD FAITHS DEVELOPMENT DIALOgUe Tables and Boxes Box 1: Cambodian History: Brief Time Highlights . 28 Table 1: Religious Affiliation in Cambodia . 32 Table 2: Geolinguistic Classification of the Main Indigenous Populations in Cambodia . 44 Table 3: Cambodia’s Development—Some Indicators . 48 Box 2: What Does Development Mean? . 52 Box 3: What Motivates Your Development Work? . 59 Box 4: Hiring Practices . 65 Box 5: Animist and Hindu Traditions in Buddhism . 70 Box 6: Reducing Barriers to Education: Schools Where There Were None . 77 Box 7: Buddhism and Society Development Association . 79 Box 8: Yejj, Christian Social Enterprise . 90 Box 9: Por Thom Elderly Association (PTEA) . 91 Box 10: Life and Hope Association . 96 Box 11: CORDE, Teacher Training School . 97 Box 12: Maryknoll Deaf Development Program . 98 Box 13: Heifer International: Projects Focused on Women . 100 Box 14: Islamic Local Development Organization and its Women’s Program . 101 Box 15: ADRA and Child Health . 103 Box 16: Wat Opot Children’s Community . 112 Box 17: Buddhist Leadership Initiative . 114 Box 18: American Friends Service Committee and Integrated Development . 120 6 Box 19: Tree Ordinations . 121 Box 20: Bonlok Khmer’s Work with Indigenous Populations . 122 Box 21: The Arrupe Center for Kids . 123 Box 22: Jesuit Services: Assisting Landmine Victims . 125 Box 23: Agape Restoration Centers for Victims of Trafficking . 128 Box 24: Inside the Brothels . 129 Box 25: Hagar: Healing and Reintegration for Trafficked Persons . 130 Box 26: Reintegrating Orphans into the Community . 134 Box 27: Maha Ghosananda and the Dhammayietra . 137 Box 28: Peace and Development Volunteers . 138 Table 4: Disbursements and Projections 2004–2012 (USD Million) . 141 Box 29: Chab Dai Coalition against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation . 150 Box 30: A Multi-Faith Venture: The Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE . 159 7 FOreword The Country Vision his report represents a pioneering effort to these challenges also play out day by day in immensely “map” the extraordinary array of faith-inspired practical and difficult ways, in communities across tdevelopment work and ideas in one country. Cambodia, demanding approaches that respond to The choice of Cambodia for this endeavor reflects Cambodian norms and culture, and build on the the country’s remarkable openness to religion across nation’s unique history. many dimensions, and the wide range of development challenges that the country now faces. Cambodia is The remarkable insights that emerged from WFDD’s a country at a cross-roads, with a grim immediate year-long exploration confirmed our expectation that past behind it, a deeper history woven from diverse there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to be experience and cultures, and the promise of an excit- tapped and a treasure-trove of ideas and insights to ing path lying immediately ahead. WFDD set out learn from Cambodia’s experience. We also stand to learn how religion is part of this special national to learn from the challenges that many of the faith- challenge, and thus what we might learn by examining, inspired actors present to conventional development in a detail never attempted before, the perspectives thinking. The task that lies ahead now is to translate of all the differing faith-inspired actors, individually these findings into policy wisdom and into practi- and as a common community. cal ideas for future action. WFDD is committed to pursue a path that will seek to learn from the work WFDD has, from its inception twelve years ago, that faith-inspired organizations do. That is our vision sought to address the most demanding global chal- and our mission. lenges, poverty and inequity especially. But we have