Cambodia has seen an increasing trend in migration over the last two decades pushed by better job prospects abroad and closer bilateral cooperation with neighbouring countries. Migrants make immense contribution to the Cambodian economy through regular remittances sent home and by enriching the labour market with skills picked up from abroad. Women are almost equal contributors to these benefits. Yet, they face disproportionate challenges in their migration journey and, when they return, faced with the family’s indebtedness and loss of income to repay their debts. Women migrant workers who returned to Cambodia due to the COVID-19 pandemic are more likely than men to face financial difficulties and be in debt[1]. According to the World Bank, the percentage of firms with female ownership in Cambodia is estimated the highest in the region[2]. Women’s ownership of businesses is highest in the micro- enterprise sector (62%), while only 26% of small and medium enterprises (SME) are owned by women[3]. In a post-COVID-19 environment, the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector is predicted to play an important role in socio-economic recovery, according to the Royal Government of Cambodia’s priority sectors for recovery. However, only a very small proportion of women entrepreneurs are well served in terms of financing their business, with most relying on family and informal sources, clearly indicating a gap in the provision of banking and microfinance institutions’ services. To minimize the overall economic impact, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) expedited rolling out a credit guarantee scheme to boost growth in the MSME sector. The sector is disproportionately made up of women entrepreneurs and is a major source of employment for women. A joint programme[4] implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and UN Development Programme (UNDP) aimed to modify the design of the policy and operations of the credit guarantee scheme to maximize the benefits to women entrepreneurs and employees and create more jobs, particularly for low skilled workers such as migrant women. A recent IOM report highlighted the urgent need to include reintegration pathways for returning migrant women to Cambodia, to enable them to contribute to the recovery in the MSME sector, considering the changes this sector is undergoing due to the impact of the pandemic. The economic empowerment effort should be set within an overall framework of an effective reintegration plan to ensure a smooth resettlement of the migrant women in the local economy and their social settings. Some of the small businesses set up by migrants before the pandemic continue to thrive and provide a much-needed economic contribution in their local communities. Here are three women working against the odds to run their businesses.   Sakheam Sakheam (aged 42) returned to Cambodia in late September 2019, a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic started. She and her husband, Nge, migrated to Thailand in 2003 and worked in many sectors ranging from agriculture and construction to food businesses. When Nge suffered a knee injury, the couple spent their savings on his treatment. As an undocumented worker in Thailand, Nge could not access any state support.   When it became clear that Nge would never fully recover from his injury which prevented him from returning to work, the couple decided to return to Cambodia and start their own business. “We agreed that we were too old to work for other people anymore,” said Sakheam, now back in Banteay Meanchey province, bordering the Thai province of Sa Kaeo. Having learned how to cook many traditional Thai dishes, Sakheam now runs her restaurant. Her cooking is recognized and admired by her neighbours and fellow villagers. She and her husband started their business by borrowing money from relatives and a bank. Despite the impact of the COVID-19, Sakheam’s business has been able to retain its regular customers and almost paid back her bank loan. Her goal is to invest in her business and expand the restaurant’s menu with time.   Sorida Sorida’s business is another example of a successful social enterprise. She started a natural beauty product business in 2019. Her entrepreneurship is fueled by her concern for her nieces and nephews when their parents migrate due to work reasons. “It broke my heart to see them feel lonely when their parents left to work in Thailand, and they had to stay here in Cambodia with their grandparents’’. She is keen to make a living here in Cambodia so that her nieces and nephews can stay with their parents and support their families in their home country.   Sorida also migrated herself to Thailand and after coming back after several months, she started her business by producing handmade facial soap from locally sourced ingredients. At the moment, the family business is run by three women, but Sorida plans to provide job opportunities to women, particularly migrant workers, as her business grows. By investing in learning new skills, Sorida’s business can now also supply a variety of products such as facial soap, facial oil, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, mosquito spray, and shower gel. Sorida recently participated in community outreach organized by IOM and the provincial employment agency aiming to improve migrants’ access to information on local employment opportunities. “Having the right skills and knowing the market is necessary when starting a business,” added Sorida. She also stressed the importance of following one’s passion, with commitment and hard work. “We all can start our business from existing resources at our disposal. We should not wait until we have everything: start first and learn along the way,” said Sorida.  She has now opened a shop in Phnom Penh and her products are available in many outlets across Cambodia. She hopes to set up a factory in Banteay Meanchey province where she can employ migrant workers and support many more households. Saroum Saroum (aged 42) is a successful entrepreneur from Banteay Meanchey province. His business makes products made from coconut, including coconut juice, coconut jelly, and coconut coffee, with products now available in three big cities across Cambodia. Saroum employs over 70 people in his company, most of whom are migrant workers who returned from abroad. He finds it easier to work with returned migrant workers from Thailand because he can relate to their experience. Before starting his food business in 2019 in Banteay Meanchey, Saroum used to migrate to work in Thailand for more than 15 years, where he worked in the construction, gardening, and catering industry. The experience proved useful as he gained business management skills and became fluent in Thai. One of Saroum’s employees, Lisa (aged 27), has been working for his company for almost three years, currently as a finance officer.  In her view, the company always provided equal opportunities to both male and female workers and did not discriminate against illiterate staff. But following one’s entrepreneurship dream is not always a linear path to success. When Saroum, returned to Cambodia in 2017, he started a seafood business which soon failed, but ‘failures are a good lesson learnt’, he says. He was determined not to give up and then switched to selling coconut products. Saoum, who, together with Sorida, participated in community outreach organized by IOM and the provincial employment agency, claimed that his flexibility, hard work and management skills have been crucial in growing his business.  “The most important part of doing a business is knowing how to create, manage, solve problems, and be responsible,” he added.   The United Nations Joint Programme “Unlocking Cambodian Women’s Potential through Fiscal Space Creation” was implemented in Cambodia between November 2020 and March 2022 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The programme was funded by the United Nations Multi Partner COVID-19 Response & Recovery Fund.   [1] UNFPA, 2020: Rapid Assessment on Social and Health Impact of COVID-19 Among Returning Migrant Workers in Cambodia. Available at: https://cambodia.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/final_survey_report_rmw_rapid_assessment_20dec2020.pdf [2] International Finance Corporation (IFC), 2019: Exploring the Opportunities for Women-owned SMEs in Cambodia. Available at: https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/9e469291-d3f5-43a5-bea2-2558313995ab/Market+Research+Report+on+Women_owned+SMEs+in+Cambodia.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=mOU6fpx [3] Cambodia Inter-censal Economic Survey 2014 [4] funded by the UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund

As a woman working in the field of industry in Cambodia, Ms. Panharith is a supervisor of health, safety, and environment of Wan He Da Manufacturing Company Limited in Cambodia. She has been working in this field for 7 years now. Ms. Panharith participated in a TEST Project training series organized jointly by UNIDO and the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MISTI) named “Low Carbon Development for Productivity and Climate Change Mitigation Through the Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technologies (TEST) Methodology” project which aim to encourage the factories in Cambodia to use the environmentally sound technologies to enhance their productions and at the same time reduce the carbon emission to the environment. Before joining the TEST Project, she observed that the factory she is working for had faced several issues such as high energy and water consumption and a medium level of efficiency in terms of material and waste management. As a result, the factory had had a high cost in the production line and more or less affected the environment. When the factory joined the “Low Carbon Development for Productivity and Climate Change Mitigation through the Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technology (TEST) Methodology” in 2019, one of the key projects under the framework of Programme for Country Partnership (PCP) of UNIDO, to which she was assigned as the factory focal point to obtain the technical supports and capacity building from UNIDO Team and MISTI on TEST Methodology and Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production (RECP) assessment, to build the TEST Team at the factory, to implement the finding measures, and to obtain training on Environmental Management System (EMS) and Environmental Management Accounting (EMA); since then, she has supported and improved the Environmental Roadmap for better performance of factory production. “After gaining the knowledge from the number of training and assessments in the TEST Project, my team and I could improve our environmental performance by meeting the client requirements for instance improving the HIGG Score from 37% in 2018 to 60% in 2021”, Ms. Panharith added. Furthermore, as a measure implementer, Ms. Panharith has contributed to the improvement of environmental performance through the adoption of green or conserved practices by changing the users' behavior including using the Air-Conditioning at 25 °C instead of 18 or 20 °C, practicing good housekeeping on energy and water consumption, as well as properly managing and recycling waste. She also implemented green and efficient technology such as using LED instead of fluorescent lamps, properly maintaining the boiler, preventing air leakage, using an efficient driving system for the compressor, and also considering investing in Solar PV at the factory. “As a woman working in the field of environment, many tasks require my substantial contribution in terms of paperwork such as collecting, analyzing, reporting, and presenting data, as well as coordinating and managing work with the technical team in implementing the action plans or RECP measures. When I worked on the tasks, I sometimes experienced challenges on the technical parts like lacking skills and knowledge or facing dilemma in selecting the correct countermeasure on those issues”, she reported to the interviewer. To deal with the above challenges, Ms. Panharith and her team conducted team discussions, technical consultations, or improved staff’s competence and skills via capacity building programme. Addressing the challenges also helps the factory achieve its green goal since Wan He Da Factory is preparing for a higher standard of work. Importantly, she added, “occasionally, I can find innovative ways to implement those green measures”. “In brief, with my dedicated involvement in this factory and project, I can see that the factory’s business is growing gradually. The customers overseas namely the EU and US, just to name a few, are satisfied with our performance due to the increase in product ordering despite the COVID-19 outbreak; with this, it is contributing to the creation of more jobs for local workers”, she shared during the interview. Lastly, she signified her views that environmental protection is the responsibility of every individual without gender discrimination. As she said, “based on my experience, I think environmental work is very suitable for not just men but also women, and it contributes to personal, institutional, and community development. In the present and the future, green skills are important and relevant in supporting the manufacturing sectors in Cambodia”. Happy International Women’s Day!

“We often heard that sciences and technologies are for men, not only in the industry but also in education and research. I think it is a biased perspective. I have overcome this social mindset and achieved my goal. I want to encourage other women to believe in themselves, chase their dream and inspire other women through showcasing more female role models in the fields.” Pisey is one of the few women from the rural south to go beyond the barrier of social and cultural norms on women in science to pursue her education and career in science and technology with a full scholarship for her undergraduate and graduate degrees. After graduating, she has been involved in and contributed to various science related works, including education though teaching undergraduate students on science subjects and related research activities, climate change, and sustainable development. She is currently an official in the Scientific Research Department, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. Pisey has grown her keen interest in renewable energy technologies during her school year related to waste management through utilization of bio-digester and continues to involve in various training and workshops. “I was so impressed when I first learnt about the great potential benefit of biogas used as a source of renewable energy and contributed to all dimensions of sustainable development, including protecting the environment, improving livelihoods and increasing profitability for the farm owner, and generating socio-economic benefits for society,” she said. Since then, she has continued to be actively involved with UN supported training programs on commercial biogas technologies and proactively put that knowledge into practice. She successfully led various environment and development related projects, including biodigester demonstration project for farmers, engagement of students and academia in climate change-related research, and knowledge-sharing workshop on climate change for university students; and she keeps promoting biogas technologies through disseminating information to her students and community and through R&D works.      Pisey has always committed and seized the opportunities to pursue her goal and give back to society. Along the way of her journey, there are challenges and obstacles that interrupt her from going after the field she likes. She kept hearing the question: “why do you want to study and work in science and technology-related fields” “the science is not suitable for women,” etc. However, those stereotypes are overcome by trusting in herself, focusing on what she wants, doing her best and showcasing through her work and results. Pisey is one of the few women working in the education sector and R&D related to science and technology. She has always encouraged and wished to see more women participate in the world of science and play an active role in sustainable society and development. “I think now there are more people and women interested in science as there are broad information and easier ways to communicate, unlike around ten years ago, and the adversity situation also has an upside.”     “I want women to believe in herself, stand strong for what she wants, play leader role, and be a role model for other young girls and ladies in her community; society has to acknowledge and is willing to hone the essential role of women in education, especially for her children and her own family;  and we at all levels, from peers to government and development organizations, to create a more enabling environment for women to spark their interest and chase their dreams in science and technology, such as through providing scholarships, funding for research, and more importantly, social support to relieve household chores so that women could have their times for study, networking and job as men.”       Pisey participated in a biogas training series organized by the UN program "Reducing GHG emission through the promotion of commercial biogas plants" The program aims to build national capacity in commercial biogas technology to assist Cambodian agri-business in meeting environmental requirements for waste management and GHG emission reductions while utilizing produced bioenergy for production.  

Sophal and his wife, Sophorn, run a small noodle-making business from their home, which sits next to the river and bore the brunt of the floods. “We couldn’t make noodles or travel anywhere to earn an income. It worried us so much, we didn’t know what to do to feed our young children, or if they were sick.” Sophal, a father of four living in Pursat province, is remembering his experience during the flash floods that affected nearly 800,000 Cambodians in October 2020. Like the ongoing pandemic, these floods disproportionately affected poorer people, and for families like Sophal’s, the two shocks compounded the challenge to his family’s livelihood and health.   Sophal’s household income was hit particularly hard. The family usually earn most of their income by selling noodles to weddings and other major festivities in the neighbourhood, which left them acutely vulnerable. “Due to COVID-19, big events such as weddings and big ceremonies were not allowed to be celebrated. The number of orders dropped rapidly," Sophal recalls, estimating that they lost two-thirds of their income. When the heavy rains came, the river water level reached up to his knee inside the house for one whole month and they couldn't make noodles any longer or earn any income at all. The couple had to shut down their business and feeding the four children became a daily struggle. Sophal turned to fishing, but barely caught enough to keep the family fed. The floods in the house made the couple constantly fearful that one of the children might catch malaria, or other water-borne diseases, knowing they would then struggle to pay for them to travel for medical treatment. It was for vulnerable families like Sophal’s that the Royal Government of Cambodia provided support to vulnerable people affected by the pandemic through its COVID-19 cash transfer from early 2020. After the floods, the World Food Programme (WFP) also started providing supplementary cash transfers to 40,000 families affected by both the pandemic and floods, aware that they had been plunged into economic and food insecurity. This programme was supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which committed US$ 6 million. The intention was to compensate for losses, help families meet their minimum nutrition needs and mitigate the impact of further shocks – which are unfortunately likely for the millions living in Cambodia's flood-prone zones. “I first heard about the cash-based transfer programme through our village chief. I felt happy because it came when I needed it most," remembers Sophal. “Without this cash, I would have had to go into debt to my relatives and neighbours to feed our family, we would have had no choice.” Instead, the couple used the money not only to buy food, but also to re-establish the family business, and make it more resilient for the future. This included fixing their motorbike, which had fallen into disrepair. Without the motorbike, re-establishing the business was impossible, but once it was repaired, they were able to sell noodles and feed the family more adequately. Sophal and Sophorn are now more hopeful about the future than in a long time. Their business is operational again, and Cambodia's progress in vaccinating its population means that, they hope, weddings and other events will be possible, giving the family an income opportunity again. “In the future, we hope for nothing more than a proper home to raise our children.”