About sixty university students from Phnom Penh have made their move by bus to Kompong
Chhnang province, on 10th and 11th and 12th August for a youth camp, a program of KYSD
sponsored by
Forum Syd.
This three days camping aims to increase the understanding of rights in protecting the
environment of youth and the local people and to urge their involvement in protecting their
environment, and also to build relation, and friendship among the youth in Cambodia.
Arriving at about 12 pm on the first day, all the volunteers have started to unload their belonging
and tents for the camping, and the camping side located in Kdol village, Krangskea commune,
Teukphos district, Kompong Chhnang, where our volunteers spent a half of day to pick up
rubbish and clean the area for setting the tents and make an introduction session for a better
mutual understanding to each other.
“We protect the forest, but there are many people sneaking during night to cut the forest, and
sometime they have their powerful back supporters, so it is hard for us to take action”, said Chea
Phorn.
More interestingly, he also showed his concern and called on for government intervention on the
concession land made by Cambodian government to a company. He said he was afraid that there
would be a conflict of land happen soon, as this land concession will affect many hectare of
farming land of the people.
On the last day, KYSD have conducted a seminar on the theme “Together for our earth” and
after that it were the tree planting and rubbish picking campaign that was activated by our
volunteer and local people.
This seminar that having about a hundred people attended was prepared to raise awareness of
student and local people about the climate change issue, and it is aimed to gather youth to spread
this knowledge to reduce the effect of climate change, said Heng Sokunthea, program
coordinator of KYSD.
In the end, Sok Sovann, the member of community forest suggested to the people that they
should stop cutting forest and find other job that ensure the sustainment of community forest.
