CO-SfC in Cambodia Since majority of Cambodian people rely their livelihoods on agricultural and non-agricultural production and income, they do need access to capital and agriculture techniques and skills to improve their livelihoods. It is observed and reported by the community people that there are some microfinance institutions (MFIs) and banks which are parts of accessibility to finance to reach a wider community people. Though with the presence of credit providers mentioned above, the community people still face a lack of capital (money) to start or to expand their businesses. It is hard for them to access to loan from the banks and MFIs due to their limited knowledge of the financial procedures and in most instances, they are required to put forward their collaterals such house, rice field land and other valuable assets. This is impossible for the poor. Loan with high interest rate is also a barrier preventing people fromaccessing capital for investment.
The national statistics shows that 37% of all households in Cambodia have access to loans, of which 33.4% are female-headed households and 38.1% male-headed households. More female-headed households have obtained loans from middlemen (money lenders) compared to male-headed households (8.9% and 7.7% respectively), almost double number of male-headed households9.1% obtained their loans from banks, in comparison to only 5.3% of female-headed households. Although Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) and banks offer cheaper loans compared to middlemen (money lenders) who charge around 5 to 7% interest a month. Oxfam study in Takeo, Kompot and Kampong Speu shows that 50% of households in the community are currently accessing loans, interest rates from 2% to 4% per month, many loans are used for consumption rather than productive investment; the main purposes of loans are: payment for health care (26%), buying inputs for non-agriculture (23%), purchasing foods (22%), buying materials for repairing house (21%), buying assets (18%) and then purchasing agricultural inputs (16%). For specific agriculture purpose smallholder farmers often tend to borrow for inputs (seed, fertilizers, land preparation, water pumping or fuel) and they pay off their debts at harvest, once they have sold their crops. The problem of such debt relationship with input suppliers can impact women, smallholder farmers, and landless ability to have access to better sale price or market via mechanisms such as collective community actions/contract farming.

Oxfam SfC has been providing the poor with the opportunity to be part of self-managed saving groups that also serve as a platform for access to entrepreneurship, leadership, and agriculture techniques trainings and other supports. In last fiscal year, 2017, the project involved 7,854 villagers (83% women) in to improve their financial management through saving and loaning activities in SfC groups, and at least 63.40% of total members accessed loans for agriculture production incomes, small business operations, health care, educationof children, debt payment and other purposes. As of March 2017, the SfC groups owned total assets of $545,476.00 and 73% of the total assets were used as loans, mainly for agriculture (40%), for business development (15%), and for health, foods, and for education(each about5%). The project provided monitoring support for their graduation. The project also built capacity on small business operation through the Community Based Enterprise Development (C-BED) approach to 782 SfC members (82% were women) and as the result of this, 71 SfC members to create new businesses and 141 SfC members to improve their existing businesses in their communities through training and coaching on the Community Based Enterprise Development (C-BED) approach. Based on annual impact reflection, 70% SfC members had improved knowledge and skills on how to do business, especially choosing the potential business and product promotion afterC-BED training. They reported that C-BED was responded to the need in their livelihoods. Working to promote women inbreaking the cultural norm and barriers was one of the positive achievement. The project provided 55 trainings on women leadership 769 selected SfCmembers (81% women) to understand the roles of gender. Based on annual impact reflection, the SfC management committee reported that they were confident enough to bring their issues and barriers in public speaking, dialogues and participating any development meetings in their communities. They made awareness to other people in the community to understand theroles of gender in family economic development and reproductive health issues. 467 members (82% women) were aware of gender and reproductive health issues. They exchanged their views in dealing with domestic violence in their respective families.

Withavailable fund in FY18 from OUS and ONL for Saving for Change (SfC), Oxfam#s SfC program will work more deeply beyond saving group as usual business through #Saving-led microfinance Accelerates Vulnerable women groups# Economics (SAVE)#.  This project isdesigned to tackle the issues beloved issues specificallycontinues contributing to 1) improve financial security of targeted primary change agents by enabling SfC product and  regular, independent source of income; 2) enhance livelihood of women throughoptions to agricultural and non-agricultural production and income;3) linked women entrepreneurs to MFIs to increase financial service to women, SfC groups, and small businesses;  and 4) empower women to actively exercise their right in socio-economic and resilience to climate chance. Resilience program will provide grants to two more partner organizations namely, Action For Development (AFD) and Farmer Livelihood Development (FLD) to implement this women economic empowerment project in two provinces, KompongThom and Pursat, respectively. AFD will implement the project in three districts: Sandan, Baray and Prasat Balangk of KampongThom province while FLD in Bakan district of Pursat province.


SfC continues to operate under the resilience pillar, focusingon vulnerable small-scale (female) farmers in selected areas, to better prepare and enable them to cope with climate change and natural disasters, especially floods and droughts. The SfC team, including one SfC Coordinator, one SfC project officerswith competencies and skills fundamentally built by OUS, will work under the management of Oxfam in Cambodia to implement the SfC project with partners and report to the PMU of OUS as per signed in the Inter-affiliate funding agreement. The SfC team willbuild institutional capacity of all partner organizations in SfC methodology, C-BED and Women Leadership as the core principles and basic approach to implement the project. The SfC team also expects support from the community finance department of OUSinHQ/Boston in term of techniques, innovations and strategy to bring SfC to scale in the Asia and Pacific region
 Oxfam SfC plans to build capacity of the partner institution in SfC methodology, C-BED, and Women leadership. The program expects that those partner organizations can use the capacity to expand their operations and embed the programme in other donors projects. The project also plans a capacity building in upgraded data management system (web-based MIS) which will enable the SfC team of Oxfam Cambodia (OC) to control data of SfC groups at the real time with degree of accuracy. Oxfam will continue to build the capacity of all existing partners by rolling out the web-based MIS to partners, including Laos and Timor Leste. Oxfam in Camboadia will continue to strengthen the capacity of partners on SfC technical aspects to respond to their challenges, especially staff turn-over. Partners will be ensured for monitoring and reporting on the project implementation with collaborative support of MEL person. Partners# staff will be able to produce case study/story of change of SfC members impacted by the projects for communication purpose.

Also, the SfC project aims atproducing 2 best case studies to inform about change happned with SfC members to share with donors, fund raising department and publication on media with Oxfam internal communication means. This would promote the SfC project profile among local audience as well. The project also plans for a 1-2 minutes video which features the best selected characters of direct beneficiaries which is very orientied to donors and othe development partners as the target audience. This video will be used for fund raising purpose. About awareness campaign, a video song on importances of savings <(>&<)> expense, misuse of MFIsloan, overindeptedness by a very popular well-know singer start in Cambodia is targeted to aware and reach a wide community people, especially women and youth. With all existing communication products, the project will use them to reach audiences widely through SfC in Cambodia facebook page to increase the visibility of the project.
Together with AFD <(>&<)> LFD, the project will committ the following up expected outputs as below:

# At least 1 ToT on SfC methodology, 1 C-BED training and 1 leadership training are conducted for partner staff and community;
# At least 60 new SfC groups are formed with 900 new members;
# 30 existing groups of 450 members are supported for operations and graduation;
#At least 800 saving group members attended community financial service forums in their localities;
# At least 300 SfC members will receive technical/vocational trainings on none agriculture and agriculture as per their preference;
# 60% of none agriculture and agriculture trainees will apply the skills fortheir livelihood activities
# 23 trainings on C-BED will be facilitated via self-facilitation and learning approach for selected SfC members based on their participation interest;
# At least 50% of C-BED trainees have business plan for implementation
# 1trade fair is organized in Kompong Thom province;
# 2 collector/producer forums are organized in Pursat;
# 13 SfC members who become farmer champion are linked to PDA for market price information;
# At least 1 pipe water station established and owned bySfC group members and villagers as community privatized business and at least 100 family accessed to this clear water;
# 4 trainings on Women Leadership are conducted for SfC management committee members;
# 70 SfC representatives attendeddialogueswith other development partners on community development activities;
# 3 workshops with participation of 105 DCDM members are conducted for consultation to update EPRP;
# 1 training in concept of EPRP is conducted for DCDM;
# At least each target districthasan update EPRP plan;