Chhaiden’s journey to community advocacy
Chhaiden, a 24-year-old youth leader from Banteay Meanchey province, has become a passionate advocate for children’s rights and community transformation.
In 2021, World Vision Cambodia’s outreach and engagement programme selected him as a youth club leader.
“I was unsure about the impact of community development,” he recalled. “However, my outlook began to shift as I engaged more deeply with the programme, working directly with children and families. I came to realise that this work was not only valuable but also essential for sustainable change.”
Taking on the responsibility, alongside other youth leaders, of leading weekly life skills sessions for child club members, Chhaiden discovered both his purpose and the power of collective action.
In 2024, Chhaiden’s dedication was further recognised when he was selected to join the Children and Youth Council (CYC). One of the most urgent issues he focused on was civil registration, especially birth registration, which affects children's access to education, healthcare, and child protection.
“The community lacked understanding of the importance of birth certificate registration, and of the registration process at commune halls”, said Chhaiden.
He began organising awareness-raising sessions with World Vision and local officials to help communities understand their rights and the civil registration process. He also initiated forums for dialogue between the community and commune authorities to improve transparency and build trust.
“We needed stronger communication and accountability,” he said. “So, I facilitated discussions to help both sides understand their roles. It’s about partnership—ensuring everyone feels heard and supported.”
Mrs. Vy Sona, a member of the Commune Committee for Women and Children (CCWC) in Talam, acknowledged the challenges Chhaiden and others were addressing. “About five years ago, some commune staff did not follow working hours conscientiously and arrived late. But we’ve seen positive changes. Staff are more punctual now, and Chhaiden's team has been actively raising awareness about birth registration in the villages,” she explained. “Migration remains a big challenge. Many young parents marry and then migrate abroad for work, leaving their children with grandparents. This makes it hard to reach the right people with information about civil registration. That’s why some families still don’t understand the importance of registering births, marriages, and deaths.”
To respond to this challenge, Chhaiden has been attending CCWC meetings, where he shares community feedback, disseminates materials from the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), and supports action planning.
“Attending the CRVS conference was a turning point,” Chhaiden said. “Civil registration isn’t just the government’s job—it’s everyone’s responsibility: parents, youth, and community organisations. World Vision played a critical role in supporting my advocacy efforts. They gave me the opportunity to attend the CRVS conference in Asia and the Pacific, an event that allowed us to share our experiences and learn from youth across the region,” he added.
After the conference, Chhaiden returned to his community and organised knowledge-sharing sessions with local youth volunteers and leaders. He also strengthened partnerships with commune councils, schools, and health departments to promote a more coordinated and sustainable civil registration system.
“We’ve now upgraded all the necessary equipment. The community is slowly starting to see the value of birth certificates. But barriers remain. Not all families are registering their children yet,” said Meas Thorn, a commune council member.
“The next step is for the Children and Youth Club (CYC) to continue conducting data-driven research. We need to better understand what’s holding families back and then develop targeted strategies—especially ones to reach young, migrating parents,” said Dinna Di, World Vision’s Area Programme Manager.
As a youth leader and researcher, Chhaiden embodies the shift toward locally driven solutions. His vision is of inclusive, accountable systems built on trust and participation.
“I want to see a community with an accurate, accessible, and transparent CRVS system—one where every child is registered at birth and can therefore fully participate in society. I’ve learned that it’s not only World Vision’s responsibility to advance our community—it’s ours too. When everyone gets involved, we can create a better future for all children.”