Keeping our Safe Haven open for women of Siem Reap

• PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS

The Wellness Centre aims to welcome clients who need release from stress, mental health care, talking about their problems, and emotional support. It also provides soft skills training on positive parenting tools and men's coffee talk to the parents from the communities.  

Women and children in the target communities are protected from domestic violence, with parents reporting a marked reduction or elimination of cases; this improvement is supported by the Wellness Centre, which provides a welcoming space for stress relief, mental health care, confidential counseling, and emotional support, alongside soft-skills training such as positive-parenting workshops and men’s coffee-talk sessions that equip caregivers with practical tools to prevent violence, strengthen family relationships, and reinforce community safety.

• Counseling and Referral Services

Our Counseling and Referral Services provide face-to-face counseling and emotional support to women and girls. We also facilitate referrals to local health and social service providers tailored to their specific needs. Through our extensive and well-researched network of partner agencies, we can direct individuals to organizations that specialize in women's health, general medical treatment, legal aid, emergency support, scholarships, and vocational skills training. This ensures that each woman and girl receives the most suitable and comprehensive support available.

Between January and April 2026, the project delivered comprehensive psychosocial and emergency support to vulnerable women from the communities, with a strong focus on women and girls. Over this four-month period, the counseling team provided services to 79 cases (78 women and 1 man), including 4 women who returned for additional support; clients reported improvements in physical and mental well-being, problem-solving skills, and access to appropriate support that strengthened gender equality within families and communities.

The team made 7 referrals for further assistance (5 legal, 1 vocational training, and 1 family reconnection via the Commune Council for Women and Children). In parallel, the project assessed 33 families and children in crisis and distributed emergency support packages: 8 families received food packages, 14 cases received school materials and uniforms, 4 received bicycles, 1 received hygiene supplies, and 6 received emergency assistance for funeral, disaster, home fire, or house maintenance needs. Case Management and follow-up were sustained throughout the period, with 36 families contacted (34 by phone and 2 face-to-face), and the project continued advisory support for a total of 218 cases (197 carried over from the previous year and 21 new cases opened in April 2026). In response to the December 2025 escalation and subsequent internal displacement, the Women’s Resource Center scaled an early recovery package aligned with the Humanitarian Response Forum guidance and the Wellness Center program; as a result, 148 families (comprising 143 women, 4 men, and 22 children) received livelihood and basic-needs packages including food, hygiene kits, and children’s educational materials to support re-establishment in relocation sites. Finally, three awareness-raising sessions for a women’s empowerment group (regularly attended by 15 women facing family challenges) helped participants recognise strengths, build resilience, and practice non-harmful problem-solving; guided meditations aided emotional reflection, and pre/post assessments showed positive emotions rising from 35% before the sessions to 83% after, a 48 percentage-point increase, while participants reported practical coping strategies such as releasing self-blame, practising gratitude, and valuing their own worth.

 Mrs. Sreypov Slakram, said, “I feel more confident and emotionally stronger… my family has noticed positive changes”.