← Gender and Women's Issues

Strengthening Civil Society Organisations in Social Transformation Processes in Southeast Asia (GROWTH II)

Active Gender and Women's Issues

About this project

GROWTH II is a regional program spanning Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand, working on social transformation, resilience, gender equality, and community development in Southeast Asia. Within the regional consortium, WPM's component focuses on strengthening institutional resilience, grassroots network-building, feminist leadership, and community-based social change initiatives in Cambodia. Building on lessons from GROWTH I, the initiative supports WPM's long-term organizational development through strengthening internal systems, strategic planning, fundraising capacity, network coordination, and participatory approaches to peacebuilding and social inclusion. The project also strengthens relationships between grassroots women leaders, Indigenous communities, minority groups, persons with disabilities, youth, and civil society actors through network-building, leadership development, and collaborative advocacy processes. Externally, it invests in the grassroots networks WPM has built over years, the Network of Interethnic Peace Ambassadors (NIPA) and the Weaving Women's Leadership Network (WWLN), training facilitators from their ranks and supporting them to lead gender dialogue, social change initiatives, and campaigns in their own communities. The project contributes to strengthening locally led civil society leadership and creating more sustainable, connected, and resilient grassroots networks capable of responding to social and political challenges in Cambodia and the wider region.

Current focus areas

  • Strengthening WPM's institutional systems, strategic planning, fundraising capacity, and organizational sustainability
  • Supporting social change initiatives led through the women's and youth networks, and joint campaign actions with NIPA, WWLN, and GADNet on gender equality, violence prevention, peacebuilding, and social inclusion Convening the networks' steering committees and annual membership gatherings
  • Strengthening participation and leadership among Indigenous communities, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, women, and youth
  • Supporting participatory approaches to advocacy, community engagement, and grassroots organizing

Emerging outputs

  • Strengthened organizational systems, policies, and sustainability strategies within WPM
  • A trained pool of community facilitators from WPM's networks, most of them women, leading gender dialogue in their own communities
  • Community campaigns under the 16 Days of Activism, including "Together to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls," with facilitators stepping forward to lead campaigns of their own
  • Participatory learning materials and organizational development tools supporting long-term civil society resilienc
  • Stronger collaboration between grassroots communities, civil society organizations, and regional partners across Southeast Asia