Career Path
What's your job? That's a common question asked by young university aged students of foreigners residing in Cambodia. It's a normal query that young people ask everywhere perhaps, since they themselves wrestle with their own life plan.
Ask a student in the USA and see how many of them say their life's ambition is to become a NGO worker. You might get an odd stare. New college graduates in Cambodia have a different view of this career path as NGO jobs are relatively well paying and enjoy high status. Billions of dollars have poured into Cambodia over the past 30 years from international aid donors, but that funding has barely made a dent in alleviating the people's needs.
Many of these institutions, foundations and NGO's receive money from various governments around the world. These entities want to stay in business, so many times actual problem solving falls way behind securing even more financing as a top priority. After all, how is a NGO going to ask for more money to throw at a problem if the problem has actually been solved?
With that being the case, one of the best jobs available to a university graduate in Cambodia is that of a "money chaser". Money chasers usually speak passable English, know how to use emaiI and search the web in quest of NGO Land's golden eggs. They can be seen hanging around internet shops and computer outlets striking up conversations with foreigners. Think of a dog sniffing your pant leg.
On The Job
As with any career, successful money chasers gain a reputation and are sought after within the "non-profit" industry. Mr. Um Ero, former deputy director of the now defunct American tax payer funded NGO, Khmer Ghvith Thmei Organization (KTGO) is a money chaser in Kampong Cham Cambodia.
One day Mr. Um Ero, was alerted to the following RFA:
Request for Application (RFA) # 07-A-2 HIV Prevention Interventions with Most at-Risk Population (MARPs)
"Pact Cambodia, under a cooperative award issued by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through Pact Community REACH, is pleased to announce this grant competition to local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs) and community-based organization (CBOs) currently responding or with the capacity to quickly and efficiently respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Cambodia especially in the area of HIV Prevention with Most AT-Risk Populations including men who have sex with men (MSN) and Entertainment Worker."
Um Ero was certainly the right man to be tasked with digging out this money for KTGO as he holds the following certifications:
A certificate of completion in word and excel at Cambodian Rights and Justice Protection.
A certificate of completion in Internet and E-mail course at Kampong Cham Community Information Center (CIC).
A certificate of completion in office administration management at Maharishi Vedic University.
He prepared a response to the RFA touting KTGO's capabilities and requested $66,005.00 USD. Here are some of the unedited details as written:
Part I. Technical Approach
Cambodia is developing so people‘s knowledge are very low as well as they are easy to receive the foreign culture and civilizations through the foreign films especially the youths who are always happy and enjoy having sex with their friends so having sex make them infect HIV/ AIDS. In the past these things always happened among the direct sex workers, indirect sex workers and freelance sex workers but so far AIDS/ HIV spread among the youths particularly garment workers, the youths in secondary schools, high schools, institutes and universities which are near the town or city. The reason that they infect HIV/ AIDS because they are aware of AIDS/ HIV little so it is spreading from one to one day so that they are so quick to develop their love with their partners and they do not know how to use condom, not enough advisory service.
Aim to prevent AIDS/HIV spreading or infection among the youths in the secondary schools, high schools, institutes and universities in order to encourage the youths how to use condom .
Expected result: the youths are aware of AIDS/ HIV infection or spreading and how to use condom when they have sex with their partners to reduce HIV/AIDS infection.
Activity 1: select 60 core volunteers (30 women) in the 10 secondary schools, 60 core volunteers (30 women) in the 5 high schools, 20 core volunteers (10 women) in the 5 universities so the grand total is 140 core volunteers (70 women).
Aim to select the core volunteers in order to disseminate to go on after they receive training course on AIDS/ HIV and assist to advise the youths who wonder on the AIDS/ HIV issues.
Activity 2: conduct training course for core volunteers for four courses per course for five days and per course has 35 trainees.
Aim to conduct training course in order to improve more knowledge on AIDS/ HIV infection and AIDS/ HVI danger and to take knowledge to disseminate friends in schools or in communities that they live.
Activity 3: conducting education or dissemination on AIDS/ HIV in target school and per school disseminate 3 times so whole total is 75 times. Dissemination has to ask question or answer and give a prize to who answer correctly.
Activity 4: Broadcast provincial radio, cooperating with Kampong Cham provincial Health Department to broadcast AIDS/ HIV information one hour per day.
Activity 5: KGTO will monitor and evaluate works of core volunteers to monitor and evaluate project and conduct monthly meeting with core volunteers once a month.
How to monitor and evaluate the project: monitor project of KGTO will conduct once a month through monthly meeting of core volunteers by focusing works that achieved per month. Issue that happens in the project will find the solution to solve it.
A few budget requests (annualized) are listed below:
Administrative staff salary: $11,420 USD
Programatic staff salary $10,200 USD
Other Benefits for Administrative Staff $8,280 USD
Condoms $4,500 USD
T shirts $4,500 USD
Books and pens $2,250 USD
The Question - What's Missing?
There was a lot of language in the proposal commonly used by money chasers including;
Strategic planning, monitoring and evaluating, developing, resolution, advocacy, experience, preparation, training, workshop, session plan and facilitate.
What would all of this evaluation and monitoring be measured against to ensure that all of the activities KGTO proposed in order to secure 66 grand actually worked? Hmm, no one thought of that in this blind quest for good old American cash.
Surprisingly, one of the proposed program positions was that of project manager. The person slated to assume that position was Ms. Ros Poravy who "worked at a hospital as data collecting of HIV/AIDs in Kampong Cham province". It seems to me that people who profess to want to help others should be able to determine whether they are actually changing things for the better or not, yet not one person affiliated with KTGO had gone so far as to benchmark what the HIV infection rates in the communities they proposed to help were.
Simple data to acquire such as statistical information regarding old cases, new cases, deaths, percentage of HIV sufferers using ARV vs. not using the drugs etc., all categorized by age group, gender, sexual orientation, occupation, drug free or user and so forth. I mean hey, if you state in a proposal that the prevalence of HIV in Cambodia was contributed to by "the foreign culture and civilizations through the foreign films especially the youths who are always happy and enjoy having sex" (as stated above) don't you want to know if your efforts for your countrymen are paying off for THEIR SAKE?
The Answers
Pact Cambodia specifically stated NGO's that could "quickly and efficiently respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Cambodia especially in the area of HIV Prevention with Most AT-Risk Populations including men who have sex with men (MSN) and Entertainment Workers" should respond to (RFA) # 07-A-2 HIV Prevention Interventions with Most at-Risk Population (MARPs).
The KGTO proposal states, "In the past these things always happened among the direct sex workers, indirect sex workers and freelance sex workers" it continued, "AIDS/ HIV spread among the youths particularly garment workers, the youths in secondary schools, high schools, institutes and universities which are near the town or city. The reason that they infect HIV/ AIDS because they are aware of AIDS/ HIV little so it is spreading from one to one day so that they are so quick to develop their love with their partners and they do not know how to use condom, not enough advisory service."
Obviously KTGO missed the point despite claiming in the proposal they had "Years of experience in HIV/AIDS programming, HIV/AIDS broadcast media (radio) expertise, and had worked closely in the past with the Department of Information." If true, KTGO would have known it would have had little trouble procuring free condoms in Cambodia, and might have been able to track down some low cost bananas as well. Whatever the case, these matters make little difference to Cambodia's professional money chasers.
I asked Mr. Um Ero three very specific questions regarding this funding request:
1. Do you know what the current HIV infection rates are in the communities you propose to help?
Answer: "No."
2. Are you going to talk to the prostitutes and the men who visit them over in the wooden shacks by Bangkok temple and if not, why not?
Answer: "No, we would be too embarrassed to be seen there."
3. Is Mr. Thann Thavy, Executive Director of KTGO, interested in lowering the HIV rate thereby saving lives or is he more interested in receiving 66 grand?
Answer: "He is interested in getting the money."
So there you have it folks, a brief look at deceit, incompetence, unbridled greed and indifference. The gold rush is on and nothing will stop the money chasers of Cambodia.
PS: KTGO didn't win this bid before they were shut down for corruption.
Addendum: The following is analysis of the KTGO assumption:
"they are easy to receive the foreign culture and civilizations through the foreign films"
1. 20 % of Cambodians have access to electricity.
2. Having electricity doesn't mean one has a television.
3. Having a television does not mean automatic access to cable.
4. Foreign films are shown on cable, and cable costs $ 15 USD per month.
5. 40% of Cambodia's populace earns $15 USD each per month.
6. 80 % of Cambodians have no access to electricity.
7. No electricity means no television.
8. Few cinemas exist in Cambodia, even in Phnom Penh.
9. Kampong Cham is Cambodia's third most populated city.
10. One cinema exists in Kampong Cham town and shows local films.
11. Not all foreign cultures and civilizations produce films that portray "youths who are always happy and enjoy having sex with their friends".
Now that KTGO's corruption has been exposed, subsequently forcing its closure, maybe some caring and intellectually honest Cambodians will step in to do the real work needed to help the country progress.
John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
My Mondo Library Photographs
My Photoshelter Archive Homepage
What's your job? That's a common question asked by young university aged students of foreigners residing in Cambodia. It's a normal query that young people ask everywhere perhaps, since they themselves wrestle with their own life plan.
Ask a student in the USA and see how many of them say their life's ambition is to become a NGO worker. You might get an odd stare. New college graduates in Cambodia have a different view of this career path as NGO jobs are relatively well paying and enjoy high status. Billions of dollars have poured into Cambodia over the past 30 years from international aid donors, but that funding has barely made a dent in alleviating the people's needs.
Many of these institutions, foundations and NGO's receive money from various governments around the world. These entities want to stay in business, so many times actual problem solving falls way behind securing even more financing as a top priority. After all, how is a NGO going to ask for more money to throw at a problem if the problem has actually been solved?
With that being the case, one of the best jobs available to a university graduate in Cambodia is that of a "money chaser". Money chasers usually speak passable English, know how to use emaiI and search the web in quest of NGO Land's golden eggs. They can be seen hanging around internet shops and computer outlets striking up conversations with foreigners. Think of a dog sniffing your pant leg.
On The Job
As with any career, successful money chasers gain a reputation and are sought after within the "non-profit" industry. Mr. Um Ero, former deputy director of the now defunct American tax payer funded NGO, Khmer Ghvith Thmei Organization (KTGO) is a money chaser in Kampong Cham Cambodia.
One day Mr. Um Ero, was alerted to the following RFA:
Request for Application (RFA) # 07-A-2 HIV Prevention Interventions with Most at-Risk Population (MARPs)
"Pact Cambodia, under a cooperative award issued by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through Pact Community REACH, is pleased to announce this grant competition to local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs) and community-based organization (CBOs) currently responding or with the capacity to quickly and efficiently respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Cambodia especially in the area of HIV Prevention with Most AT-Risk Populations including men who have sex with men (MSN) and Entertainment Worker."
Um Ero was certainly the right man to be tasked with digging out this money for KTGO as he holds the following certifications:
A certificate of completion in word and excel at Cambodian Rights and Justice Protection.
A certificate of completion in Internet and E-mail course at Kampong Cham Community Information Center (CIC).
A certificate of completion in office administration management at Maharishi Vedic University.
He prepared a response to the RFA touting KTGO's capabilities and requested $66,005.00 USD. Here are some of the unedited details as written:
Part I. Technical Approach
Cambodia is developing so people‘s knowledge are very low as well as they are easy to receive the foreign culture and civilizations through the foreign films especially the youths who are always happy and enjoy having sex with their friends so having sex make them infect HIV/ AIDS. In the past these things always happened among the direct sex workers, indirect sex workers and freelance sex workers but so far AIDS/ HIV spread among the youths particularly garment workers, the youths in secondary schools, high schools, institutes and universities which are near the town or city. The reason that they infect HIV/ AIDS because they are aware of AIDS/ HIV little so it is spreading from one to one day so that they are so quick to develop their love with their partners and they do not know how to use condom, not enough advisory service.
Aim to prevent AIDS/HIV spreading or infection among the youths in the secondary schools, high schools, institutes and universities in order to encourage the youths how to use condom .
Expected result: the youths are aware of AIDS/ HIV infection or spreading and how to use condom when they have sex with their partners to reduce HIV/AIDS infection.
Activity 1: select 60 core volunteers (30 women) in the 10 secondary schools, 60 core volunteers (30 women) in the 5 high schools, 20 core volunteers (10 women) in the 5 universities so the grand total is 140 core volunteers (70 women).
Aim to select the core volunteers in order to disseminate to go on after they receive training course on AIDS/ HIV and assist to advise the youths who wonder on the AIDS/ HIV issues.
Activity 2: conduct training course for core volunteers for four courses per course for five days and per course has 35 trainees.
Aim to conduct training course in order to improve more knowledge on AIDS/ HIV infection and AIDS/ HVI danger and to take knowledge to disseminate friends in schools or in communities that they live.
Activity 3: conducting education or dissemination on AIDS/ HIV in target school and per school disseminate 3 times so whole total is 75 times. Dissemination has to ask question or answer and give a prize to who answer correctly.
Activity 4: Broadcast provincial radio, cooperating with Kampong Cham provincial Health Department to broadcast AIDS/ HIV information one hour per day.
Activity 5: KGTO will monitor and evaluate works of core volunteers to monitor and evaluate project and conduct monthly meeting with core volunteers once a month.
How to monitor and evaluate the project: monitor project of KGTO will conduct once a month through monthly meeting of core volunteers by focusing works that achieved per month. Issue that happens in the project will find the solution to solve it.
A few budget requests (annualized) are listed below:
Administrative staff salary: $11,420 USD
Programatic staff salary $10,200 USD
Other Benefits for Administrative Staff $8,280 USD
Condoms $4,500 USD
T shirts $4,500 USD
Books and pens $2,250 USD
The Question - What's Missing?
There was a lot of language in the proposal commonly used by money chasers including;
Strategic planning, monitoring and evaluating, developing, resolution, advocacy, experience, preparation, training, workshop, session plan and facilitate.
What would all of this evaluation and monitoring be measured against to ensure that all of the activities KGTO proposed in order to secure 66 grand actually worked? Hmm, no one thought of that in this blind quest for good old American cash.
Surprisingly, one of the proposed program positions was that of project manager. The person slated to assume that position was Ms. Ros Poravy who "worked at a hospital as data collecting of HIV/AIDs in Kampong Cham province". It seems to me that people who profess to want to help others should be able to determine whether they are actually changing things for the better or not, yet not one person affiliated with KTGO had gone so far as to benchmark what the HIV infection rates in the communities they proposed to help were.
Simple data to acquire such as statistical information regarding old cases, new cases, deaths, percentage of HIV sufferers using ARV vs. not using the drugs etc., all categorized by age group, gender, sexual orientation, occupation, drug free or user and so forth. I mean hey, if you state in a proposal that the prevalence of HIV in Cambodia was contributed to by "the foreign culture and civilizations through the foreign films especially the youths who are always happy and enjoy having sex" (as stated above) don't you want to know if your efforts for your countrymen are paying off for THEIR SAKE?
The Answers
Pact Cambodia specifically stated NGO's that could "quickly and efficiently respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Cambodia especially in the area of HIV Prevention with Most AT-Risk Populations including men who have sex with men (MSN) and Entertainment Workers" should respond to (RFA) # 07-A-2 HIV Prevention Interventions with Most at-Risk Population (MARPs).
The KGTO proposal states, "In the past these things always happened among the direct sex workers, indirect sex workers and freelance sex workers" it continued, "AIDS/ HIV spread among the youths particularly garment workers, the youths in secondary schools, high schools, institutes and universities which are near the town or city. The reason that they infect HIV/ AIDS because they are aware of AIDS/ HIV little so it is spreading from one to one day so that they are so quick to develop their love with their partners and they do not know how to use condom, not enough advisory service."
Obviously KTGO missed the point despite claiming in the proposal they had "Years of experience in HIV/AIDS programming, HIV/AIDS broadcast media (radio) expertise, and had worked closely in the past with the Department of Information." If true, KTGO would have known it would have had little trouble procuring free condoms in Cambodia, and might have been able to track down some low cost bananas as well. Whatever the case, these matters make little difference to Cambodia's professional money chasers.
I asked Mr. Um Ero three very specific questions regarding this funding request:
1. Do you know what the current HIV infection rates are in the communities you propose to help?
Answer: "No."
2. Are you going to talk to the prostitutes and the men who visit them over in the wooden shacks by Bangkok temple and if not, why not?
Answer: "No, we would be too embarrassed to be seen there."
3. Is Mr. Thann Thavy, Executive Director of KTGO, interested in lowering the HIV rate thereby saving lives or is he more interested in receiving 66 grand?
Answer: "He is interested in getting the money."
So there you have it folks, a brief look at deceit, incompetence, unbridled greed and indifference. The gold rush is on and nothing will stop the money chasers of Cambodia.
PS: KTGO didn't win this bid before they were shut down for corruption.
Addendum: The following is analysis of the KTGO assumption:
"they are easy to receive the foreign culture and civilizations through the foreign films"
1. 20 % of Cambodians have access to electricity.
2. Having electricity doesn't mean one has a television.
3. Having a television does not mean automatic access to cable.
4. Foreign films are shown on cable, and cable costs $ 15 USD per month.
5. 40% of Cambodia's populace earns $15 USD each per month.
6. 80 % of Cambodians have no access to electricity.
7. No electricity means no television.
8. Few cinemas exist in Cambodia, even in Phnom Penh.
9. Kampong Cham is Cambodia's third most populated city.
10. One cinema exists in Kampong Cham town and shows local films.
11. Not all foreign cultures and civilizations produce films that portray "youths who are always happy and enjoy having sex with their friends".
Now that KTGO's corruption has been exposed, subsequently forcing its closure, maybe some caring and intellectually honest Cambodians will step in to do the real work needed to help the country progress.
John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
My Mondo Library Photographs
My Photoshelter Archive Homepage
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