Program Description Social Enterprise & Employment Program

Program Description– Social Enterprise & Employment Program

Project: Laundry Establishment

Project title: Laundry Establishment

Program Summary/Overview:This program will enable Essential Personnel Cambodia to provide employment and vocational training opportunities for young people with disabilities in Phnom Penh. The program will provide skill development, training and employment opportunities for youth with a disability, to learn the skills necessary to work in the laundry as a Laundry Assistant. Training and up-skilling will also be provided, to equip our clients with as many skills and vocational experience as possible.

Program time frame: set up of program to commence Feb/March 2016, with the initial operating trial phase in March-Dec 2015.

Target group:All of EPC’s programs and projects are intended to facilitate or provide formal and informal education programmes to assist children and youth with disabilities towards self-sustaining employment. Our clients are youth aged between 17 and 35 eligible for vocational training and employment.

Grant request amount: USD $8420 for program set up costs (see attached budget for further details).

Aims and Objectives:

Primary Aim:To create sustainable employment opportunities for young people with disabilities in Cambodia by establishing a Laundry Business Outlet in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Objectives:

1. Fouryoung people with disabilities will attain skills in laundry operations, to work as full time staff members within the Essential Personnel laundry business outlet.
2. Five young people with disabilities will be trained in laundry skills for outsourcing to other laundry branch outlets.

1. Staffing required: A minimum of 4 staff are needed: a) a General Manager, b) Two Ironing staff (one for trousers, jeans, and another one for Shirts, Blouses etc.), c) a washing staff member, and d) a folding and packaging staff member. The individuals in each of these roles must have a minimum of primary school education level.

1. Background/Demonstrated need for support for target group:

The report of Cambodia Inter-censal Population Survey 2013, Undertaken by the Ministry of Planning, concluded that the number of persons with disabilities in Cambodia was 301,629 - equivalent to 2.06% of the total population of 14,676,591. (National Disability Strategic Plan 2014-2018). These numbers show that almost half a million of Cambodians live with a disability. They have limited access to appropriate treatment, rehabilitation services or skills and vocational training. They face experiences that actually ‘disable’ them from participating fully and equally in community life.

In general, PWDs have lower levels of education and wealth. They have been often denied employment as public servants. They are considered that they belong to that group of citizens who are considered beggars or simply waiting for someone else to help them. The inbuilt mechanism that prevents any form of advancement is the fear of failure or the expectation that failure will be the outcome of the educational journey.

There needs to be a radical change in the thinking of PWDs and the business sectors of the community as to what the PWDs can actually do. There are several other areas that have not been tapped as a source of support and creative thinking. There is a distinct lack of ambition among many PWDs. Many PWDs are afraid to fail and so do not really try in a sustained way to achieve even minimal goals.

Specific job possibilities for PWDs have become stereotyped in the minds of the public, business and the PWDs themselves. So there is little creative thinking to envisage PWDs doing other than menial, low skilled jobs which give little satisfaction and provide low income. This type of thinking is reinforced by the idea that the PWDs are not exposed to a wide variety of different occupations and jobs in the actual market place. Business does not yet think inclusively and have a sense of communal responsibility to give PWDs a fair chance. While there is a lack of finance there is above all very little vocational guidance for the PWDs and so they do not go about job selection in an organized way.

(See Report No. 48618-KH from the World Bank. Title."Poverty Profile and Trends in Cambodia 2008”.Published in June 2009).Available on internet but not copiable.

1. Budget(see attached yearly budget for further details).

1. Key stakeholders:EPC aims to work in an integrative and collaborative way with other organisations, services, government sectors, and education facilities. EPC is part of the Cambodian network of organizations whose focus is working with people with disabilities. The network includes the Disability Action Council (DAC), the Cambodian Disabled persons organization (CDPO), the National Centre for Disabled persons (NCDP), Action on Disability and Development (ADD) and the Association of the Blind in Cambodia, (ABC).

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