Tag: Mekong

Local communities can be resettled as a result of the building of dams — and it effects men and women differently. Using a technique called Forum Theatre, the Mekong Regional team demonstrated power dynamics to more than 300 scientists, researchers and global experts . Read more »

In southern Myanmar, a dam is being built which will flood an area the size of Singapore and impact more than 200,000 people. Nang Shining grew up in a community that’s threatened by the dam, and has become a powerful voice for the rights of people in her community. Read more »

Women are becoming frontline activists in the battle against the dams that threaten their communities: “We all have one dream. We want to be included in the decisions over the dams. We want our rights to be heard” Read more »

Chhea’s community is threatened by the construction of a large hydropower dam. She shares her concerns and hopes for the future. Read more »

Fish is a fundamental resource for poor Cambodian communities. Easily accessible by communities who live alongside the Mekong river, fish constitutes 75% of Cambodia’s animal protein intake. But this abundance of fish is threatened by illegal fishing activities and destructive infrastructure development. Read more »

The Mekong river is a vital resource for poor and vulnerable people in the lower Mekong region, including essential water for fisheries and agriculture. Major development decisions — like dams — can affect the food security of the surrounding communities. The impacts of development on women and ethnic minorities is of particular concern. Read more »

Nari is 24 and participates in a local Cambodian program called “Women Talk on Air” — a program that aims to build capacity and empower women to speak their minds to community leaders and decision-makers. She discusses her concerns around hydropower dam construction and the potential impact on an entire community. Read more »

One of our areas of work in the Mekong Region is ‘Hydropower and Gender’. But what does the construction of dams have to do with gender relations? Good question. I asked myself the same thing when I started my experience with Oxfam. Not because I didn’t appreciate working towards gender equality, but because I couldn’t […] Read more »

By Robin Narciso – an Oxfam volunteer in Phnom Penh What is extreme poverty? Living on under a dollar per day? When you see what the Mekong gives to its people, you understand how it is the river, not a couple of dollars that determines their survival. In Samphin, a small town in the Cambodian […] Read more »

By Robin Narciso – an Oxfam volunteer in Phnom Penh How would you feel if you woke up in the morning to find out that your house AND your job has vanished into thin air? It’s hard for us to imagine in the “developed world”, but it happens every day in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and […] Read more »