10th Edition of the French Volunteering Days
- By François Camps
- October 5, 2023 2:09 PM
PHNOM PENH – France Volontaires will hold on Oct. 7 the 10th edition of the French Volunteering Days, a forum dedicated to volunteering opportunities in organizations located both in Cambodia and France.
The event will be held at the French Institute and will welcome booths of several NGOs and companies that have cross ties between the two countries.
It "will be an opportunity to publicly announce important advances for the cooperation between Cambodia and France about [volunteering programs] and the reciprocity of volunteering conditions while the volunteers from the two nations will be put in the spotlight", said France Volontaires in a statement.
In 2022, a total of 168 international volunteers got involved in Cambodia for missions of up to two years. While the majority were based in Phnom Penh, 64 of them worked in provinces, including Kep, Kampot, Battambang, Preah Vihear, Siem Reap and Banteay Meanchey.
Volunteering missions were primarily focused on education (33 percent), community development (32 percent) and vocational training (14 percent).
Being part of the cooperation between Cambodia and France, volunteering opportunities are also accessible to Cambodian citizens who wish to get involved in an exchange program in France.
Cambodian volunteers are being paid by the host organization and receive financial support from the State to face the higher cost of living in France.
"We believe that Cambodia has all the potential to enable its youth to engage internationally," France Volontaires' statement said.
So far, the sending of Cambodian volunteers in France has been less significant with only 12 youths sent in 7 years.
But a new dynamic is being initiated and an additional 12 Cambodians volunteers will start missions in France from fall 2023 to January 2024.
Some of them will provide assistance to associations working with disabled athletes, and will be associated with the Paralympic Games that will be held in Paris in August and September 2024.
