Stung Treng, June 6th, 2024 – Members of ADRA Cambodia’s TOGETHER project team, in collaboration with Provincial Health Department and local authorities, celebrated World No Tobacco Day 2024 in Siembok district of Stung Treng Province on June 6, 2024.
In cooperation with the Provincial Department of Health and local authority leaders, 310 participants (186 females) joined the event.
The event, focusing on the theme of Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Interference, aimed to:
- Protect children from the effects of tobacco products
- Demonstrate the tobacco industry’s tricks in enticing children to use tobacco products.
- Change community attitudes for children’s health
The event also raised awareness of women and girls’ rights by highlighting key findings from TOGETHER’s year 3 survey and gender analysis related to early marriage, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), another critical area of focus for TOGETHER.
Mr. Suong Hy, Governor of Siem Bok District, reported on the district’s situation, covering security and public matters. Siem Bok is one of six districts in Stung Treng province, comprising 7 communes with 25,286 residents, including 816 indigenous and Kuy families.
Mr. Roth Rumnea, TOGETHER Project Manager at ADRA Cambodia, provided an overview of the project, which operates in 318 villages across Kompong Thom, Preah Vihear, and Stung Treng provinces. The project engages youth in and out of school through activities like trainings, sports, drama, menstruation hygiene management, and parent events, etc. He highlighted smoking’s negative health impacts and financial waste. Despite progress, challenges remain with early marriage, unintended pregnancies, and school dropouts.
During the occasion, a short educational drama and a song about the harmful effects of tobacco was performed by a group of students of Siem Bok middle School, making the event even more engaging.
Dr. Ung Soviet, Director of Stung Treng Provincial Health Department, praised the efforts of local health authorities and ADRA Cambodia in raising awareness about tobacco’s harms, supported by the Global Affairs Canada. Highlighting this year’s theme of protecting youth from tobacco and e-cigarettes, he emphasized the severe health risks of tobacco and the need to prevent the industry from targeting children. He urged the community to avoid smoking and protect others from secondhand smoke. Additionally, he recommended using health centers for safe childbirth and prenatal care, aligning with the Cambodian government’s commitment to reducing non-communicable diseases.
ADRA Cambodia is implementing the “uniting TOwards Gender Equality for enjoyment of women’s and girls’ Total HEalth and Rights” (TOGETHER) project thanks to generous funding from the Government of Canada. Supported by ADRA Canada, SickKids and Salanga, this gender-transformative 6-year project will ensure that nearly two hundred thousand girls, women, boys and men in Cambodia, Kenya, the Philippines, and Uganda are enabled to exercise their health-related human rights.
