The Profile Project is an experiment in ad hoc collaboration in the international development sector. Short video profiles will showcase the human rights work being done on the ground in Battambang and screened at the Shine Human Rights Festival on December 10 2009. The Profile Project works like this:

1. International volunteer writes up an idea for a video
2. Cambodian volunteers here in Battambang gather the footage for it
3. International volunteer edits the video together and sends it over for the Human Rights Day festival in Battambang.

The project provided Human Rights-based documentaries on local the local NGOs

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights The Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association Phare Ponleu Selpak Pteah Teuk Dong Khmer New Generation Organization

While the selection of NGO participants was fraught with difficulty, the project was a success with the five completed documentaries being shown at the Shine festival.

Cambodia remains a country plagued with constant challenges to the maintenance of its citizens’ basic human rights, from abuse of child labor and trafficking to widespread domestic violence and political malfeasance. Awareness of these issues and knowledge of about what can be done to avoid or resolve them is sorely lacking, especially in rural areas where access to relevant information is poor or inconsistent.

To be held on December 10 to honor international Human Rights Day, Shine will showcase the Human Rights related activities of individuals and NGOs around Battambang in order to raise awareness of and foster engagement with local human rights issues. The event is being organized by Kinyei in partnership with Buddhism For Development (BFD) and will feature a screening of video profiles created under the Profile Project, a collaboration of local NGOs, students, and volunteers from around the world, as well as a range of NGO-run activities designed to create a fun, lively atmosphere that will raise awareness of the great work being done for Human Rights in the area. In partnership with Buddhism for Development, with participation from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Battambang.

Partnering with the Cambodian NGO, Support Children and Young People, this project will engage young citizens of Battambang in a series of workshops teaching media skills to ultimately produce small human rights documentaries. These will be a pivotal part of Shout! the Human Rights festival to be held on the banks of the river Sangke in Battambang on December 10th, 2009.

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