History
Girl Guiding was introduced to Cambodia in the 1940s, when the country was under the French Protectorate. In the early 1950s, youth movements including the Guide and Scout Movements supported the country's religion, monarchy and community. However, all activities stopped under the Khmer Rouge regime. It was not until 1993 that suggestions were made to restart both Movements.
In 1993 a reception was held in Manila, Philippines in conjunction with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts' Asia Pacific Symposium of NGOs for Women in Development. The aim was to introduce or reintroduce the Girl Guiding/Girl Scouting movement and to explore possibilities of starting or restarting Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting in Cambodia, as well as Tibet, Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Fifty women leaders from those nations attended the Asia Pacific Symposium, sharing their Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting experiences.
In 1996 a group of sixteen young university students was given some exposure to Guiding by a staff member of the WAGGGS-Asia Pacific Region, a volunteer from France and trainers from Thailand and the Philippines. However, it was not until 1998, with Leang MengHo's efforts and the support of WAGGGS' Asia Pacific Region, that the Girl Guides Association of Cambodia began to move forward. In August of that year, Cambodia received the WAGGGS Certificate of Country Working Towards Membership.
A quarterly newsletter is published in both the English and Khmer languages. The Girl Guides Association of Cambodia has a high profile in society and is well regarded, mainly due to the support of Queen mother Monineath. Les Guides de France have been working with and supporting the Association.
Read more about this topic: Girl Guides Association Of Cambodia
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