Design 4 Post-Genocide Peace

CATEGORY: Energy

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Connecting former Khmer Rouge soldiers with Cambodian youth via a series of engineering workshops aimed at both strengthening inter-generational ties and creating and empowering local community leaders.

Standings & Awards

14 out of 1313 in Asia
7 out of 143 in Energy
11 out of 574 in Pilot
18 out of 992 in Charitable
44 out of 4003 Overall

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Knowledge Is Power!

Using design, former soldiers heal as they use their technical knowledge to empower students to learn.

Two Problems

Culture of Shame. During the Khmer Rouge regime, teenagers and children alike were coerced to take part in the genocide of 1.7 million Cambodians population, nearly 25% of the population. While they demonstrated notable technical aptitude with machinery and equipment, that knowledge was used for one purpose--to kill. Now, 37 years after the regime has fallen, these soldiers continue to suffer from memories of the atrocities they were forced to commit, but based on Khmer culture, they rarely discuss their trauma or seek support.

High Student Dropout Rates. Due to the genocide events, 70% of Cambodia’s population is under 30 years old today. This highlights the importance of education to the future of Cambodia. However, many children, who with more education might become engineers, doctors, and professional leaders, have their fate determined at the end of primary school, when parents decide to pull them out of school to work at home. If children were given the opportunity to demonstrate concrete engineering abilities earlier, their parents might become more invested in keeping them in school, so they could be trained to their full potential.

Solution: Connect Generations and Promote Community Involvement

Through a series of project-based workshops, we create space to re-imagine the applications of soldiers’ technical abilities by training them and having them teach the youth practical engineering skills. By using abilities learned from a military lifestyle for positive, community building endeavors, soldiers may achieve transformative acceptance. Additionally, through these workshops, young people will be able to demonstrate the value of their education to their parents through small but significant projects, such as solar lamps or battery-powered lighting. When parents realize their children’s skills, they will be more likely to encourage them to continue their education. Students will then continue learn how to apply their knowledge to practical problems in their community. Furthermore, both the 5-8 soldiers who participate and their extended communities will see the soldiers in a new positive role, which will enable them to become positive local leaders as well as open the door to seeking support in return. Local psychiatrists will be working with the soldiers throughout the workshops for emotional support.

Sponsors, Investors, and Supporters

FIVE PROJECT QUESTIONS Required (60 - 90 minutes)

1. What is your innovation?

We will train ex-Khmer soldiers to teach rural Cambodian children these project-based workshops. We have developed lessons in collaboration with the Practical Energy Network (PEN), a group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) dedicated to equipping students in developing nations with the technical ingenuity required to develop energy solutions for their local communities. Pilot workshops involving 14 Cambodian students have proven successful; all have asked to remain involved.

2. Who gains the most?

30-40 students will gain practical engineering skills in a fun environment by building items which will improve their families’ lifestyle. 5-8 soldiers will receive therapy and will been seen in a new positive role within the community. A healthy ecosystem will be created within the community as students will learn how to think outside the box and use their newly acquired skills towards the benefit of the community. Parents may also encourage students to continue their education.

3. Who pays?

We are seeking seed funding through grants, fellowships, donations, and all available resouces, but eventually, we expect out program to be a self-sustainable student group. All of the materials we use are inexpensive and locally available, so that they incur minimal cost. Our pilot projects have been supported by MIT Public Service Center Fellowship, MIT Kelly-Douglas Traveling Fellowship, and ACM/IEEE Travel Award. We expect their continued support and continue to seek other funding sources.

4. What is your success?

In 1 year, ~5 former soldiers will have used their skills to contribute to their community and ~30 students will better at using design and engineering to reach their goals. In 3 years, the students' parents will realize their engineering aptitude, enabling them to stay in school beyond the seventh grade. In 5 years, these students may be able to travel to attain higher education. When other schools see the program's success, they will follow suit, enabling innovation and economic growth.

5. How will you do it?

Our lessons combine design and engineering to empower both former soldiers and students to re-envision how engineering, prototyping, and design can be used in their communities. This summer we will run a 6-week training workshop for the soldiers and student in collaboration with the local schools, in which we will connect the former soldiers and the students via projects, based on the PEN curriculum.