Cambodia is an old country with a very large young population. Cambodia , today, is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia with 35 percent of the population living under poverty line. Cambodia is at a crossroads, poised between post-conflict rehabilitation and long-term economic and social development. The population is growing at an annual rate is 1.8 per cent. The population structure is changing, with increasing in numbers of youth and the elderly. As at 2004, the population was estimated 13.1 million. 56.3 % per cent of the population was below 25 years old and 36.5 per cent was aged 10-24 and 16.5 per cent was above 50 year old. Cambodia has one of the world's highest rates of child labour. One half of 4 million children aged 15-17 are employed in farms and factories across the country.
Cambodia has made considerable progress over the last decade. Though Cambodia has been successfully in targeting high risk group such as sex workers with condom distribution and seen a substantial reduction in the HIV prevalence over the last five to ten years, the continuation and long term interventions to address some of the root causes for the spread of HIV, gender inequality remains a need. Newly found statistic shows that there is a trend of transmission of HIV is moving. Approximately 50% of new case of infections of HIV is from husband to wife and about 33% is from mother to child.
Adult Reproductive Health Project (ARH) is one of a several activities implemented by Khmer Youth Association (KYA) with funding support from UNFPA since the year 2004 with its aim to provide as much as possible preventative skills to youth which is believed as a best mechanism ensuring the happy life of the future of youth who gradually becoming a full and productive and healthy citizens of the country. Since the beginning, the project has been implemented in many provinces where KYA office located as Kompong Cham, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap as well in Phnom Penh .
In year 2005, the scope of the project has been narrowed down due to the fact that UNFPA wished to see the project more focus rather than spreading up. KYA, in that stage, with consultation and approval from UNFPA, decided to make ARH activities in some of the mentioned provinces suspended but make a province of Banteay Meanchey continued its moving. However, intervention activities are considerably changed slightly between the first round of the project and after the project amended.
Seeing of very good outcome of the project in Banteay Meanchey, KYA, in year 2006, have proposed to have ARH activity in a new province a Kompong Chhnang where the project worked in two districts of the Kompong Chhnang and Rolear Pa Ear for a period of five years. The project in new province of Kompong Chhnang , again, recognized as an important and fruitful where not only the stakeholders but also thousand of youths are very appreciate and give a big praise of and fully participated in any activities the project has set in place.
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