by Samantha White
Northwest Asia Weekly
One of the key themes in everything the Cambodian American Community Council of Washington (CACCWA) does is its focus on working with others.
From government agencies to other local Cambodian groups to bridging the generation gap within its own organization, building partnerships is how CACCWA is committed to helping Cambodian communities throughout Washington State.
For its latest project, the Small Business Resilience Network (SBRN), the nonprofit has partnered with the National Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Labour and Industry (L&I) to help Cambodia-owned businesses by disseminating and translating information from both state agencies.
“We can explain it to them,” said CACCWA co-founder and interim board chairman Bill Oung.
These two public entities serve different purposes. While Commerce offers resources such as consulting, grants, and COVID-19 assistance, L&I focuses on safety and regulatory compliance (and those related to COVID-19). Oung said CACCWA wanted to help businesses take advantage of government programs and aid when needed and ensure they were operating within the law.
face-to-face contact
Sambath Eat, SBRN’s programme director, said the network and CACCWA had been working with Commerce and L&I on information campaigns for small businesses. The first two events, one at the end of January, and the second last week, were held in Tacoma.
Since he started his tenure at CACCWA, Eat has also been taking classes, meeting with banking institutions, filling out paperwork, and completing the steps required for business owners to apply for grants and other resources — all to explain the process to business owners.
“It can be a scary experience,” he said, noting that people would disclose their financial and other sensitive information in their applications.
Now, Eat and his SBRN staff are focusing on Seattle and King County. Since many Khmers prefer to talk in person — rather than by phone or email — Eat has been visiting business owners in person. These interactions taught him the importance of being present. Because even when people don’t need help, connections are already made during these meetings. Eat introduced itself, the network and CACCWA to members of the Cambodian community, letting them know what the organization is and what they do. He said that if all his errands help only one person start a business or one business owner apply for a loan — if only one person or business benefits from his work — then that will accomplish his goals for SBRN.
The next goal for the Eat Network (currently paid for through state grants) is to secure funding to make it a sustainable project within CACCWA.
Build stronger communities
The origins of CACCWA can be traced back to 2015. After the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia, Oung and others in the community began organizing an event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Cambodians in the United States. The event was held at North Seattle Community College in August 2015, and CACCWA was established shortly after, Oung said. It officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2020.
Since its inception, CACCWA’s mission has been to strengthen the Cambodian community. Oung said they share this goal with the many other Cambodian organisations and groups they work with across the state, stressing the importance of these partnerships.
“We cannot operate without them,” he said.
celebrate students
Building a stronger community means different things to different people – from cultural hubs and events to strong business communities. For CACCWA, Oung said, that means making education a priority.
CACCWA hosts an annual event celebrating students graduating from high school and college (undergraduate and graduate level).
Tey Thach, who sits on the organization’s education committee and co-chairs in 2020-21, said it’s about recognizing students and telling them, “We see you.” As with most events over the past two years, these Events started in person and took place in the greater Seattle area, but due to the pandemic, they moved to virtual spaces. One of the positive effects of doing so, Thach said, is that it has become easier and more convenient for students and families from across the state to participate in learning.
This event is Thach’s favourite part of CACCWA – seeing graduates of all levels of education come together and be able to put faces and names together from their applications to participate.
University of Washington 2021 graduate Ammara Touch was unable to attend last year’s virtual commencement, but has attended in-person events in the past and loves the energy in the room. Many students are likely to be the first generation in their families to go to college after the genocide, she said.
“Being the first person to go to college is a big deal,” she said.
it all adds up
In addition to the festivities, CACCWA also offers scholarships to students, usually around $1,000. Touch was awarded a CACCWA Scholarship in 2020, one of many to cover the cost of her entire university education.
As a woman of color, attending a predominantly white institution and entering a STEM field (double majoring in Biology and American Ethnic Studies, and double majoring in Oceania and Pacific Islander Studies and Diversity Studies), Touch allowed Her body has been through a lot.
This includes the daily commute from Kent to Seattle and back home. Not having to worry about finances removes a stressor for her and her family.
Touch would like to thank the CACCWA scholarships are exclusively for Khmer students. She pointed to the community’s low high school graduation rate (about 66 percent) and even lower college graduation rate (about 14 percent), and hoped they would increase funding to make higher education more accessible.
The strength of the next generation
The stories of the Cambodian community and the Khmer people have been systematically and systematically erased, Touch said. So for her, being Khmer is all about creating a space where their stories can be safely told, respected, and done in the way they should be to restore community. To be Khmer means to be future ancestors, story catchers and tellers and healers, to understand and understand genocide because, Touch said, they need to know their own history to know themselves.
As a member of the older generation, Oung admires young people like Touch and their determination for a better future – which is why CACCWA finds strength in the next generation.
For older Khmers who come to the U.S., it can be difficult for them to adjust to a new culture in a new country, he said. But for those born here, they have access to the Khmer community and society in general. They are more likely to navigate a multicultural environment.
Taking advantage of this advantage is key to the continued success of the community.
“We can remind them of the past,” Oung said of his generation, “but the future, that’s not something we can say.”
Samantha is available at info@nwasianweekly.com.
