Who We Are | First Step Cambodia

Meet the Team

Operating from our Siem Reap and Phnom Penh offices, the FSC team is a family of dedicated professionals; with twelve Social Workers out in the community and three Trainers delivering our programs on a daily basis.

Meet The Team

Our Management Team

The organization is under the guidance of the management team: the Executive Director, the Program Manager, the Development Manager, and the Admin and Finance Manager.

Our Management Team

Executive Director

Chamreun Yaim

Chamreun Yaim holds a Bachelors Degree in Human Resource Management and a Masters in Social Work. Prior to joining First Step Cambodia, Chamreun worked in the field of education, social work and mental health for organizations such as Science of Life, Social Services of Cambodia, the Trans-Cultural Psychosocial Organization and the Chab Dai Coalition. In 2009, Chamreun supported the development of a specialist-training curriculum for professionals who work with boys and young men affected by sexual abuse. The lack of knowledge and awareness of, and the poor responses to men and boys experiencing sexual violence, inspired him to co-found First Step Cambodia. Two years later, Chamreun took on the role of Executive Director and has since been guiding the organization in its professionalization, service delivery, program development and growth. Chamreun has begun numerous national and international alliances of civil society organizations working together to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families, sharing FSC’s expertise and initiating new research projects, both independent and collaborative.

Program Manager

Chanda Phang

Chanda brings along his extensive experience working with NGOs since 1998, supporting marginalized populations. His expertise included child protection, trafficking, education, community development, and children in conflict with the law. He was managing multiple programs, building and maintaining families to stay together, and supporting them to be able to prevent themselves from all forms of abuse and exploitation. Chanda graduated with his bachelor's degree in business management from the National Institute of Business, and a master's degree in development management from Norton University.

Development Manager

Chanveasna Chin

Mr. Chin Chanveasna holds Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Pannasastra University of Cambodia (PUC). Before joining FSC, Mr. Chanveasna served as Executive Director of End Child Prostitution, Abuse and Trafficking (ECPAT-Cambodia) for over 9 years, Executive Director of NGO Education Partnership (NEP) for 5 years and as Operations Manager for VVOB in Cambodia for 4 and half years.

Admin & Finance Manager

Rotana Roeun

Rotana Roeun joined FSC in 2013 and holds a Master's in Financial Management. He manages the financial processes of the organization, including budget planning, internal controlling and financial reporting to our donors. Managing the finance & admin team, he oversees our HR and finance policies and all administrative processes. Rotana is exemplary of FSC’s commitment to the professional development of its employees. Originally joining the organization as an Admin Assistant in 2013, Rotana obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration in 2015 while moving into the positions of Assistant and Admin and Finance Officer, subsequently. During those years, he continued his studies at the Royal University of Law and Economics. Obtaining his Master's Degree in Financial Management early 2019 allowed him to take on the opportunity of becoming FSC’s new Admin and Finance Manager. His dedication to, and years of experience at, FSC make him an invaluable asset to our management team.

Our Board

Our work is overseen by an external governing board.

Our Board

Chairman

In Sokhanha

Ms. In has a varied background in finance, auditing, and grant management, working for both international and local organizations, primarily funded by USAID and other funding agencies; such as The Red Cross and International Executive Service Corp. Ms. In is currently working for the Internal Audit Unit of PSI Cambodia, ensuring that received funding is spent in accordance with program agreements and in line with PSI’s global control and compliancy requirements.

Treasurer

Meas Kheang

Mr. Meas is the Operations Director at Cambodian Center Independent Media (CCIM), where he is responsible for the Center’s administration, human resources, and finance teams. Prior to joining CCIM, he held different Finance roles with the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. As a member of the board, he supports the continuous improvement of the organization’s operations and governance.

Secretary

Sam Sreyna

Ms. Sam has a long track record of working in child protection at Hagar International Foundation. Starting as a counselor in 2005, Ms. Sam has held various management positions within the organization over the last 10 years. Today, she is a senior member of Hagar Cambodia’s Management Team and the Operations Manager for Client Care, providing leadership to three key projects in Cambodia.

Member

Brent De Smedt

Brent has over 10 years of experience in various management positions in both the private and non-profit sectors. As a former colleague at First Step (2018-2020) and who has worked in Cambodia on Child Protection and Child Rights, Brent has a thorough understanding of our organization, our mission, and the context in which we operate. Today, Brent is on the management team of an international environmental organization and vice-president of a children's NGO in Belgium.

Member

Robert Common

Robert is an International Child Protection and Welfare practitioner and Clinical Social Worker with over 17 years experience in Social Work, Psychology, Care Reform, Early Childhood Development and Alternative Care. He has extensive post graduate training and experience in child abuse and neglect. Working in Cambodia since 2016, Robert has developed a thorough understanding of the contextual and societal challenges related to child protection in Cambodia and the wider region.

Our Donors

We thank all our achievements to a strong group of donors who have been very supportive to our cause.

Our Partners

Our approach to partnership and networking remains the key to our effective and efficient service delivery

Maintaining, improving and increasing partnerships and networks is an approach that has proven to be key to effective and efficient service delivery.

NGOs

First Step works in partnership with over a hundred local NGOs. Case conferences among partners allows us to discuss individual cases and determine how we can provide catered support for each child. Partners help us in the provision of specific services that respond to the child's needs (specific health care services, for example). Our partners have free access to our prevention workshops and training curricula. By building their staff's capacity in identifying and responding to potential cases of abuse, and working to improve reporting mechanisms, we have seen a steady increase in the number of referrals to our Social Workers.

Networks

We are a key member of important local and international networks. Through these networks we are able to share best practices and resources, whilst developing joint projects. First Step shares its expertise on child protection, social work and child sexual abuse. We advocate for boys in the members' current and future programs. We are currently an active member of Family Care First, Family for Every Child, the Child Protection and Disability Network, the Big Five Network, the Social Work Network, the Violence Against Children Working Group and the Disability Network.

First Step recognizes the key role of the government in developing and providing social services to children, families and communities. We fully support and operate in close collaboration with the government at all levels. First Step has a strong and productive collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSVY) and works closely with local authorities in the communities and with sub-national and national departments such as the Child Welfare Department, the Departments of Social Affairs (DoSVY), the Commune Committees for Women and Children, the Departments of Women Affairs, the Provincial Committee for Counter Trafficking, and the Women and Children Consultative Committee.

Government

Our History