The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Pact Cambodia on June 7 launched “In Her Hands”, a magazine that aims to provide the Kingdom’s entrepreneurial ladies with the means to grow a flourishing business.
“By offering practical resources and case studies, ‘In Her Hands’ acts as a how-to guide that can enable any entrepreneur to address challenges they encounter in their business, such as how to register with the National Social Security Fund,” Pact Cambodia said in a statement.
“The publication is available in Khmer and English and details the essential steps needed to transform a small, informal business into a legitimate enterprise with higher growth potential and legal protection,” it said.
USAID Cambodia deputy mission director Hanh Nguyen said in the statement: “USAID strongly supports women’s economic and civic engagement and access to information is critical to that engagement.
“‘In Her Hands’ will provide Cambodia’s female entrepreneurs with the information they need to start and grow their businesses,” she said.
Pact Cambodia country director Sabine Joukes added: “The magazine supports women entrepreneurs to make their business dreams a reality.
“The magazine features real-life stories from women entrepreneurs about their challenges and offers practical steps to resolve issues to enable women entrepreneurs to take action,” she was quoted in the statement as saying.
Information on the publication frequency of “In Her Hands” was not immediately available.
CamKPI Professional Academy managing director Leap Somaly, who attended the event, told The Post on June 7 that she suggests women entrepreneurs hold on to the publication as a basic guide for doing business.
The magazine outlines one’s legal rights when it comes to starting a business, and details the accompanying registration process and associated issues, she said, adding that the publication also seeks to ensure that women entrepreneurs are at least as versed in legalese as their male counterparts.
Although a primary objective of “In Her Hands” is to encourage women to start a business, male entrepreneurs could also find the publication helpful, she maintained.
She said that a total 1,000 copies would be published as a first step – with English and Khmer versions printed separately – and distributed to various organisations selected to optimise women entrepreneurs’ access to the literature.
Somaly said she gathered from the event that additional copies would be subsequently printed to reach more universities and provide more students with the basic knowledge needed to start a business after graduation.
According to Somaly, the magazine underscores the rights to do business, to education, to social protections, and to property.
