On 04 April 2023, ODC organized an official launch of the online Learning Platform at the Poulo Wai Hotel & Apartment, Phnom Penh, with the participation of 43 people (18 females) from 23 local, national, and international organizations, including cluster member organizations and non-members. Those organizations are NEP, CHRAC, TI, UNDP, BS, CIPL, CIPO, CIYA, Epic Art, WCV, IRAM, 3SPN, HA, FLO, CEDT, ODC, FHI, USAID, KAWSANG, SVC, ADHOC, LAC, and CENTRAL. Twelve of them are from Rattankiri, Kratie, Battambang, Siem Reap, and Kampot.
The Learning Platform was developed by Open Development Cambodia (ODC), under financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Cambodia through FHI 360 in partnership with the International Center Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) for the Civil Society Support (CSS) Project. The Learning Platform aims to be a free one-stop-shop knowledge-sharing portal, aggregating best practices and lessons learned by the cluster members of the Civil Society Support (CSS) project. The portal will disseminate data and information for the wider CSO community and other interested stakeholders through its interactive and user-friendly content, available in both Khmer and English, made publicly accessible and free of charge.
The contents of the Learning Platform are classified based on the theme, including education, digital social innovation, environmental and NRM, gender and social inclusion, Indigenous Peoples, journalism, civil society, legal resources, and training materials, which the cluster members implement. The platform is now publicly accessible to cluster members and the public. The user can access the platform through the web address (https://learn.opendevelopmentcambodia.net/) or go directly to the Open Development Cambodia website and find the platform on the Menu bar as a sub-page.
The launch event is a significant milestone in the development of the Learning Platform. Through this workshop, we aim to officially introduce the platform and gather feedback from all key stakeholders to improve its look, functionality, and user experience. We also call for increased collaboration on data and resource sharing to ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform.
Most of the participants expressed their positive thoughts about the Learning Platform. They said it is an innovative platform that they have been looking for and where they can promote their project and organization’s impact to a broader audience and donors. They also learn from other organizations’ success and experiences in project implementation. At the same time, there were questions from participants regarding content management and the data contribution protocol.
In conclusion, the official launch workshop of the Online Learning Platform received positive attention from cluster member organizations as well as non-CSS project partners. Through interactive discussion and constructive feedback, we get several consideration inputs for our team for the next action.
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