Training on designing a data protection policy ( Part II)

In the rural northeast regions of Cambodia, support for isolated communities whose livelihoods rely on natural resources, such as forests, is limited. Nevertheless, it is crucial to provide assistance for the sustainable development of these communities to ensure the preservation of Cambodia’s rich biodiversity.
The Development and Partnership in Action (DPA) works in this area to empower and support impoverished and vulnerable individuals, enhance community resilience, foster engagement and collaboration with relevant stakeholders, and advocate for an enabling environment for sustainable development. For instance, DPA assists local communities in the management of natural resources. Through one of its projects, it provides seedlings, small trees, and technical support to help communities to restore deforested areas. As part of their commitment to protecting vulnerable communities, DPA’s donors have mandated the organization to develop and implement a comprehensive data protection policy that encompasses IT security and data management. After two missions ( October 2024 and March 2025), the last volunteer finalized the data protection policy, and the team was pleased with the work accomplished. The official policy was submitted to the board of directors, which has been approved by the committee and has been effective since May 2025. Now, the organization has a data protection policy. However, the organization faces practical challenges, such as conducting field visits on this topic and meeting the DPA staff in the field. It is advisable to plan a follow-up mission on the policy in 2026 to assess the knowledge gained and delve deeper into the subject.

The volunteer intervention should encompass the following topics:
-Analyzing the policy drafted by DPA and the two volunteers.
-Assessing DPA’s actual practices on this policy
-Providing support to the team to improve their practices;
-Training DPA even more in-depth on this subject.

Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, is a bustling urban environment. It offers a wide range of options, including local and Western restaurants as well as supermarkets. During your days off, there are numerous sites to visit, such as the Royal Palace, National Museum, Sunset River Cruise on the Mekong, Wat Phnom Temple, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Central Market, Russian Market, and more.

The beneficiaries of the training will be 4 members of DPA’s team, the program manager and the program coordinators, including 1 women. The beneficiaries all have experiences in data collection and management for the projects, and they have already received two trainings from PU’s volunteers. The English level of the participants is good.

The volunteer will be welcomed at Phnom Penh Airport by a member of DPA’s team.

Airport Phnom Penh.

The volunteer will be staying at a hotel near DPA’s office in Phnom Penh (individual private room, with key-lock, private bathroom). Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be taken in hotel or restaurants nearby.

Volunteer should bring a laptop.