TOGETHER against Tobacco in Cambodia

On June 13, 2022, members of Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Cambodia’s TOGETHER team celebrated the “World No Tobacco Day.” This year’s theme was “Tobacco Poisons Our Environment.”

The event highlighted the harmful effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke on newborn babies, children, pregnant women, and youth. The event also raised awareness of the risks facing women and girls’ health and wellbeing by highlighting issues of sexual and gender-based violence, another critical area of focus for TOGETHER.

The key objectives of the event including improving people’s knowledge of the serious effects of tobacco use, including the destruction of our environment, and helping community leaders and members better understand how to protect women and young girls from the effects of tobacco use. It also included encouraging parents and other caregivers to give up tobacco use and to protect women and girls from harmful environments and other forms of abuse, violence, and risks.

The event was broadcast via local media and Facebook. 

TOGETHER is a six-year project that has been made possible through funding from the government of Canada. In partnership with ADRA Canada, SickKids, and Salanga, TOGETHER will ensure that nearly two hundred thousand girls, women, boys, and men in Kenya, Uganda, Cambodia, and the Philippines are enabled to exercise their health-related human rights.

Many vulnerable people face significant barriers to quality health care and cannot exercise their rights regarding their health. TOGETHER will address several of these issues, particularly focusing on indigenous, remote, or resettled areas.

In speaking about the project, ADRA Canada’s Executive Director, Steve Matthews, said, “I thank Global Affairs Canada for selecting ADRA as a trusted partner to make a positive difference in the thousands of lives who will be empowered by the TOGETHER project and our Network partners without whom this project would not be possible.”

ADRA Canada leaders said they are looking forward to delivering transformational programming through the agency partnerships with SickKids, Salanga, and the ADRA offices in Cambodia, Kenya, the Philippines, and Uganda.

The original version of this story was posted by ADRA Canada.