Community mobilisation and program implementation

The 3SPN operates and implements the following programs: community-based research, advocacy, community dialogue and community fisheries, in order to identify livelihood problems and crafts advocacy based on the concerns of the dam-affected people (http://3spn.cfsites.org/). The programs allow meetings to be organised at village level as well as community visits and provincial meetings; such meetings allow the affected communities to share their concerns, livelihood stories, experiences of working for the 3SPN as well as their aspirations. Through various programs,

community engagement in meetings (at village and provincial levels) and community- based projects, the affected-communities are mobilised. The programs are mechanisms to translate concerns from the dam-affected communities and integrate them into advocacy and various strategies for environmental and social justice. Village meetings play a crucial role in obtaining the voices from the affected communities, engaging them

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into the network programs, creating opportunities to share information about livelihood changes, as well as reaffirming the goals of the movement.

The 3SPN declaration is announced at the beginning of meetings; this is a

reaffirmation of the goals of the 3SPN and the mission of the network. Testimonials and the stories of the affected people are shared at the meetings which are moderated by an NGO worker or village coordinator. Through various community meetings at the village scale, the network gains greater mobilisation, partnerships and collective action from the affected communities. The village meetings also acknowledge the role of women and youth and they are encouraged to speak out and share stories as well as to take part in various components of the 3SPN’s activities.

Given that the network involves both program implementation, which aims to translate the local concerns into visions and projects that fit their needs, and advocacy to raise issues of dam impacts in national agenda, the role of local and district

coordinators, including 3SPN staff and management, are equally important in the achievement of the 3SPN’s mission. NGO staff play crucial roles as change-facilitators and work alongside coordinators and villagers (perceived as catalysts of change) to develop activities and the work plan, share ideas about each program, obtain concerns and recommendations from the coordinators, set up meetings, maintain regular visits to the villages and report to 3SPN management on a regular basis. Mr T, the 3SPN official who is in charge of the dialogue component of 3SPN, shares his impressions. Through facilitation of the 3SPN program, he has to work closely with the villager coordinator of Phum Pi and the elder coordinator for Ou Ya Dav to obtain information on livelihood impacts (such as flood damage, river changes, and news relevant to upstream water releases).

My main responsibility is Andong Meas and Ou Ya Dav. I meet coordinators often in their villages to get news and collect news (psop psai por ra mean in Khmer). News here includes information that may emerge around dams in the Sesan and concerns about the livelihood of the riverbank communities.

Sometimes I get news about the dam, sometimes I get news about flooding and how people are affected by livelihoods. I also told them that they are entitled to get compensation. The way I work is that I work with Om Malik and Om Ty (Om means uncle) to raise issues from Andong Meas and Ou Ya Dav. My job is to bring news from the head (pra-tien in Khmer) to share with others. Last time I spread around the news about Typhoon Ketsana and asked villagers to prepare, but we didn’t know that there would be a huge flood. If there is a meeting here at the 3SPN office, Om Malik and Om Ty and I often discuss our work and progress including the work plan and share information about everything in general. (Mr. T, 3SPN officer, dated 15 May 2011)

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In addition to the role of change facilitator, the role of local and district

coordinators and elder coordinators in coordinating voices are vital for placing the issue of livelihood concerns within the 3SPN’s advocacy. They act as ‘catalysts of change’ who work with other villagers in enhancing social learning about dam impacts and communicate community needs and demands for advocacy to other community

members as well as wider public through meetings and forums at the village, commune and district scales. Speaking in the Lao language, Ming S, the elder coordinator for Vuensai stated:

I have worked with 3SPN for long time I have been to so many meetings and talks about dam impact on our lives both in Ban Lung and Phnom Penh. As the coordinator for Vuensai, my task is to make sure that the communities familiar with the issues of dam impacts. People know that dams are bad and bring so many impacts, and people know that we won’t ever get electricity as promised by the dam developer. Since we have been involved in 3SPN activities, we have learnt so much. We stick here trying to fight for others who are impacted. Some people understand the issue of dam impacts and some don’t. Some still think that one day they will get electricity, so I think we have to work harder and spread the news about impacts and share information with others. Some people do not understand the issues of dam impacts very well and trust that they will get new house, electricity and get a job. But they don’t think that they are going to lose fish and livelihood. It takes time to show them what we are fighting with. We have to keep talking to make sure that the government understand what we want. We have to work harder to engage everybody and expand our network of people who share the same experiences and keep sending the messages across to the government and dam developers and whoever wants to build dam on the Sesan River. (Ming Sod, from Vuensai village, dated 20 June 2010)

Por Tip , Por Pid and Mr. B from Vuensai are also coordinators and 3SPN activities implementers who engage strongly in 3SPN activities. They are vocal in raising the issues of dam impacts, advocating the issues of livelihood impacts and demanding that justice be provided for the affected people. Through a range of activities they engage the community and mobilise other people to engage and share information. Their roles are to ensure that the issues of dam impacts are understood and addressed. Por Pid

normally runs the local workshop and meetings and advocates that others speak out and share their livelihood stories with 3SPN officers and be part of the project

implementation and ensure that the advocacy gains support and project implementation meets the time line and work plan.

Within the 3SPN structure, presented below, participation is conceived through the way in which the dam-affected people share the concerns and knowledge raised by the dam-affected communities who take part in the four program implementations. For

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example, community-based research and documentation encourages the dam-affected people to discuss the history of their villages, livelihoods, strategies and changes in the river and fisheries, including news about the dam locations, if any. Knowledge about river changes, fishing and the use of fishing gear or local ecological knowledge is also documented. Through meetings relating to particular planned dams, such as the Lower Sesan 2, participation is envisaged through statements raised by the dam-affected people not wanting the dam, discussion of impacts and compensation and crafting of the

community statements.

Dashed line represents partnership and coordination with other NGOs

Figure 19. 3SPN organisational structure and programs. (Source: Author’s compilation

during fieldwork)

Donor agencies such as Oxfam Australia, CPF

3SPN Steering Committee

3SPN Secretariat (in Ban Lung)

Expatriate International

Advisors Other NGOs (national,

regional and international) Advocacy on hydropower Community dialogue Community fisheries program Community-based research and documentation Ou Ya Dav Taveng Vuensai

Communities within the network and dam-affected people

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Dashed lines represent support from elder coordinator to both district coordinator and 3SPN staff. Normally their roles are to facilitate the meetings and lead the discussion and speak on behalf of the affected people; straight lines represent lines of reporting and information sharing

Figure 20. Line of reporting and information sharing between villagers and

coordinators. (Source: Author’s compilation during fieldwork)

In sum, the 3SPN and its movement strategies are motivated by the compelling sense of place which is the Sesan River, the river-based livelihood and the historical, cultural, economic and social motivations provided by the Sesan as a locale. Stories of livelihood changes and hardships due to Sesan dams dominate the network and the narratives of the anti-dam movements. The movement’s ideology draws upon the river- based livelihood and the strong reliance on the river of the river-dependent

communities and their struggles, as well as the struggle for justice in which benefits are shared and lost livelihoods are compensated.

6.3.3 Localised knowledge production through community-based projects and locally-