“If you don’t know that you have the rights to health insurance and other social assistance, how can you claim it?” asked Sivmey Rim, 22, a founder and leader of a youth club aiming to promote social protection and labour rights.

Born in Siem Reap province, Sivmey moved to Phnom Penh in 2023 to pursue a bachelor’s degree. While at university, she joined the FIRST project and formed a youth group to promote labor rights and social protection among young people.

Sivmey was unaware of the workers’ right to health insurance and other social assistance programs for rural youth until she joined the training programs and activities on social protection and labour rights implemented by Youth Rural Development Program (YRDP) and Oxfam under the FIRST project. With the new knowledge, she knows that many working and rural youth were not registered in the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) schemes by their employers or received social assistance from the government.

“During the training, I learned a lot. It motivated me to help others by giving back to society what I know about the benefits of social protection,” said Sivmey. With knowledge and skills received from the project, Sivmey together with seven active youths formed a youth group called Youth Network for Labor Rights and Social Protection (YNLSP) in 2023, with passion to support new graduates and working youths to access social protection benefits.

With the support from the project, YNLSP conducted awareness raising and building knowledge of youths in Siem Reap province on importance of social protection, including access to grants, accommodation, insurance, and their rights at work. This is when Sivmey transformed herself from a trainee to a trainer of social protection and labor rights.

““Through the FIRST project, we have supported many rural students and working youth to be aware of their rights to social protection and accessing health insurance and social assistance.””

Sivmey Thel

To ensure that young people benefit from social protection, Sivmey led her group to facilitate dialogues with youth working in the cafes, restaurants, and mini-marts. She documented 32 cases of labor violations mostly related to NSSF registration, affecting 150 working youth, and submitted them to the relevant authorities to take action.

Despite her achievements, Sivmey wants to see more changes. She points out that many individuals living in rural areas remain unaware of the importance of social protection in improving their livelihoods and health. “Universal social protection coverage will complement the principle of leaving no one behind,” she added.

Sivmey’s story is a powerful reminder that informed, passionate young people can ignite meaningful change, inspiring other youth to claim their rights and build a brighter future.