Impact Spotlight

Installing a Solar Energy Storage System (SESS) with battery backup powering 150 high-efficiency solar streetlights (60-80W) for public safety lighting, community hubs, and access roads

Installing a solar water pumping and sanitation system, providing gravity-fed clean water to 11 public restroom facilities and community cooking and cleaning zones

Training 25 Indigenous Solar Management Committees in sanitation, food processing, and solar system maintenance to support sustainable livelihoods and forest conservation

About

Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Organisation (CIPO) was founded in 2014 as an Indigenous Peoples-led organization, mobilizing different Indigenous groups to work together for the common benefit of all Indigenous groups in Cambodia.

CIPO's vision is for Indigenous Peoples to have self-determination over development and conservation within Cambodia's multi-cultural society. Its mission is to strengthen the capacity of Indigenous Peoples and support their initiatives on land and natural resource management, and the conservation of identity, culture, and socio-economic development. CIPO operates across 16 provinces where Indigenous Peoples reside.

CIPO's five-year strategic plan (2025-2029) focuses on advocating for the adoption and enforcement of national legal frameworks, laws, policies, and international instruments relevant to Indigenous Peoples, empowering Indigenous communities with knowledge of relevant laws, policies, and customary rules, strengthening partnerships and collaboration with key actors, and building CIPO's own organizational capacity as an Indigenous Peoples-led organization.

“With the spiritual, technical and financial contribution support and partnership from Honnold Foundation, [our partnering] Indigenous Community will build stronger power of protection and promote the best practice and management over their collective land and natural resources.”

— Mrs. Yun Mane, Executive Director of CIPO

HF Partnership

In partnership with the Honnold Foundation, CIPO will support Indigenous communities' capacity in solar energy management, repair, and maintenance. At the Yeak Laom Community Protected Area, 150 solar streetlights will improve public safety and security, reduce nighttime hazards around the lake's perimeter, deter illicit activity, and provide safe mobility for tourists, Indigenous women, and youth rangers working after dark.

Meanwhile, Indigenous women and youth will be trained to manage diverse eco-tourism ventures, including traditional photography, coffee shops, and a community-run bicycle rental service made possible by a new lakeside bike path, supporting poverty reduction, financial resilience, and the growth of female-led micro-enterprises. The project will also reduce the community's carbon footprint by replacing fossil fuel use with solar infrastructure, including streetlights and a parking canopy, and will protect long-term biodiversity through an eco-tourism waste management strategy and Eco-Tourism Master Plan.

The 25 Solar Management Committees, including Indigenous youth rangers, local retailers, and Community Protected Area leaders, will receive hands-on technical training and take full responsibility for monitoring, troubleshooting, and repairing the solar panels and water pumps. The community will also establish a self-sustaining financial mechanism, directing a designated percentage of eco-tourism revenue toward long-term system maintenance.