Sith Sam Ath, Country Manager
Sith Sam Ath joined The Fred Hollows Foundation in 2002 as Cambodia Country Manager, based in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
Sam Ath is responsible for managing all aspects of The Foundation's program in Cambodia, including overall strategic direction, project development, implementation and evaluation.
Sam Ath works closely with The Foundation's Sydney based programs team and with local partners, including the Cambodian Ministry of Health and the National Program for Eye Health.
Like too many of his fellow Cambodians, Sith Sam Ath has experienced much turmoil in his life. As a result of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia in the 1970s, ten members of his family died. Sam Ath and his mother were the only survivors in his family.
Under the leadership of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia in 1975. Within weeks of taking power, they had forcibly relocated the population of Phnom Penh and other urban areas into the countryside of Cambodia.
Over the next three years, three million people died from starvation, disease and execution, all national infrastructures of Cambodia were dismantled, currency was abolished and the country was renamed Democratic Kampuchea.
"Only me and my mother survived this black regime. My family was forced to move to the Battambang Province and I had to work hard in the field. I had a spoon of rice soup for daily eating and I was separated from my parents.
"I collected cow manure and green fertilizer for rice growing and carried rice seedlings for transplanting. I was very hungry. I stole cassava (a root of a plant) at a farm, but the Khmer Rouge arrested me and I went without eating for two days and two nights," says Sam Ath.
In early 1979, Vietnamese military forces entered Phnom Penh, defeated the Khmer Rouge and installed the People's Republic of Kampuchea. The Khmer Rouge continued its insurgent activities over the next decade throughout the countryside of Cambodia.
Peace was not completely restored until 1993 when democratic elections were held and the Kingdom of Cambodia was proclaimed again, with a system of constitutional monarchy. By this time, however, the country's economy was shattered and its people scarred.
When Phnom Penh was reclaimed in 1979, five year old Sam Ath moved with his mother to his home province of Kandal. They later moved to Phnom Penh where Sam Ath started school and his mother found work at a textile factory.
"My mother's income was not enough to support the daily food consumption, as well as my schooling, so I became a cyclo driver to make money," says Sam Ath.
Despite this responsibility, Sam Ath excelled at school. He was elected as the student representative for literature, representing all schools in the Phnom Penh region and received a small financial reward from the Ministry of Education.
After completing school, Sam Ath made the decision to further his studies at university. He was successful in being awarded all three of the scholarships he applied for, which resulted in him studying at two universities for the next five years.
In 1995 Sam Ath completed his Bachelor of Khmer Arts Literature at the University of the Royal Phnom Penh, majoring in social and cultural research and Khmer linguistics.
In 1996 Sam Ath also completed his Bachelor of Anthropology at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, majoring in social and cultural development study. His thesis topic involved field work in two different provinces of Cambodia and was based on the Kuiy ethnic community.
During his university studies, Sam Ath worked as a journalist for the Khmer Neutral News to support himself and his mother. He then found part-time work in data-collection for a non-profit organisation which specialised in forestry and natural resources.
Sam Ath became involved in this through the Japan International Volunteer Centre and he was promoted to Rural Development Assistant on a full-time basis after graduating.
In 1997 Sam Ath secured a position as team leader with the Institute of Social Research and Training Services, a non-profit organisation which provides consultation services to the development sector in Cambodia. He was quickly promoted to Senior Trainer and Researcher with the Cambodian Researchers for Development program within the Institute.
As a member of the Cambodian Researchers for Development, Sam Ath developed strong expertise in research and training. He worked as a consultant for various development organisations, including the World Bank, Care International, the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Swedish Agency for International Development Cooperation (SIDA).
Sam Ath has also authored many publications, particularly on social issues and decentralisation in Natural Resource Management. He is a well-known and respected researcher and has developed several training curriculums in Community Organisation and in Participatory Learning and Action.
As the manager of the Cambodia-Australia Cataract Blindness Prevention Program, a major priority for Sam Ath is to develop relationships with partners at the national, provincial, district and village level. Sam Ath is also responsible for strategic leadership and management, human resources, financial operations and external relations.
Today, blindness remains a major health and social problem in Cambodia. More than 166,000 people are blind, with cataract accounting for 108,275 of cases and a further annual incidence of around 20,500 cases.
Since its establishment, the primary objectives of the Cambodia-Australia Cataract Blindness Prevention Program have been to increase the transfer of knowledge, skills and technology to Cambodia's national eye care personnel, to help in building local capacity in the fight against avoidable blindness.
In partnership with the National Program for Eye Health (formerly the National Sub Committee for the Prevention of Blindness) projects are currently underway in Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kompong Thom, Kompong Chhnang and Prey Veng.
"Through our participatory approach the program is progressing. The number of surgeries being performed is high, the capacity of eye care personnel is increasing and the program is becoming sustainable. We are alleviating poverty and providing access to services for poor people living in rural areas," says Sam Ath.
Sam Ath is fluent in Khmer, English and some French and recently completed his Master of Public Health and Hygiene. He is married and has three children.