October 2019 · Kampong Chhnang
How it started
NIPA was founded in Kampong Chhnang in October 2019. It began life as an initiative built around empathy — an attempt to help young people from different ethnic backgrounds sit in the same room, listen to each other, and build real connection across lines that often keep communities apart.
That first cohort brought together 20 members. What began as a single, time-bound project gradually took on a life of its own, evolving into a collaborative network that has kept meeting, growing, and taking on new activities ever since.
The name
Why "NIPA"
NIPA is a Khmer name, and it wasn't handed down from above — it was chosen by the participants of the original empathy project themselves. That choice keeps ownership of the network with the young people who make it up, and roots its identity in something culturally its own rather than borrowed.
The name has stayed as the network has grown, a reminder that NIPA's grassroots character is not an origin story it has outgrown, but a description of how it still works.
Growth
From one cohort to seven communities
NIPA started with 20 founding members. Since then, the network has continued to grow, and today counts 60 members across 15 provinces, representing seven ethnic groups: Khmer-Vietnamese, Indigenous People, Khmer Krom, Khmer-Lao, Khmer Islam/Cham, Khmer Chinese, and Khmer.
Capacity building
Growing the skills and confidence members bring back to their own communities.
Inter-member relations
Strengthening the ties between members across ethnic lines.
An inclusive, peaceful society
Working toward a wider community where every group has a place.
Media and communication
Sharing the network's work and voice with a wider audience.
NIPA's early activities set this tone: a mental health support campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a training on peace and non-violent communication. More on the achievements page.