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In this episode of RightsStarters, Rupert Abbott meets Jenny Pearson on the seafront in Brighton & Hove, England. Although both were born and raised in Brighton, they first came to know each other through their work in Cambodia.

Jenny arrived in Cambodia in 1995, while conflict was still continuing in parts of the country and just as Cambodia was beginning the long process of rebuilding after decades of war. Initially volunteering with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), she went on to found VBNK, an organisation that would spend decades strengthening the leadership, management and effectiveness of Cambodia's civil society and development sector.

Jenny reflects on the path that took her from probation officer in the UK to founding VBNK in Cambodia, why established approaches to capacity development often failed in a society shaped by trauma, and how creativity, trust and continuous learning became central to VBNK's work.

Together, Rupert and Jenny explore what it means to build organisations in complex contexts, how founders adapt as their organisations evolve, and why communication, ongoing learning and humility remain essential to lasting social change.

Show Notes

In this episode, we cover:

• Jenny Pearson's path from Brighton to Cambodia
• Cambodia's reconstruction after decades of conflict
• Founding VBNK and strengthening civil society
• Trauma, trust and organisational change
• Creativity and continuous learning in capacity development
• Localising leadership and founder succession
• Advice for aspiring social impact founders

About Jenny Pearson

Jenny Pearson is the founder of VBNK, a Cambodian organisation dedicated to strengthening leadership, management and organisational effectiveness across the country's development sector. She is internationally recognised for her work on capacity development and is the author of Creative Capacity Development: Learning to Adapt in Development Practice.

Links

• VBNK: https://www.vbnk.org/

Note: This episode includes an automatically generated transcript, which may contain errors, particularly with non-English language and names.

About RightsStarters

RightsStarters is a podcast about turning ideas into action, through conversations with founders shaping social change.

Hosted by Rupert Abbott, founder of RightsStart Alliance.

Follow the podcast to hear future episodes.

Learn more: https://www.rights-start.org

In this first episode of RightsStarters, Rupert Abbott travels to Battambang, Cambodia, to meet Ou Virak, founder of Future Forum and one of the country’s leading public intellectuals.

Virak shares his remarkable journey, from being born under the Khmer Rouge, to growing up through conflict and displacement, years in refugee camps and eventual resettlement in the United States, before returning to Cambodia to help shape its future.

The conversation explores how these experiences shaped his thinking, his work in human rights, and ultimately his decision to found Future Forum: a think tank focused not just on ideas, but on building a new generation of Cambodian thinkers.

Together, they discuss what it takes to start something new in a complex environment, the importance of culture and critical thinking, and why lasting change depends on people as much as policy.

Show Notes

In this episode, we cover:

• Ou Virak’s childhood in Cambodia during and after the Khmer Rouge
• Life in refugee camps and resettlement in the United States
• Returning to Cambodia and working in human rights
• Founding Future Forum and building new thinkers
• Lessons on starting and sustaining an organisation

About Ou Virak

Ou Virak is the founder of Future Forum, a Cambodian think tank focused on policy research and developing a new generation of thinkers. He previously served as President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.

Links

• Future Forum: https://www.futureforum.asia/
• Ou Virak: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ou_Virak

Note: This episode includes an automatically generated transcript, which may contain errors, particularly with non-English language and names.

About RightsStarters

RightsStarters is a podcast about turning ideas into action, through conversations with founders shaping social change.

Hosted by Rupert Abbott, founder of RightsStart Alliance.

Follow the podcast to hear future episodes.

Learn more: https://www.rights-start.org