A pilot initiative by Cambodia's General Department for Identification, Vital Strategies, Plan International and Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) with support from Rain Barrel Labs, is demonstrating the power of community engagement in strengthening civil registration systems. The project targeted 14 underserved communes, aiming to improve birth registration through locally driven strategies.

By empowering community leaders and co-developing outreach materials with registrars and civil society organizations, the initiative made registration services more accessible and culturally relevant. As a result, communes with full birth registration coverage nearly doubled, from seven to thirteen, and average registration rates rose.

The findings highlight that community involvement is a critical lever for improving public service delivery, particularly in marginalized areas.