17 Triggers

04/06/2026

Because this is where ideas meet reality.
Over the past several months, we've shared the journey behind Protect Our Little Ones—from understanding caregivers' realities and co-designing solutions to testing ideas and preparing frontline teams.

Now, implementation is underway across four regions of Ethiopia in partnership with UNICEF, the Ministry of Health, Regional Health Bureaus, and implementing partners.

Implementing across four regions means navigating different languages, religions, social norms, and livelihood patterns. From agrarian communities to agro-pastoralist populations, factors such as mobility, seasonality, security challenges, and local context all influence how interventions are delivered and experienced.

Will caregivers attend the sessions? Will health workers and volunteers facilitate the activities as intended? Will fathers stay for discussions and take on tasks at home? Will communities engage with the stories and games?

Too often, success is defined by whether an intervention changes behavior. We think that's only part of the story. We're equally interested in whether caregivers participate, frontline teams can deliver activities consistently, and systems can sustain and scale an approach over time.

Soon our implementation research will be able to all answer these questions. For now, here's a glimpse of Protect Our Little Ones in action across Ethiopia.

27/05/2026

“Just switch to sustainable packaging.”
Simple advice. But for vendors, reality is more complicated.
Every day, vendors are balancing cost, speed, customer expectations, and operational pressures. Sustainable adoption only happens when solutions work in real market conditions.

That’s why 17 Triggers, CARE Cambodia and IDEA facilitated a hands-on Training of Trainers in Cambodia with vendors, factory representatives, and partner organizations under the Plastic Smart Project to prepare master trainers to roll out a sustainable food packaging model and guidelines with street food vendors operating outside garment factories in Phnom Penh.

This wasn't lecture-style training. Participants worked through real-world vendor scenarios using role-play, market simulations, customer communication exercises, and practical business tools focused on pricing, costs, and customer resistance.

Next, the trainers will roll out vendor trainings across four factory locations, reaching approximately 200 vendors.

If you’re trying to drive sustainable packaging adoption in real market conditions—not just awareness—this is exactly where we focus.

05/05/2026

The best solutions are built with the people who will use them.

Sitina, a Health Extension Worker in Oromia, Ethiopia, joined co-design sessions and shared what’s really happening in her community—what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to change to improve vaccination rates.

She helped develop storylines for a practical storytelling tool, comparing two families and how they overcome barriers to vaccinating their young children. Sitina had worked with other research teams before but often the ideas she shared were taken away and turned into solutions designed elsewhere. This time, the process was different. When she saw the project in action a few weeks later, she recognized her own ideas within it, not as an external suggestion, but as something she had helped shape.

That matters, because when communities help build solutions, they don’t just deliver them. They trust them, adapt them, and make them work in their context.

🎥 Watch the video to see her story in action.

If you’re working to improve vaccination rates and want solutions that communities actually take up, we can help.



23/04/2026

𝖮𝗎𝗋 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗋𝖺: 𝖭𝗈 𝗍𝗈𝗈𝗅𝗄𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖽𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝖾𝗅𝖿.
𝖳𝗈𝗈 𝗈𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗇 𝖲𝖡𝖢 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗈𝗈𝗅𝗄𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗈𝗈 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗅𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽, 𝗈𝗋 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗎𝗅𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖽𝗈𝗇’𝗍 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗎𝗌𝖾𝖽, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗆𝗉𝖺𝖼𝗍 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗌.

𝖥𝗈𝗋 𝗎𝗌, 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹. 𝖠𝗍 𝟣𝟩 𝖳𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗋𝗌, 𝗐𝖾 𝖽𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗌-𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗉𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝖺𝗎𝗇𝖼𝗁 𝖲𝖡𝖢 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗈𝗈𝗅𝗄𝗂𝗍𝗌. 𝖶𝖾 𝗉𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗌, 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗍𝗁 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄𝖾𝗋𝗌, 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗂𝗇𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗋𝗌, 𝗆𝖺𝗋𝗄𝖾𝗍 𝗏𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗈𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋. 𝖨𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗉𝗌, 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗱𝗿𝘆-𝗿𝘂𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝖶𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝗌𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽𝗌𝖾𝗍, 𝗌𝗄𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗌𝖾𝗍, 𝗍𝗈𝗈𝗅𝗌𝖾𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝖾𝗅𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗂𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝖼𝖺𝗅𝖾-𝗎𝗉.

𝖶𝖺𝗍𝖼𝗁 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝖾𝖾 𝗈𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝖤𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗈𝗉𝗂𝖺!

#𝟣𝟩𝖳𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗋𝗌 #𝖥𝗋𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾𝖧𝖾𝗋𝗈𝖾𝗌 #𝖲𝗈𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗅𝖨𝗆𝗉𝖺𝖼𝗍 #𝖤𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗈𝗉𝗂𝖺 #𝖵𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗂𝗇𝖾𝖴𝗉𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾

12/03/2026

"𝗡𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗜 𝗱𝗼."
If you work with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Cambodia, you’ve heard that a thousand times. It’s a statement of pride. A badge of honor for surviving a decade of disruption through pure, solitary grit.

The uncomfortable truth? That pride is a survival mechanism past its expiration date.

The habits that saved these businesses during COVID: being lean, being reactive, and being the sole decision-maker, are the exact same habits that will sink them today. In the age of AI and digital shift, doing it all yourself isn't resilience, it’s a strategic ceiling.

SMEs aren’t inherently risk-averse. They are practitioners of survival who have forgotten how to evolve. We saw it in three specific archetypes during this project:
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿: The hero of their business story, and the single point of failure. They don’t delegate; they just work harder.
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀-𝗤𝘂𝗼-𝗲𝗿: If it’s not broken, they won’t fix it. To them, innovation is a threat to their family’s security.
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗱: They have the heart for growth but zero bandwidth. They are so busy firefighting today they’ve forgotten what growth looks like—or how to do it.

Technical manuals and traditional capacity building don't fix this. You cannot feature-set or function-map your way out of a mindset.

At 17 Triggers, working with GIZ Cambodia, we built a Psychological Toolkit for SMEs with simple tools focusing on three phases of change:
𝟭. 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗻: Identifying the emotional barriers that keep owners stuck in survival mode.
𝟮. 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗼: Building the actual routines required to delegate and scale.
𝟯. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁: Turning a one-time win into a permanent culture of innovation.

The next frontier of SME competitiveness isn't digital. It’s behavioral. We design the interventions that address the human element of economic development.

If you’re ready to move beyond technical manuals and start driving real transformation, let’s talk.

03/12/2025

In Cambodia, many women still hesitate to speak up in meetings, take leadership roles, or challenge norms that prioritize men’s voices. We just wrapped up two energizing and practical days of our Training of Trainers to equip union trainers and representatives on Women Leadership in the Apparel and Textile Sector with Oxfam.

Participants practiced core feminist leadership behavior: 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. Instead of letting the most senior or most vocal members dominate, trainers learned how to 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 where women’s voices are actively invited and valued. Using the Elephant–Rider–Path (ERP) Framework, they developed strategies to motivate, guide, and support women to speak up with confidence.

One powerful shift came when several trainers shared that they previously thought feminist leadership was “for women only.” After the ToT, they recognised that 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵, something both men and women can practice to build more inclusive and fair workplaces.

Big shout-out to Kong Socheata Imara Roychowdhury Monyroth C. Hun Madavid Micheal McKay and thanks to Oxfam team Natacha Kim for co-facilitating the sessions with our 17T team!

And big thanks to all participants from partner organizations, including Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL), Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC), Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions (CATU), and Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union (C.CAWDU) who will deliver cascade training on feminist leadership within Cambodia’s labor movement.

Together, we are shaping a more inclusive future for women leaders in the Apparel and Textile Sector.

28/11/2025

𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.

World Vegetable Center & 17 Triggers launched a series of cooking demos targeting 300 community members in Addis Ababa, to increase the consumption of underutilized vegetables 𝗽𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗸𝗿𝗮.

The cooking demonstrations were facilitated by agri-health extension workers and local chefs. Chosen for their experience in leading community sessions and their long-standing relationships in the area, they were able to quickly create an atmosphere of trust and openness.

Community members teamed up to cook simple, affordable dishes that celebrated pumpkin or okra. Then came the best part - tasting time! After sampling the dishes, 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀’ 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, with taste ratings jumping from 4.5 – 8.1 before tasting to a glowing 9.1 – 9.7 afterwards.

After each session, participants took home a set of recipe cards so they could effortlessly recreate the yummy dishes they’d learned and share them with family and friends. At the end of the series, they took home a kitchen calendar reminding them of the vegetables’ health benefits, offering a gentle nudge to include them in everyday meals.

World Vegetable Centre is currently conducting an Outcomes Assessment to measure to what extent community members integrated okra and pumpkin into their home cooking practise after attending the sessions. Stay tuned, the results are coming soon!

Thanks to the amazing project team: Liz Ignowski, Tinsaye Tamerat, Ilana Cliffer, G-Media, Afomiya Mekonnen, Tamirat Tafesse, Yonas Desalegn, Bethel Ayele, Ermiyas Wondimu Gebreyes, Sharleen Hollick, Alexandrine Roland, Lillian Diaz

26/11/2025

In six districts across Addis Ababa, community members joined to co-create a series of in-person cooking demonstrations, as part of a project with the World Vegetable Center to increase the consumption of underutilized vegetables pumpkin and okra.

The first round of co-creation focused on identifying the preferred concept, or emotional driver that would inspire home cooks to want to try okra and pumpkin recipes. We explored different fun activities and games to learn which ones truly stuck with people after the cooking demo.

Then came the delicious part. The second round was all about testing the recipes. Community members gathered at a local restaurant where local chefs prepared 16 different dishes. Everyone tasted and rated each one, sharing feedback to ensure the final recipes were the perfect mix of healthy, affordable, tasty, and easy to prepare, as well as fully aligned with local cooking practices.

The 17 Triggers team brought together everything the community shared and turned the learnings into three lively, easy-to-run cooking demonstration sessions, ready for implementation by local facilitators.

Shout out to the extended project team: Liz Ignowski, Tinsaye Tamerat, Ilana Cliffer, G-Media, Afomiya Mekonnen, Tamirat Tafesse, Yonas Desalegn, Bethel Ayele, Ermiyas Wondimu, Sharleen Hollick, Alexandrine Roland, Lillian Diaz

24/11/2025

In Cambodia, many caregivers did not get an education and are illiterate. As a result, they believe they can’t play an active role in their child’s education. They feel stuck in poverty and lack confidence that they can raise smart children. They’re unsure of when school starts or why preschool even matters.

That’s why the MoEYS Cambodia and UNICEF Cambodia - ដើម្បីកុមារគ្រប់រូប in partnership with 17 Triggers launched the “𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗼 𝗜𝘁” Social and Behavior Change Community Initiative in Siem Reap, Ratanakiri, and Kampong Cham.

The campaign shows how even simple, everyday actions can help children grow smarter. These key behaviors come to life through the heart-warming, quirky stories of the 𝗟𝗼-𝗟𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆, reminding everyone that you 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 to be conventionally “𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁” to raise smart children. It’s learning through love, laughter, and a little chaos.

🎬 Meet the family as they prepare for Kosal’s first day of preschool!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWSypbFUBx4&list=PLBI5eSBaGY7ne0Q__SRdAXB2rm56bA4al&index=7

#ឪពុកម្តាយខ្នះខ្នែងកូនឆ្លាត

[English below] កុមារអាចចាប់ផ្ដើមចូលរៀនថ្នាក់មត្តេយ្យ ចាប់ពីអាយុ ៣ឆ្នាំ។ការផ្ដល់ឱ្យកុមារនូវការអប់រំតាំងពីក្មេង អ.....

21/11/2025

𝗜𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗮, 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.
It starts with a difficult school assignment, an afternoon needed for family chores, a small job that helps put food on the table, or an isolating disability. As schoolwork gets harder, students feel discouraged, miss more classes, and begin to fall behind. They hear promises about the future benefits of an education, but their immediate reality is what demands their attention.

But, before they quit, what if these students heard one voice, just one, that made them stop and think?

In response, the MoEYS Cambodia and UNICEF Cambodia - ដើម្បីកុមារគ្រប់រូប launched a Social and Behavior Change Community Initiative in Siem Reap, Ratanakiri, and Kampong Cham. 17 Triggers is a proud partner of the “𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲”, a campaign where community members share their personal stories of success, their regrets, and how education shaped their lives and futures.

Watch one of the powerful videos that brings these influential voices to life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHEjTzkaRF4&list=PLBI5eSBaGY7kBqU655JB2jYwxHSGJToMh&index=3

#ជម្រើសអ្នកអនាគតអ្នក

[English below] ពីឪពុកម្នាក់ដែលមានវិប្បដិសារី គាត់មានសារពិសេសមួយផ្ញើជូនទៅកាន់អ្នក ជាពិសេសសិស្សានុសិស្សដែលកំពុងបន...