via CAAI News Media
Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Destroyed by decades of war, civil strife, political repression and economic depletion, political stability did not arrive until a coalition government was formed in 1998. Unexploded landmines continue to be a grave danger, especially for children in rural areas, which is where the majority of the population live. With nearly half of the population under the age of 18 years, there are serious concerns for their economic and social well-being. The average salary per person is less than £1 per day (it is approximately £50 per day in the UK).
Nearly 1% of people in Cambodia are HIV positive, and the impact on many households in human and financial terms is devastating. As nearly 10% of children in Cambodia are orphans, the need for our work is great.
The charity opened its first community in Cambodia in the summer of 2001 in the capital, Phnom Penh. The village has fourteen family houses built in traditional Cambodian style, and is home to 140 children. It also has lots of open space for the children to play together and make friends. For many of the children the village not only provides protection and security but also the opportunity to attend school for the first time in their lives. Like most SOS Children communities, there is an SOS nursery which has room for 200 children, the majority of whom are from the local community. An SOS Secondary School for 430 pupils will open shortly, and thirty older children live in the nearby SOS Youth Homes. Here, they can continue with their studies under the guidance of an SOS youth leader, while taking their first steps to independence.
A second village, SOS Children Angkor-Siem Reap, opened in 2002, a few miles from the famous temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia's greatest tourist attraction. The village, on the main road to the City of Temples, has fourteen family houses for 140 orphaned or abandoned children. An SOS nursery for 200 little children and an SOS school for 500 pupils opened a few years later.
Forty five vulnerable teenagers in Angkor-Siem Reap study craftsmanship at the SOS Vocational Training Centre. The skills they obtain here are relevant to the local economy and will help ensure they obtain secure employment.
A third SOS Children's Village opened at Battambang in the north-west of the country in 2006, as the HIV rate is particularly high here. There are 15 family homes for 150 children, all built around a courtyard. There is an SOS Nursery School for 120 children. An SOS Social Centre is based at the Nursery School, which helps children and their families in the community. These families, most of whom are affected by HIV/ AIDS, are given medicine and food and are helped to send their children to school. Ultimately, we are trying to prevent these families from abandoning their children due to poverty or emotional stress.
The SOS School in Battambang, which will open soon, will have three science laboratories (for physics, biology and chemistry), a computer and language lab, a music room, an arts and crafts room, a library and a multi-purpose hall for sports and school functions. It will offer all three levels of school education in Cambodia: primary (1st to 6th form), secondary (7th to 9th form) and higher secondary (10th to 12th form). Up to 500 children will be able to attend.
At present we support 1,400 people in Cambodia through three SOS Children’s Villages, two SOS Youth Homes, three SOS Nursery Schools, one SOS School, one SOS Vocational Training Centre and one SOS Social Centre.
Kiri was four years old when he came to SOS Children's Village Angkor-Siem Reap. His mother died when he was two months old. His father was terminally ill and could not take care of him and thus abandoned him. "When Kiri came he was wearing dirty clothes, his hair was unkempt and his head was unusually bigger than his body," the village director recalls. But his appearance did not stop the excitement which his SOS brothers and sisters had on the arrival of a new brother.
"When I think about my first day at the SOS Children's Village, what I remember is that mama was smiling with open arms and all the children wanted to see me and be close to me," said Kiri. "I had never seen a sofa set, bed and dining table." "In the earlier days he did not speak much but he liked to play with his SOS brothers and sisters", his SOS mother said. "He had never been to school and it was not an easy task for me to put him to study. Every time I opened a book, he would throw a tantrum", she added. But she did not lose patience and soon Kiri began to listen to her.
Today, Kiri is seven years old and attends is in Year 2 at school. He is a very cheeky child. He also enjoys playing football: In the evenings he is usually seen in the village grounds with his ball and friends. When asked what he wants to be in the future, he says "doctor".
"When I think about my first day at the SOS Children's Village, what I remember is that mama was smiling with open arms and all the children wanted to see me and be close to me," said Kiri. "I had never seen a sofa set, bed and dining table." "In the earlier days he did not speak much but he liked to play with his SOS brothers and sisters", his SOS mother said. "He had never been to school and it was not an easy task for me to put him to study. Every time I opened a book, he would throw a tantrum", she added. But she did not lose patience and soon Kiri began to listen to her.
Today, Kiri is seven years old and attends is in Year 2 at school. He is a very cheeky child. He also enjoys playing football: In the evenings he is usually seen in the village grounds with his ball and friends. When asked what he wants to be in the future, he says "doctor".
Local contacts
SOS Children’s Villages of Cambodia
House No. 16D
Street 360
Sankat Boeung Keng Kang III
Phnom Penh
Kham Chamkarmon
CAMBODIA
Tel +855/23 222 916
Fax +855/23 222 915
e-mail: soscvcnd@online.com.kh
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