Our semi-rural community relies primarily on subsistence farming and fishing for income, although some families run market stalls and others are employed as rubbish collectors or are tuk-tuk drivers. Many families live in poverty or near poverty and children can be at risk of being placed into orphanages in cases where their families cannot survive on the resources they have.  Between 2005 and 2010, there was a 75 percent increase in the number of orphanages in Cambodia, many in Siem Reap province, and poverty is identified as the primary reason for children to be placed into orphanages. It is widely acknowledged that children fail to thrive in these institutions.

 

Our family support programme aims to give families the help they need to care for their children and maintain a family unit.  We work closely with local villagers and officials to ensure we are meeting the needs of the communities we serve.  We believe strongly in empowering parents to provide for their families and in delivering education programmes that increase opportunities for children, opening doors to a better future.

 

Our programme includes:

 

• Food supplies: parents struggling to feed their families are supported with access to food supplies, typically sacks of a staple such as rice.  See Family Sponsorship

• Clean sanitation and water: our community lacks access to running water and modern sewage systems – to combat this, we install toilets to prevent diseases associated with poor sanitation and provide water filters to purify water pumped from the ground. Our activities include educating our community on the importance of clean water and sanitation.

• Healthcare: local families are assisted in accessing medical and dental services and we can support the costs of healthcare including medicines.

• Housing repairs: many local families live in homes made from palm leaves.  The palm leaves have a relatively short life-span and we support families in repairing or replacing damaged or worn-out buildings where they are struggling to meet the costs.