03/13/09 - Cambodia, situated in southeast Asia is slowly healing from the genocide and political instability that has defined this country’s history since 1970.
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), close to 50% of Cambodians live on less than one US dollar per day and over 75% of Cambodians live on less than 2 US dollars per day. It is this type of poverty that causes situations in which children are left orphaned or abandoned – in need of stability and a home.
In response to this great need, in 1999, SOS Children's Villages partnered with the Cambodian government to establish children's villages, schools, medical facilities and vocational training schools. The children's villages follow a long-term, family-based home model pioneered by SOS in 1949.
SOS currently has three Children's Villages in Cambodia. Each village is structured around 14 to 15 family houses. An SOS –trained "mother" runs each house and cares for the SOS "brothers and sisters" who grow up together in these stable homes. The SOS Villages in Cambodia are located in: Siem Reap, Battambang, and Phnom Penh.
Through the support of SOS sponsors, SOS children receive nutritious meals, a quality education, medical care, and the benefit of a safe, nurturing environment. SOS vocational training schools have been built for SOS youths and others in the community to help them on the road to self-sufficiency.
An SOS Supporter from the US, Laurie Saget, recently visited the Siem Reap Village and produced the video (shown below) that illustrates the beauty, activity and optimism of the village residents.
Please consider sponsoring an SOS child in Cambodia.