After we finished our first orphanage, Osborne House, we had many people turn up at the gates begging us to take their children in because they could not afford to feed them or send them to school. So we realised we needed to do something to try and keep children who have parents with them and to only take orphaned or abandoned children into our Orphanages.
So we decided to run a family support programme. Under this programme, we help a family by paying for all their children to go to a government school (including uniforms, books, shoes etc) and a limited amount of food supplies for the family. We work with the family using a structured plan covering a period of three years. We want to help the adults of the family not to become dependent on us, but also help them with particular social and medical problems they may have, so we run skills courses as part of our support. The family will be supported through regular visits by our staff as well as activities and social events at our centres.
During this time we build a strong relationship with the family members and look for their commitment to learn new skills that will help them earn an income. In exchange the parents must guarantee that the children will not be sent to work or to beg.
The cost of supporting a family in this way is US$60 a month, sometimes a little higher for large families. The children in these families are desperate for help, so if you can help please contact us as soon as possible. The photos on this page come from some of the poorest areas of Siem Reap but within 15 minutes of the International Airport. These are some of the living conditions we discovered, imagine what happens in the rainy season.
Within a month of receiving your first donation we will email you a photo and information about the children and the family you have sponsored. You will receive regular updates about the family’s progress. At the moment your donations are not tax deductible. We are in the process of applying for COF to come under the auspices of a charity that can receive tax deductible donations on our behalf. If successful, we will suggest you make your donations through that charity and you will then receive tax receipts.
