Help Give Cambodian Young Adults Independence

Bill Brower is a Field Program Officer with GlobalGiving who is visiting our projects throughout Southeast Asia. On January 24 he visited the Sangkheum Center, supported by HOPE, outside Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Picture an orphan in Cambodia. What springs to mind? Likely the image of a baby being left on a doorstep. Or a young child begging on the streets. But the thing about children is they grow up. This seems to be a concept that is lost on some orphanages and other organizations that deal with young children with no family (or at least no family able to support them). However, as the young people they work with have grown older, HOPE has developed a program specifically for young adults to help them transition to adulthood and independent living.

Talking briefly with some of the young adults at the Sangkheum Center they seemed to be just what you’d expect of teenagers anywhere: Interested in soccer and the opportunities tourism presents. Lightheartedly chatting and laughing among themselves, gathered in the merciful shade of a palm tree. Trying their best to look cool, but still showing respect for Jo and Thomas. You can hear a few of them describe the program for themselves: http://www.youtube.com/user/GlobalGiving#p/u/3/bUj3Iat2lNg

Jo and Thomas say they’re making necessary adjustments as more young people go through the program. (I always take it as a good sign when an organization doesn’t pretend they know exactly what they’re doing straight away.) They start preparing for leaving the Center at 16, meeting with employers in fields they’re interested in. At 18, the young adults leave the Center and go to a satellite house where they continue to receive education, life skills training, HIV/AIDS treatment if necessary and a placement at a hotel or children’s hospital, as a mechanic, etc. At 21 they leave that house, to become, hopefully, independent members of society. Although only four of the young people they work with are this age, so far the results have been positive.

As I wrote about in a recent blog (http://blog.globalgiving.org/2010/02/06/a-tougher-sell/), HOPE is an example of an organization addressing needs that can be more difficult for which to find funding. Kudos to those that understand the need to support their work. You’re supporting a great organization doing unquestionable good in their community.

Links:

• Hear the young adults describe the program themselves