For 15 years, CFI's social work, education and youth empowerment has supported 3,000 of the most vulnerable children, youth and their families in rural Battambang, Cambodia. We help students foster a better future by ensuring their safety and basic needs are met, do well in school, and expand their horizons through extracurricular activities, leadership skills etc. As a pillar of the community, this project will fund our long term sustainability, including construction of CFI's new home.
Though Cambodia rebuilt after the brutal Khmer Rouge regime (1970s) which killed more than 3 million people, in 2023 UNICEF found that 48.7% of children continue to live in poverty. In rural areas, children are at greater risk of violence, abuse, child labor, migration, trafficking, exploitation, neglect, and lack of proper education or health services. These risk factors lead to a high dropout rate and students never develop the skills needed to create a better future for themselves.
We support 250 of the most at-risk children through education, basic needs and safety. We keep kids in public schools while providing additional learning opportunities at our center and encouraging students to pursue a university education or vocational training. Our social workers meet family needs through case management, counseling, material support, housing, health, nutrition and livelihood opportunities. Finally, we develop 800 of tomorrow's leaders through workshops and our play programs.
After 15 years, CFI can see the positive long-term impact of our work: many of our students have careers that improve their lives and those of their families, give back to their community, and act as role models for the next generation. About 30% of our full time staff were interns or students at CFI prior to their current position. After years of renting from 5 landlords, the construction of our new home will create long-term stability and a safe space for the community for decades to come.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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