By Im Chetra | Project Leader
In the previous quarter, there have been some interesting interventions and family strengthening implementations from Mlup Russey for at-risk children and their families in Borvel district, Battambang province.
background of the target areas.
Borvel district is one of the MRO target areas in Battambang, which shares its border with Thailand. This has produced jobs and business opportunities, but unfortunately for the poor, this has become a trap and a future risk that they would like to take through illegal migration. It is the reason that most families in the area left their children behind with their relatives or grandparents, and some children have been left with their neighbors.
Beside this social issue, the areas more often face the hit of disasters such as flooding, strong winds, and dry land. This is also another reason that income generation through agriculture is not that possible and effective in the areas, and most farmers are leaving their homelands for migration.
difficult and risky situation faced by children and their families in the areas.
Children have been left behind and are living with family members while their parents are in Thailand working, and some are losing information and connections. The children who are with their relatives or grandparents are facing leaving education, not receiving proper nutrition, not having their basic rights protected, and also facing abusive possibilities as well, such as sexual abuse, violence, ignorance, exploitation, etc. Some children have been sent to residential care institutions expecting to receive proper food, shelter, and education, even though they are not orphans.
Response and support of Mlup Russey to children :
After we received the case engagement invitation from Battambang DoSVY and local authorities, MRO started the initial case assessment with all relevant authorities, such as CCWC,WCCC, district, and commune leaders. The assessment’s outcome helped us develop a clear responsive and intervention plan according to the services MRO has, as well as those described below:
provided emergency food support packages for 3 OVC families that contain 5 children and 1 female. These families lost their daily food supplies for the members, which was risky for the children’s mental and physical health. Family members, including children, had received basic counseling from MRO staff to boost their inspiration and commitment. The 5 children found they don’t have a birth certificate, which is very important to the rest of their lives, and MRO is working with relevant authorities to get them their birth certificate to claim their rights and needs, especially for education. Along the way, we are also working with nearby schools to assist their education enrollment and search for supportive possibilities that enhance their proper and regular education.
An underprivileged child who is disabled and left behind to live with his poor grandmother has received an emergency food support package and family-strengthening supportive activities from MRO staff. The grandmother said that the boy’s parents are working in Thailand and only sometimes send some money for the boy's food. Through our staff's observation, the boy cannot walk and is often sick due to a lack of proper nutrition. The emergency package was just an immediate response according to their emergency, and it is also a first connection with the case to understand specifically the issue and needs that MRO can use to develop a proper response plan. Like this family and children, our staff has also worked with the boy's mother, who would like to come back but is worrying about her lack of skills and how to support herself and her child. Basically, our first thought is to engage her with vocational training skills and support this family with kindship care. We hope these services will be useful for this family to have skills for income generation, and the child will be receiving his mother's care. Along with these services, positive parenting and other important soft skills will also be provided for behavior and attitude improvement for family harmonization.
A poor boy who has been burned by a gas bottle explosion asked for help from the local authority ,as his poor single mother could not afford for his treatment .She is also accountable for her very old and sick parents and her other two children. MRO has cooperated with local authority to gathering all information and needs of the children and family through an assessment. this family and children information have been analysing and MRO is going to facilitate an case conference meeting with all relevan partner including local potential people, business sector, NGOs in the areas and authority for resource gathering to sustain this family for welbeing and posibility of income generaton activity. and surely the children will be facilitated for proper and regular for education. Anyway, MRO has done its immediate response thought emergency package for the family and get the injured child for proper treatment.
A poor old man seeks life's assistant as he is taking care of an abandoned child and his two grandsons, whose parents got divorced and left to work in Thailand. This old man said that he is running out of resources for daily food since he is old and sick and cannot access the job properly. The situation is getting worse while the three boys are growing older and require better feeding and support. He really loves them and doesn’t want to leave them in an orphanage, but in fact, the boys are missing a lot of essential needs according to their rights. Like the cases stated above, MRO is working with its community partners, including relevant authorities, to search for support and assistance according to their needs, including emergency needs, and long-term needs that are considered part of the family’s strengthening.
In conclusion
MRO has played a vital role in drawing attention to the cases of OVCs and ensuring that relevant partners, NGOs, and government structures are held accountable for providing existing services that respond to the needs of OVCs and their families. We hope that these children will receive good care from their biological parents/families, and that all forms of violence against children will stop. We also aim to strengthen families to prevent unnecessary separation and promote meaningful participation, ownership, and the use of existing resources for the sustainability of child development and protection in Cambodia's community.
We would like to ask for your participation, joining us, Mlup Russey, to support these underprivileged children through a trusting and effective strategy by donating to our cause. We are trying to raise funds to replace our old car, which will enable us to extend our services to remote areas where support services are hard to reach.
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