Helping Cambodian Children at M'Lop Tapang

Dear friend,

From all of us here at M’Lop Tapang we would like to say thank you again for your generous donations that support the work our teams are doing here in Cambodia.

We believe that every child has the right to an education.  We know that education is a powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty; supporting child growth and development, and laying the groundwork for a better future.  Sadly, we continue to meet many children who, because of poverty, have never had the chance for a proper education.

M’Lop Tapang’s non-formal education (NFE) programs help children and youth who have never been to school (or have been out of school for a long time) catch up with their studies. The goal is that they will be reintegrated into the local public school system at a grade level suitable for their age.  So far this year more than 200 new children have joined these classes at our Education center!

Because of your help, these boys and girls are not only getting a chance to learn to read and write, they are also being given access to free medical care, hot nutritious meals, supervised extracurricular activities, and social support. Thank you!

With much appreciation,

Roth Chanphalkun

Co-Director, M’Lop Tapang

Hello again from M’Lop Tapang!

A huge thank you from all of us here for your support and donations.

It has been incredibly busy here and with your help we are continuing to provide services to so many children and youth every day – the classrooms are full, our medical clinic is back to seeing pre-pandemic numbers of clients, and our Outreach team is continuing to meet new families living and working on the streets and at local construction sites.

12 year old Veasna (name changed for confidentiality) is one of the newest children to join M’Lop Tapang programs. He and his two younger sisters, aged 10 and 6, walked into a classroom for the first time recently.  None of them had ever been to school before.  Our teams met them on the beach when the children were selling flowers to tourists late at night.

“The night before I came here I was so excited.  I wished the morning would come soon because I couldn’t wait to go to school.  Before, sometimes when I was out I would see other kids in their uniforms going to school and I wanted to be like them.”

You can read more about Veasna’s story in the link below.

Thanks to your support, our teams have been able to provide support to hundreds of children like Veasna and his family. Together we really are helping to build better futures for disadvantaged and vulnerable children and youth.

With much appreciation,

Roth Chanphalkun (Kun)

Co-Director, M'Lop Tapang

Links:

• At-risk children given chance at lifelong learning

 Hello from M’Lop Tapang!

We wanted to thank you again for your generous donations that support the work we do with vulnerable children and youth here in the Sihanoukville area.  

Your donations are making a difference in the lives of hundreds of children - like 12-year-old Sophea (name and photo changed for confidentiality), the oldest of four children in her family. She has a younger sister who is 10 years old and two brothers, aged 7 and 4 years old. Their mother died in a road accident a few years ago and their father who finds part employment as a construction worker struggles to provide for the family. Recently all four of the children started attending classes at M’Lop Tapang.

“I am so happy to come to M’Lop Tapang every day now because me and my sister can study and here there are many friends to play with too.  My younger brothers can also come here and I don’t need to take care of them by myself like I did when we all had to stay at home.  At home we were so lonely and I was so tired.  I had to take care of them every day and cannot play by myself.  I am also really happy that me and my siblings can have breakfast and lunch here.  I like the food here.”

From all of us here at M’Lop Tapang, thank you again for your support and encouragement in helping to provide better futures for Cambodian children.

With much gratitude,

Roth Chanphalkun (Kun)

Co-Director, M’Lop Tapang

Links:

• Lunchtime at M'Lop Tapang

Hello from M’Lop Tapang!

It’s quite an exciting time here right now.  After so many months of being closed, schools in Cambodia are starting reopen! Hundreds of children are attending classes at our Center again and once again have access to learning opportunities, hot lunches, and fee medical care.

“I’m so excited to come back to school because I miss my friends and my teacher so much.  We haven’t seen each other in a long time.” – Sreyny, 9-year-old girl

“I felt so bored when I had to stay at home in the Covid-19 situation.  I couldn’t go out and meet my friends.  I’m very excited now that the schools reopened.  I love my M’Lop Tapang school so much because I can study, play with friends, and being here always make me feel safe.” - Dara, 14-year-old boy.

Older youth that are studying in vocational training programs, learning job skills that will help them find safe, secure employment.  Our outreach teams are continuing to assist vulnerable families in the local area in practical ways, such as help with urgent house repairs, emergency food and hygiene support, and referrals to other social services.

You are helping to make all this happen and we want to say thank you again for your support and donations!

If you are interested, we just finished putting together a little video this week about classrooms reopening and have included the link below.

From everyone here at M’Lop Tapang, thank you again for your generosity and encouragement.

With gratitude,

 Roth Chanphalkun (Kun)

Co-Director, M’Lop Tapang

Links:

• MT Education Center Classes Reopen

Hello from all of us at M’Lop Tapang!

We wanted to say thank you again for support and generosity.  Your donations continue to help us make a real difference in the lives of so many vulnerable Cambodian children and families.

There are many families still struggling because of the economic and social impacts of the pandemic. Schools and education programs are still officially closed all over Cambodia due to Covid-19. Some great news is that we have recently been allowed to have a limited number of the most at-risk children come back to our Center for daytime services – medical care, nutritional support, and other social services.

For hundreds of other children that can’t yet return to our centers, our teams are continuing to provide their families with food support to their homes.  So far this year our teams have delivered more than 50,000 kg of rice (along with other food items) to local families in the Sihanoukville area.  There is a link below to a video we just completed that highlights some of the ways we have been trying to support families.

We are so grateful to have your support and encouragement during these difficult times to ensure that the families who need help the most are receiving it. Thank you!

All the best from everyone here at M’Lop Tapang.

Take care and stay safe,

Roth Chanphalkun (Kun)
Co-Director, M’Lop Tapang

Links:

• Supporting Local Families During the Pandemic