Orphans into loving foster families in Cambodia

Overcoming the challenges of COVID

Unsurprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Care for Children’s work in Cambodia with heightened restrictions, including a near full scale lockdown in Phnom Penh in April-May 2021, employees required to work from home if able to do so for most of the year, high restrictions on public gatherings, and high restrictions on foreign nationals coming into the country. 

Despite this, during 2021, Care for Children was able to establish a permanent presence in Phnom Penh, working closely with the government to register as an international NGO, setting up an office, and agreeing a working partnership to formally launch the project in person the following year. The recruitment of a Project Administrator, to mitigate the challenges arising from not being able to send a Country Manager due to COVID, allowed Care for Children to pursue key tasks such as registration and arranging the initial translation of the training materials into Khmer.

New horizons as restrictions lifted

In January 2022, after COVID restrictions were finally lifted, Care for Children was able to send a delegation to Phnom Penh to sign a three-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSVY), signalling the official start of the pilot project and partnership with the Cambodian government. Soon after, Tim Taylor, together with his family, relocated to Phnom Penh to head up the project, and was given permission to work from within the government office, closely collaborating with MoSVY to identify pilot Residential Care Institutions (RCIs) to partner with and to agree on a detailed work plan. 

In September 2022 Care for Children organised a conference with all national and sub-national levels of government in order to ensure complete ‘buy in’ from an early stage, which included identification of the two pilot RCIs. Following the conference, Care for Children was offered office space within the Phnom Penh RCI and also in the sub-national office in Siem Reap, where the other RCI is located. With the training materials translated and contextualised and the needs assessments carried out at both RCIs, the team is looking forward to initiating the training programme with the two RCIs in early 2023, and seeing the first children placed into families!

“Thank you Care for Children for your support, which is very much in line with our desire to see all Cambodian children in families.” His Excellency Vong Soth, Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation

“I have seen first-hand the great work Care for Children has achieved in China. I am delighted that a British organisation is able to support our Cambodian friends.” Tina Redshaw, Former British Ambassador to Cambodia 

‘Even at this early stage, we have made so many remarkable connections. For example, as the Institution director in Phnom Penh is an adopter herself, she understands that children need families and is becoming a strong advocate for family-based care in Cambodia.’ Tim Taylor, Cambodia Project Manager / Group Head of Training

Thank you for your support and for staying connected to our work!