Safeguarding Cambodian Children released from RCFs

A Child Protection Crisis and Your Donation at Work

When 32 residential care facilities (RCFs) suddenly closed across Cambodia, over 320 children and young people were returned to their families without support, counselling, or a safety net. Spanning 14 provinces and compounded by the looming closure of another 34 facilities, the scale of this crisis is significant. With your generous support, This Life Cambodia has been on the ground, meeting these children and families where they are.

What Your Support Made Possible (December 2025 – March 2026)

In just four months, your donations contributed to helping This Life deliver the following:

• 1,337 follow-up visits were conducted with children and young people, at a minimum once a month, ensuring no child falls through the cracks
• 284 cash transfers provided immediate relief for basic needs
• 73 professionals, including This Life staff, NGO partners, and government officials from the Department of Social Affairs, Veterans, and Youth Rehabilitation (DoSVY), participated in a capacity-building workshop on strengthening family economic resilience
• 63 food packages and 62 hygiene kits were distributed to children and families in need
• 44 cases were successfully closed as children achieved stability
• 28 counselling sessions were held with children, young people, and families
• 22 new cases were assessed and enrolled in the programme
• 19 coordination meetings were attended by the programme team at provincial and district level, engaging 835 participants, more than half of them women (F=500), including six people with disabilities
• 11 school material packages were distributed to keep children in education
• Nine families received small business grants, in-kind support, and technical assistance to start income-generating activities
• Seven children received bicycles to travel safely to school
• Seven families received solar panels, improving household conditions
• One vulnerable family received support to construct a new home

Spotlight: From Uncertainty to Belonging — Maly's Story

Among the hundreds of children This Life is supporting, Maly's journey captures why this work matters.

Maly (a pseudonym) is a 12-year-old girl from Kampong Thom province who lost both parents at a young age. She and her two siblings were placed in a local residential care facility, where they had access to shelter, meals, and schooling. When that facility closed in September 2025, Maly's future became uncertain. Without structured support, she risked school dropout, financial hardship, and emotional harm.

In November 2025, Maly was enrolled in This Life's Reimagining Care (TLRC) project. Our team worked closely with local authorities and the Provincial Department of Social Affairs to assess her situation and develop a tailored reintegration plan. This included caregiver assessments, counselling, and ongoing monitoring. Maly was officially placed in a stable, family-based care arrangement within her own community.

To help the family build financial independence, the programme provided school materials, a bicycle to support Maly's safe travel to school, and a livelihood grant to establish a small-scale cricket farming business. The family's cricket farming has since grown from two trays to five, significantly increasing their monthly income and household food security.

Maly has resumed her studies in Grade 3 at her local primary school and attends regularly. Her uncle reflected:
"We are grateful for the support that helped our family begin again. The small business has improved our income, and we will work hard to ensure the children can continue their education."

Maly herself looks to the future with hope:
"I am grateful to This Life Cambodia for the support. I promise to study hard to become a teacher to teach the small children in my community."

Maly is no longer a child in crisis. She is a child with a home, a future, and a family who can care for her. That is what your support makes real.

Looking Ahead

This Life will continue monitoring Maly's family and all active cases to ensure livelihood activities remain sustainable and children's education continues uninterrupted. We are also strengthening collaboration with DoSVY and partner organisations to prepare for the anticipated closure of additional RCFs, ensuring no child is left without a safety net.
Your continued support enables This Life to protect Cambodia's most vulnerable children and to walk alongside families as they rebuild their lives.

Links:

• This Life Cambodia Website
• This Life Cambodia Facebook Page
• This Life Reimagining Care (TLRC) Program Webpage