Cambodian Children's Fund

Cambodian Children's Fund

Founded	2004
Founder	Scott Neeson
Type	Non-governmental organization
Location	Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Area served	Cambodia
Mission	Turn the country's most impoverished kids into tomorrow's leaders.
Website	cambodianchildrensfund.org

Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF) was founded in 2003 by Scott Neeson to aid the most impoverished of Cambodia’s children. The CCF's Phnom Penh was initially established as a safe house for Cambodia’s orphaned, abandoned or abused children, providing secure shelter and nutritional meals within a caring environment.

Since its inception, the CCF has grown to include a medical center where children are provided with blood testing, medical treatment, dental services and an extensive vaccination program. The facility also provides a comprehensive educational program for all children, including local language reading and writing, multi-level English classes, social studies and math. The organization now serves 2,000 children and their parents.

Origins

Founder Scott Neeson, a Hollywood film executive, was on a brief sabbatical in Southeast Asia in 2003 when he first visited the impoverished community at the Steung Meanchey landfill in Phnom Penh.^[1] Hundreds of children – some of them abandoned or orphaned – lived and worked on the dump, sorting through the garbage to make less than $1 a day.^[2] Families struggled to get by, often incurring debts just to pay for basic living costs. Stunned by the poverty and inspired by the courage of the families and children at the dump, Neeson planned to get 45 children into an education program while splitting time with work in Hollywood. In 2004 he left his job and moved to Cambodia full-time. CCF now provides education to hundreds of children from the area, in addition to offering vocational training, health care, shelter and other essential services.

Mission

CCF’s mission is to turn the country’s most impoverished kids into tomorrow’s leaders. At the core of CCF’s approach is the belief that providing access to education for children once thought unreachable will provide generational change and lift whole families out of poverty. However CCF’s programs go beyond education and schools, to provide the essential services to the community that make learning possible. CCF believes that all benefits provided should be part of a path to independence. Helping parents lift themselves from poverty through a variety of programs — while ensuring that their children have access to education — provides for the greater good and alleviates the burdens of the child.^[3]

Programs

Education

CCF offers an education program that supplements public schools to more than 2,000 students at several schools. Many of the children enrolled at CCF are entering school for the first time after missing years of education, so a special curriculum is offered that allows them to catch up by covering two years of material in one year. All students are integrated into public school, while also attending CCF schools to supplement their education. One hundred percent of high school graduates have been placed in local universities, and a total of 100 students are expected to be enrolled in fall 2014.^[4]

High-quality education is the backbone of CCF’s work, but the organization believes that the best way to lift people out of poverty is to work with entire families and not just the children. To help make education possible for the children, CCF offers approximately 50 programs to help families, such as debt alleviation and health care. By alleviating those burdens, families have the freedom to enroll their kids in school.

Childcare

Some children suffer from abusive parents or malnourishment. In many cases, parents work all day, leaving their children unattended. CCF alleviates those problems with a day care and nursery that provides a safe place for the children to play and learn. Curriculum includes lessons in English, Khmer, hygiene and social values. In extreme cases of parental neglect, in-facility childcare protects children from dangerous situations.

Health Care

CCF operates free basic medical care through a clinic serving 3,000 patients a month. When children first arrive at CCF, they are given a complete physical examination, immunizations, dental work and treatment for any pre-existing medical conditions. A maternal care program provides support to expecting mothers. As of early 2014, 600 children were born with no maternal fatalities.^[5]

Community Outreach

The community centre, which also houses the medical centre and day care, offers clean drinking water and dinner to more than 450 people each night. A monthly community dance members attracts hundreds of participants. The Community Outreach Program has trained counselors working to reduce domestic violence. Small Business Help Loans offers the means for budding entrepreneurs to launch a business. Community loans help families burdened with debt. Several programs ensure that families are fed nutritious meals.

The unique Granny Program ensures that the elderly women of the community - all of whom survived the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge - receive the care they need. The program is administered by students enrolled in the youth leadership program. These students are dedicated to making house calls to check up on the grannies and providing them with essentials.

Vocational Training

As students age, some opt to continue their studies for future enrollment at universities, while others opt for vocational training through three distinct facilities. It is CCF’s aim to provide all its students with access to a university education, and if students do not attend university they are provided with vocational training options. At CCF’s Star Bakery, students aged 16–27 are taught the skills needed to begin careers in the food industry. The bakery makes more than 800 loaves of nutrition enhanced bread a day, which are given to students and their families. Pastries are sold commercially.

The garment center couples a fair salary and training with an education of life skills and social issues. The EnGender Program offers lessons on gender rights, family planning, money management, hygiene, childcare and legal advocacy.

Child Protection Unit

The Child Protection Unit is a joint venture between CCF and Cambodian National Police that brings child abusers to justice while protecting victims. In its first year of operation, the CPU investigated 173 cases of serious child abuse, rape and murder. Eighty percent of all cases have led to an arrest.^[6] In July 2014, the CPU was credited for the high profile arrest of a school director accused of giving pedophiles access to children in his care.^[7]

Awards

In 2007, Quincy Jones awarded CCF founder Scott Neeson the inaugural Harvard School of Public Health “Q Prize” in recognition of his extraordinary leadership in advocacy for children through CCF, calling Neeson’s “selfless, remarkable commitment to the children of Cambodia."^[8] In the same year, CCF received the Rex Foundation Bill Graham award for creating a sanctuary for Cambodian children to thrive, learn and grow.^[9] Neeson was honored with the Ahimsa Award in 2012, presented annually at the House of Commons to an individual who embodies non-violence and compassion.^[10]

CCF received a 2012 WISE Award, recognizing its transformative impact on education and society.^[11] The WISE Awards identify, showcase and promote six innovative educational projects each year. CCF is the first organization in the region to win the award. Charity Navigator awarded CCF a perfect “four star” rating for both financial performance and transparency within the organization.^[12]

External links

Cambodian Children's Fund
"Streets With No Names". Australian Broadcasting Corporation, "Australian Story" episode broadcast April 16, 2012