Thursday 12 April 2007

Phnom Penh - Children's Center - pictures

I went to the "Hopeful of Children Center" yesterday. It is a center for disadvantaged kids, some are orphans, others parents can not care for them. They may have HIV or work for very little money and can not care for their children. Some of them were also living alone on the street. There was one little boy, who looked three years old but is eight and was living on the street. His parents worked at the market and were going to get the food to sell and were killed in the middle of the night. This little boy was living on the street, begging for money and food, but the bigger kids would steal his money.

The center is run my a crippled Cambodian man, who himself lived in a center. He has started this on his own and depends only on donations to keep it going. He had such a spirit and was so great with the kids. Twelve kids live at the center and around 40 joined us to play from the neighbourhood. They come there so they are not in the street or fields during the day while their parents are working. We celebrated the Khmer New Year with them and played games together from 9am - 3pm.

He provides food, clothing and education to the kids. It cost him around $600 - $700 a month to run the center. If you want more info his email is kimny2005@yahoo.com

Click on the following for pictures of the Khemer New Years celebrations at the Center.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahemoloney/PhnomPenh

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