UNICEF Cambodia

By Frederick Howard

Four-year-old Bopha and her six-year-old brother Sopheak

walk to school in Siem Reap province.©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Bona Khoy

Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, September 2017 – Mok Pen commune is located in rural Siem Reap, where the resorts and attractions of the provincial capital are replaced by rice fields.

It is home to a family whose lives have been dramatically changed by migration. Four-year-old Bopha and her six-year-old brother Sopheak play on the land surrounding their traditional Khmer home – a small, wooden building, consisting of an open kitchen and a living space that doubles up as a bedroom.

There is a small courtyard outside the house littered with rubbish where chickens and stray dogs roam.

The children are cared for by their great-aunt, Trop, as their parents, aunt and uncle have migrated to Thailand, a choice many Cambodians make in search of a higher income and a more secure future.

With no source of income in their home village, Bopha and Sopheak’s parents had to leave their family behind two years ago in search of work, as did 53,000 other Siem Reap residents who were documented as leaving the province in 2014.

Their parents found jobs in construction, a sector known for its low wages and hazardous conditions.

In two years of working away, the parents have only been able to return home once for the Khmer New Year in April, 2017. They were only able to give their family a small amount of cash during this trip back home.

The children live a simple life with their great-aunt. They each need a small amount of money every day to cover for their modest meal of rice and meat, and informal school fee.

As the sole, full-time carer of the two children, Trop is unable to work and relies on the small remittance sent from their parents in Thailand.

Quite often in these situations the responsibility taken by local governments on a nationwide scale is limited; with a lack of capacity and awareness from commune councils in addressing issues related to migration, including care for children left behind.

“The children sometimes just sit and look west. When they used to ask where their parents have gone, I say ‘Thailand’ and point in that direction. They miss their parents deeply,” said Trop.

“It’s not right that the parents are away from their children. Everyone should live together happily,” she added.

Trop also supports and cares for her brother who has intellectual disabilities. This further drains the family’s finances and limits her ability to provide sufficient, nutritious food for the two young children.

On days when she cannot afford rice for the whole family she will borrow from other villagers. When the remittance arrives she can pay back her creditors, but until then she is in debt to fellow villagers.

Health is also an area of serious concern for Trop and the children. With the family’s finances already stretched, paying for additional expenses such as medical bills and transport to clinics is not an option.

The family are not registered under the IDPoor scheme and so are not entitled to free healthcare.

Despite all of these difficulties, the children have a better life now that their parents have migrated, explained Trop.

“They eat better. There is more money to buy food now than when the parents were unemployed at home,” she said.

The most direct positive impact of migration for children is an increased household income; even if this comes as a result of remittance payments, as is the case with Trop and her family. This increased income can be directly linked to an improved diet.

According to the 2014 Commune Database (CDB) survey, over half a million adults migrated out of Cambodia to surrounding countries during the same year for economic reasons.

There are many factors that affect whether children migrate with parents. These include the expected living conditions of parents, the age of the children and the availability of services such as education and healthcare for children who migrate.

As Bopha and Sopheak remained in their home village, they have been able to enrol in a local school, with the fee covered by remittance payments.

At school, both children receive a rice allowance from the World Food Programme. This provides them with 10 kg of rice a month and complements their school meals. But this is the only help they receive as a family from any entity.

The migration of the parents and the decision to leave the two children in Cambodia has improved their general living standards. However, an improvement in living standards does not cancel out the negative impact of migration on the young children.

A recent UNICEF-commissioned report on the Impact of Migration on Children in Cambodia found that outside the capital city Phnom Penh, services provided to vulnerable families is very limited.

The report revealed – through interviews with commune council members and village chiefs – that migration and associated social issues that arise in the community are not a priority for local authorities.

The report recommends that the IDPoor scheme is revised to allow for more frequent and regular updating of the list of poor families so that more families can access social services. Additionally, the establishment of a mechanism at sub-national administration level is recommended to help identify vulnerable children, including those left at home by migrating parents to provide support or to refer to relevant services.

These changes would provide a variety of benefits for vulnerable people such as Trop, Bopha and Sopheak.

To make this become a reality, intensified action is required at national and sub-national levels to ensure public services are accessible for those who need them the most.

By Frederick Howard

Bunloeum and Phanet eat at home with their grandmother Souy.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Bona Khoy

Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, September 2017 – It’s an overcast morning in this north-western province, with the sky consumed by a dark grey cloud.

Pradak School is located in rural Siem Reap. Its facilities are basic; with one classroom being no more than an open-sided barn containing desks and a whiteboard. The surrounding land has no playground for the children and the site lacks suitable toilet facilities and running water.

Six-year-old Bunloeum attends school in the morning. He seems distracted and unmotivated in the classroom.

In the afternoon, his seven-year-old brother Phanet attends the same school. He also displays similar tendencies to his younger brother and lacks confidence.

When he is asked to read aloud by his teacher he hides his face and begins to cry.

The boys’ parents migrated to Thailand in search of work four years ago and they have only seen their children once since. The effect a situation like this can have on the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of a child is massive.

Bunloeum and Phanet live with their grandmother Souy, 65. Their home is a small wooden house built on stilts which has been fortified with beer boxes and netting. However, a villager has allowed them to move into the bottom floor of her concrete home which is more suitable.

At home, the two children remain very close to Souy. They are quiet, reserved and they speak, only, through their grandmother.

“When their parents were present, the children were happy,” said Souy.

“They were in good spirits, their father would help them with their schooling and they got ill far less often,” she added.

The boys’ parents fell into financial difficulty, forcing them to make the move to Thailand. They used to have a small rice field, which didn’t yield a sufficient crop, but it was enough to sustain the family.

After borrowing money, they found themselves unable to pay it back. They were forced to hand over the rice field as collateral. With their primary source of food and only source of income gone, they had to find regular employment elsewhere.

Migrating to Thailand seemed an attractive option. However, low wages, the higher cost of living in Thailand and repayments towards their outstanding loan means the remittance sent back to Cambodia is inadequate.

This has forced Souy to engage in casual labour. She works across the street at a pillow factory to boost the family’s income.

Although this work allows Souy to put food on the table, it leaves the boys without constant supervision and at 65, she finds the work exhausting.

Souy’s own health, along with the boys’, is a serious concern to her. When she has fallen ill in the past, other villagers have been able to help with transport to the health centre, but caring for the children and accommodating medical bills is another story.

“Our standard of living hasn’t improved. The children aren’t eating better; their health is being impacted upon by their parents’ absence. I can’t care for them as well as their parents can.”

In Siem Reap, over 7 per cent of the province’s population are known to have migrated and about 5 per cent are known to have migrated internationally, according to the 2014 Commune Database.

A recent UNICEF-commissioned report on the Impact of Migration on Children in Cambodia found it is common that children whose parents migrate often get left with ageing grandparents.

The average age of a caretaking grandparent surveyed by the study was 62.4 years and most of these described themselves as feeling overburdened or unable to care for the children.

The report shows that services provided to vulnerable families affected by migration are scarce or non-existent. Through interviews related to the study – with commune council members and village chiefs – it became evident that both migration and associated social issues that arise in the community are not a priority for local authorities.

There are no special public services for families at any stage in the migration process. The responsibilities of local government bodies are limited; with reduced capacity and poor awareness of commune councils to address issues related to migration, including care for children left behind.

The study calls for commitment and action at national and sub-national levels to ensure public services are accessible for those who need them direly.

For vulnerable people such as Bunloeum, Phanet and Souy, it is vital that they are supported through local mechanisms so they can access free healthcare, subsidies for education and nutrition support for children using commune funds.

By Luka D’Amato

Children are being helped by a social worker to study their text books. The children used to live in residential care institutions (orphanages) but now live with a foster family in Battambang province who are providing them with loving care and support, through a community-based alternative care initiative. The family is supported by NGO social worker through regular visits.

©UNICEF Cambodia/2015/Antoine Raab

Volunteering abroad is a great opportunity to help others and gain experience. Yet, many are unaware that some forms of volunteering, especially in the form of voluntourism, can negatively impact children and families. In the context of vulnerable children, this issue is even greater. To help you make a positive impact for communities through volunteering, here’s a list of ways to ensure that you are volunteering responsibly.

1. Volunteer in a field you have experience in

Volunteering in a position where you have previous experience and knowledge is important to making a positive difference. While trying something new, like working with children, is exciting, it can be damaging. It takes time and resources to train new volunteers. Without the proper know-how, it is difficult to do quality work. While it is tempting to work with children, unless you are a trained teacher, social worker, or medical professional, do not work directly with children. The rapid turnover of short-term volunteers with little experience hurts childhood development. Children and adolescents need stability, and volunteers coming and going can hinder their development. Short-term volunteering also hinders education, as it is difficult to track the child’s progress and needs.

Instead, volunteer in a field where you have experience. You will make a much greater difference by doing something you know how to do. Alternatively, you can commit to gaining the proper skills and qualifications in the area you are interested in before volunteering.

2. Research the organization and the issues

Research the organization and know what they have accomplished. You should read any news you can find about them, and ask to contact a former volunteer and talk to them about their experience. Make sure you choose a reputable organization and do not be afraid to be critical.

Understanding all sides of the cause you are taking on is also critical. Unfortunately, there are many organizations posing as charities that readily accept volunteers and visitors for a fee. Orphanages operating as businesses is one example. Children are exploited and neglected in the process, and are even exposed to risks of sexual abuse and violence. Supporting such institutions perpetuates exploitation. Rather than volunteering at an orphanage, find organizations working to provide social support to vulnerable children and families.

3. Background checks and the application process

What kind of credentials did the organization ask for, a CV, background check, and legal records, or nothing? Illegitimate institutions, including some orphanages, do not check who is volunteering there. This often exposes children to exploitation and abuse. Consequently, even if you are credentialed to work with children, it is important to avoid these organizations. By volunteering there, you are helping an abusive, scarring, and vicious cycle thrive.

4. Short-term vs. long-term

Longer-term volunteering is always preferred. Short-term volunteering can drain resources, as it takes time to adjust to the tasks at hand and build relationships in the community. However, volunteering is important and not everyone can afford to dedicate a year of their lives. When volunteering, it is generally recommended to commit a minimum of three months. In this time span, you can develop the necessary skills and understanding you need to positively impact the community, as well as yourself.

5. Organizations charging volunteers fees

Be cautious of organization charging fees to receive volunteers, as they will tend to be more focused on generating income than accepting longer-term, skilled volunteers to positively impact communities.

In Cambodia, it has been observed that some orphanages receive volunteers for a fee. To keep the money flowing, they must keep children in. This has resulted in the active recruitment of children from the communities to be placed in institutions, especially the most vulnerable. This practice has resulted in 80 per cent of Cambodian children living in residential care institutions having at least one parent that could take care of them with the proper support.

Volunteering is the perfect opportunity to help others while building your resume, seeing a new culture, and gaining valuable experiences in the process. However, it is important to remember the primary reason that you are volunteering: to help others. Follow these steps, and do your best to ensure that you are taking up the right cause, not contributing to the problem. The right opportunity to help is out there!

By Shruti Gogia and Theavy Leng

Son Sambath, school director of Wat Cheng Primary School,

poses for a photo with a bevy of children from grades 2 to 5;

© UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Shruti Gogia

Battambang, Cambodia, July 2017: It’s July in Battambang Province, the height of the rainy season in Cambodia. In this fertile northwestern region, the rice fields have turned a vast sea of vibrant green, rippling as far as the eye can see. Narrow dirt roads run along the paddies, providing access to small rural villages like Wat Cheng. About 350 families live here, working primarily in the surrounding fields. Their children attend Wat Cheng Primary School, which sits at the heart of the village down a road lined with the students’ humble, thatched roof homes and tall palm trees.

Wat Cheng Primary School is a treat for the eyes and ears: A neat fence encloses the school’s courtyard, which is filled with well-maintained plants. Garbage cans outside every classroom ensure students enjoy a clean environment. Children’s voices sing out from the school—about 370 students, including 203 girls, are enrolled here—energetically reciting the day’s lessons.

The primary school achieved advanced Child-Friendly School status last year, Son Sambath, the school’s 39-year-old director, proudly reports. Established by the United Nations but adapted by individual partner governments to suit the local context, the status means the school has an environment conducive to the holistic development of all children, ensuring their right to healthy, safe and active participation in school.

Wat Cheng’s senior school management and all teachers were also recently trained to employ positive discipline and effective classroom management, in in-service sessions provided by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, with support from UNICEF.

Positive discipline is a pivotal part of the child-friendly schools approach. It emerged as an important area of focus in Cambodia following the 2013 Violence Against Children Survey conducted by the Government of Cambodia, which indicated that at least half of Cambodian children younger than 18 have experienced some form of physical violence. The frequency of emotional violence and neglect – encountered in one in four children – was also staggering. Children reported that punishment at school often involved some type of physical or emotional consequences.

In response, the Ministry of Education and UNICEF developed a specialized training module to sensitize Cambodian teachers and school leadership to the multitude of negative effects of violence against children and familiarize them with the concept of positive discipline. The training provides school leaders, like the director and deputy director, and teachers with tools and alternate methods to manage the classroom, aimed at maintaining a positive, non-violent and open relationship with children.

Pilot trainings were conducted at 12 primary schools in three focus provinces (Kampot, Prey Veng and Battambang) in 2015. Based on their success, another 160 schools participated in the five-day training in 2016, including Wat Cheng Primary School. So far, over 1,600 primary school teachers and 51,000 students have benefitted from these lessons in positive discipline. UNICEF also conducted a study to gauge the training’s impact, with very encouraging results. Wat Cheng Primary School staff and students can personally attest to this.

In the year since staff were armed with these new methods, promising changes have taken place at school. The numbers speak for themselves: Wat Cheng Primary School has recorded a jump in attendance and promotion rates and fewer dropouts. School Director Son Sambath applauds the positive discipline training in this regard: “The attendance rate has increased from 90 per cent to 95 per cent and the dropout rate has reduced from 5 per cent to just 2 per cent since the training,” he says. “I believe children are less afraid to come to school and feel more comfortable with their teachers as a result of the positive changes we are making.”

Grade 5 teacher Vat Phally reports that the principles imparted through the training have truly been adopted in the school. The training has led to a paradigm shift in the teaching methodology used in the classroom, he says. New mechanisms like a classroom rule-making process, which is mutually driven by students and teachers; anger management practices; and knowledge sharing via stories and discussions, are visible in the school.

Vat Phally and his Grade 5 classroom at Wat Cheng Primary School; ©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Shruti Gogia

“Earlier when children misbehaved in the class, harsh methods were used,” Phally says. “After learning anger management techniques through the positive discipline teacher manuals, I can now calm myself down and then use soft words to positively discuss issues with my students. Now, children are not afraid of me and discuss their concerns openly. Even though teachers receive the training, it’s the children that benefit the most. I am now driven to be a positive role model for all my students.”

Exuberant 12-year old Ra Sopheanaing is chief of the Wat Cheng Primary School Student Council, which is responsible for environment maintenance in the school. He explains how one of the new mechanisms -- rules developed jointly by the class and teacher -- has also benefitted his home life. “We decided that all waste disposal has to happen in the garbage bins,” he says. “We should not throw garbage around and dirty the environment. At home, we had no bin. So I proposed the idea and explained its importance to my grandma. She now completely supports me and we have bins at home, too.”

Ms. Veng, a 55-year-old grandmother of a second grader at the primary school and an older child in secondary school, has also seen changes at home. “Both of my grandchildren like going to school and like their teachers. In fact, they have been voicing their criticism against any violence at home, as teachers also don’t use it in school.”

Another example of the extended benefits of the training came from a 14-year-old girl, Keo Chanrey, also a member of the student council. “Our teacher explained the importance of washing hands before eating and we now have a class rule to wash our hands with soap,” she reports. “I make everyone at home also abide by this rule. I want to be the village physician when I grow up, so all the people in my village are healthy. Washing hands is the first step to being healthy.”

Fifth-grade teacher Phally is also using his new techniques and experiences at home. “My child is very young and used to run or play on the road with other children. In the past, I threatened to slap him if he ventured out on the street. But he still did not listen to me. Now, I show him a picture of an accident on the road or tell him a story about road safety. He gets interested in the story and understands that he should not be playing on the road. He’s more careful now.”

Given these promising results, ambitious targets for the positive discipline initiative have been set for 2017. Another 229 primary schools in the target provinces are scheduled to receive the training by end November 2017.

One of the simplest but most noted changes at Wat Cheng Primary School has been the replacement of the feared ‘wooden stick’. School Director Sambath says, “The stick was recognized by the children as a punishment for any mistake. Now the only stick in the class is made of paper—and it’s used by the teachers to point to the board and teach the kids valuable new lessons.”

As Cambodian teachers incorporate these important lessons on positive discipline, not only is the immediate goal of reducing violence in schools being achieved, but education is surpassing the traditional boundaries of books and exams toward a very important goal: the holistic development of all children, at school and at home.

By Monique Rao

Children sing songs during class at Community Pre-school (CPS)
Multi-lingual in Kouk Poy village, Laok Commune,
O Chum District, Ratanakiri Province.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2015/Charles Fox

Kratie Province, Cambodia, October 2017– Teachers, school directors and community members are mobilizing support to influence more parents to enrol their children in community preschools (CPS) so they can get a head start on learning opportunities.

The campaigners are hopeful their collective voice will convince parents who think their children are too young, or too small to attend preschool classes will rethink this stance.

A UNICEF evaluation, conducted last year with the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and the Ministry of Interior (MoI), on the Community Preschool Modality found substantial evidence that most CPSs address the needs of children aged three to five in terms of access and enrolment to a quality early childhood education.

CPSs are also relevant to the needs of the most disadvantaged, worst off children through the establishment of schools in areas in which state schools are not providing a preschool education.

Early childhood is the most significant time for development as it provides vital learning opportunities and a foundation for future academic success.

Pre-school attendance also means children are more likely to start primary school at the right age and do well once they get there.

The UNICEF evaluation established that children who attend CPS classes are more literate and have better education-specific skills, social skills, knowledge of good hygiene and nutritional practices.

Additionally, their parents were found to be more aware of their children’s improved capacities and progress.

One such beneficiary of the CPS system is six-year-old Sing Kakada from Chhour Kroch village in Kratie province.

After moving to a home directly opposite a primary school which houses a CPS, his mother Mao Chan Bol wasted no time in enrolling him in preschool.

This year has been Kakada’s first experience with preschool and he loves it. His mother said that even if his clothes are still wet from being washed he tells her he doesn’t want to stay at home – “I don’t care, I want to go to school, I can wear any clothes.”

His mother sees the value of sending her son to preschool, since she herself is illiterate and she “doesn’t want her children to follow her same path”.

She hopes Kakada can one day be a teacher or a doctor. Kakada said he wants to work in the medical field like his father who is employed at a community health clinic.

Since attending preschool, Mao Chan said Kakada is very happy, sings new songs he has been taught in classes and is constantly telling her what he has learned such as consonants and vowels and a new array of vocabulary.

Because of her positive experience with the CPS, Mao Chan encourages her neighbours to enrol their children.

Mao Chan said: “Some of the reasons parents choose not to send their children to preschool is because they believe they are too small or not ready enough to go to school and be able to learn.”

Kakada and his mother at their home in Chhour Kroch Village, Kratie Province.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Lauréline Borotto

This point was reflected in the UNICEF CPS evaluation, in addition to the finding that children with disabilities have a more difficult time accessing CPS because either their parents are not aware of the opportunity to send their children to preschool at such a young age, or they believe children with disabilities are not ready for preschool and are better off at home.

Kakada’s CPS teacher Kheng Samol said she routinely goes around the village and asks parents to send their children to the CPS, including those with disabilities.

She stated that in her class of 45 students, she has two children with disabilities. Despite no formal training to deal with these children, she includes them fully in activities so they can benefit in the same way as other children.

Although the national target age for preschool is three to five years-old, too many parents believe this is still too young for their children to attend. It is not uncommon for children to start school at the age of nine for the first time.

The point of the UNICEF-supported Cambodia Community Preschool Modality is that it is initiated and monitored by commune councils – hence the term Community Preschool Modality.

The initiative has been created to establish CPSs in areas that do not have a state-run preschool in order to increase access to early childhood education for children aged three to five.

As a part of this community-based approach, a localized school support system was developed, called the School Support Committee (SSC).

SSCs are composed of teachers, elderly residents, parents and school directors. Feedback from community members about SSCs has been highly favourable and they are attributed with playing an instrumental role in mobilizing resources and support for CPSs.

Notably, they have helped support commune councils initiate enrolment campaigns ahead of the new school year.

Going out to villages and speaking with parents to let them know a preschool has opened near-by, or to see if they have any children who are eligible to attend has been a crucial practice in awareness raising and increasing enrolment and attendance rates.

SSC members also help to monitor attendance by conducting home visits to see if there is anything they can do to support parents, or inquire the reason why their child has been absent.

Similar to Kakada, who originally lived too far away from a CPS to attend, this is a common issue across Kratie province.

However, with continued strong support from SSCs and commune councils and effective communication and awareness campaigns, UNICEF hopes that more parents of young children can be reached and encouraged to enrol their children in CPS.

This approach will enable these children to get a head start in learning and prepare for progress to Grade One. UNICEF’s vision is for all children to realize their rights to an education, a happy healthy life and to reach their full potential. The foundation for all of these can be laid with enrolment at a CPS.

By Monique Rao

Class activity in a community pre-school in Sokang Commune, Kang Meas District,
Kampong Cham Province to promote early childhood education.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2015/Giacomo Pirozzi

Kratie Province, Cambodia, October 2017– Opening community-based preschools in areas where there are no such facilities – either state-run or private – has been a central part of providing access to early childhood education for children in Cambodia.

But how can you open a school or keep an existing school operational if you do not have any teachers or cannot retain the existing teaching staff?

These are some of the many difficult challenges communities and their governing councils across Cambodia are facing.

This issue surfaced in a UNICEF evaluation on community preschools (CPS) in Cambodia, conducted last year in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and the Ministry of Interior (MoI).

There are over 2,000 community-based preschools nationwide, but a worrying number are closing due to a funding shortfall and teachers resigning.

Therefore, in order for CPSs to remain open, be successful and to give children the opportunity to get the best start in life, teacher retention is a critical factor.

Two communes, Bos Leav and Thmor Andoek are positive examples of communities that were able to address the teacher retention challenge that is prevalent in Kratie province and across Cambodia and their intervention offers a beacon of hope for other, more challenged communities.

Kheng Samol, 29, has been a teacher at Chhour Kroch Community Preschool in Thmor Andoek Commune for eight years and she displays a passion for education.

She said she is motivated by the desire to “help children in early learning with their emotional, physical, intellectual and social development” which is exemplified by the number of children who visit her at her home – something she finds deeply gratifying.

It is evident Kheng is driven to teach by her unbridled passion to help children learn and develop, but aside from job satisfaction she has an extra incentive to remain in the classroom.

Thmor Andoek Commune Council – which is in charge of budgeting, including teacher’s salaries – allocates 300,000 Riel (about US$74) per month for every teacher.
Comparatively, the average CPS teacher salary in Cambodia is around 200,000 Riel (about US$49).

This extra income helps to incentivize teachers like Kheng to stay in school. This same aspect of financial incentive was also reflected in the UNICEF evaluation which established that a regular, higher salary is a strong factor towards teacher retention.

Another facilitating component is the peer-support Kheng receives and is able to give back from her eight years of teaching experience.

Part of the support commune councils provide to staff is two teacher training refresher courses annually.

In between these training events, Kheng also takes time to meet with two other pre-school teachers to share experiences from their training.

Kheng also imparts her new-found knowledge with Grade One teachers at the primary school where her CPS is based.

Kheng Samol sitting outside a classroom
in Chhour Kroch Community Preschool
in Thmor Andoek Commune, Kratie Province.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Lauréline Borotto

This information exchange between teachers has yielded positive developments. For example, Kheng has replicated the writing instruction curriculum taught to Grade One students with her own CPS children so they are better prepared when they progress to Grade One.

Findings from the UNICEF CPS evaluation also showed that a lack of guidance, supervision and networking among other CPSs was a contributing factor to their closure, which highlights the vital importance knowledge exchange has.

Successful teacher retention in the Bos Leav Commune is attributed to similar reasons in the Thmor Andoek Commune, but they have other influencers such as an abundance of potential teachers that are available to train.

Much of the population within this community has received an education to at least Grade 12, resulting in a pool of budding teachers.

Teachers are much more likely to succeed if they have completed, or have at least partially completed a secondary education as those with a higher education level are more likely to understand and replicate the curriculum better and bring more innovation into the classroom.

This presence of human resources has enabled the functioning of five CPSs in eight villages in Thmor Andoek Commune, in addition to four state-run preschools. Some communes do not even have half this number of CPSs.

Similar to Thmor Andoek Commune, budgeting for pre-schools at Bos Leav Commune doesn’t seem to be a problem. Although the budget can be restrictive, they are making sure to set aside 10-15 per cent of their social services budget for CPSs.

This fund covers teacher’s salaries, furniture, instruction materials and school monitoring inspections.

The commune currently pays their teachers 250,000 Riel per month (about US$62) and plan to increase this to 300,000 Riel in 2018.

In addition to financial support, Bos Leav Commune Council and parents in the community provide teachers with other types of in-kind support such as teaching materials and rice for school meals.

Bos Leav Commune Council also holds monthly meetings with teachers to address any problems or concerns that they may have.

This type of feedback loop and open communication is a huge factor that facilitates the success of this commune’s sustainability of their CPSs.

Like Kheng Samol employed in the Thmor Andoek Commune, Bos Leav Commune officials expressed the view that teachers are generally “passionate about teaching and helping children to grow”.

They also believe the two hours per day CPS teaching commitment is another major motivator that helps retain teachers – an enabling factor that was highlighted in the UNICEF evaluation.

Twelve hours of class per week allows CPS teachers to pursue other income generating activities.

Findings of the evaluation show that if communes such as Thmor Andoek and Bos Leav maintain positive incentive policies such as decent and timely salaries, flexible working hours and the provision of other support, it is more likely teachers will be willing and happy to stay in the classroom.

UNICEF continues to offer support to local commune councils so children can get the best start in life, maintain their physical, intellectual and social development and get a solid foundation for future learning success.

By Lenka Tavodova

Ty reading her favorite book. ©DRIC/2017/Kristina Seris

Battambang Province, Cambodia, October 2017: It is a humid afternoon in O’Choam, a small village in Battambang Province. Members of the Disability Rights Initiative Cambodia (DRIC) – a joint programme between UNICEF, UNDP and WHO - are on a field mission. Our group shelters under a small roof to shield ourselves from the rain, which is where we meet Khoeun Ty. Between shy giggles and proud smiles, 12-year-old Ty reads us her favorite story:

“Once upon a time there was a fox that jumped into a well.
- Hello fox, what are you doing, asked a goat who passed by the well.
- I am drinking! If you want to have a sip, just come down, said the fox.”

Ty’s enthusiasm as she continued to tell the story was contagious, and we kept on smiling for the rest of the day. We could have never imagined that just six months ago, Ty could barely speak at all.

When Ty was just a baby she developed a high fever and parts of her brain became dangerously inflamed with meningitis. After that she started to have epileptic seizures.

“The first seizure left her hand paralyzed and her development slowed significantly. Ty was not able to learn how to walk and talk like other children of her age” Ms. Kuo Suon, Ty’s mother, reveals.

Like many, it is impossible to know what might trigger a seizure. It's hard for Ty’s family see her suffer the sometimes violent effects of the seizures, including severe body shaking, but they have learned how to help her through it. Fortunately, Ty is a resilient and strong young girl.

“Ty needs to have someone by her side all the time. One time she got a seizure in school, and it was so strong that the teachers got very frightened and did not know what to do. Since then Ty’s sister sits next to her all the time”, adds Ms. Kuo.

Despite her struggles, Ty is still very much a child like any other. She loves going to school, learning, painting and playing with other children. She has lots of friends and is full of positive energy and genuine curiosity about the world.

Two years ago, community workers from Khmer NGO for Education (KHEN) - an organization that promotes children’s rights and accessible and inclusive education for all - met Ty and began supporting her in reaching her full potential.

With the help of KHEN community workers, Ty was referred to a physical rehabilitation center where she received a wheelchair. They also referred Ty to hospital in Battambang where she was given medication to help her manage her seizures. The medication worked well; it made Ty more attentive and she is now able to attend school more regularly.

Ty in the wheelchair she received from the physical rehabilitation center.
©DRIC/2017/Kristina Seris

To help Ty catch up on the schooling that she missed because of her health, KHEN established home-based lessons for her. Ty’s family received training on ways to teach her at home, which would complement her school activities. Ty received a box full of teaching materials such as reading, coloring and mathematic books to assist her home-learning experience.

“I always make sure to spend time with her every day to help her learn”, Ms. Khoeun Sok Sin, Ty’ s older sister, says. “When she's not well or we can't go with her to school, I teach her at home.” Sok Sin will often spend two hours a day teaching Ty at home.

Ty, her sister and her mother with her home schooling kit.
©DRIC/2017/Lenka Tavodova

Having the possibility to be home schooled has made a big difference in Ty’s life. With this extra attention, dedication and access to medication, Ty has been showing wonderful development in her learning and social abilities.

“She can now talk almost effortlessly. She is also able to count and recognize the letters of the alphabet. I am surprised seeing Ty making such big progress”, her sister says. “Seeing her grow and learn makes me so happy! I couldn't be prouder of my little sister.”

Ty sitting at home with her home-based learning materials.
All children are born with great potential and have to right
to equal opportunities for learning and living.
©DRIC/2017/Lenka Tavodova

All children, with and without disabilities, have huge potential that needs to be unlocked through the right care, education and participation in society. Access to education is critical for children’s development and Ty’s case proves how equitable measures can greatly improve the lives and capabilities of children with disabilities.

Khmer NGO for Education (KHEN) is one of 15 civil society organizations that are supported by UNICEF and Australian Aid through Community Disability Inclusive Fund (CDIDF). Since 2014, Ty and 67,276 other children and persons with disabilities have benefited from services through CDIDF.

By Lenka Tavodova

Battambang Province, November 2017: Ms. Chheut Huot comes from Phnom Ray village, located in rural Battambang. It is one of the most remote communities in Cambodia and home to 159 indigenous families. Most of these families rely on crops like beans, rice and cassava to earn income which supports their livelihood.

“Education is very important for us indigenous people. I remember a time when nobody in our village could read or write. It is not long ago at all. I might not know everything in the world, but what I do know I strive to use to the best of my abilities. My passion for learning and helping children to do the same is what led me to become a primary school teacher” says Ms. Huot.

Ms. Huot in front of her class. ©DRIC/2017/Lenka Tavodova

Ms. Huot has been working hard to raise awareness about the importance and value of education within her community. These days, the village primary school class has more enthusiastic students than ever, but the dropout rate remains high, around 20 %. This is especially true for children with disabilities and learning difficulties, who often need adapted materials, teaching techniques, support to access the schools, and parents’ support to help them in their learning.

The children of Ms. Huot’s Khmer class holding up their writing boards. ©DRIC/2017/Lenka Tavodova

Recently Ms. Huot and her colleagues were trained on inclusive education by Khmer NGO for Education (KHEN), a civil society organization supported by UNICEF and Australian Aid.

In the training, Ms. Huot learned how to identify children with disabilities and how to adapt her classroom activities to the needs of those children. In remote communities like Phnom Ray village, where families would otherwise need to travel hundreds of kilometers to reach specialized services for children with disabilities, this makes a big difference.

Equipped with these new skills, Ms. Huot and her colleagues embarked on a journey to bring all children in the area to school and provide them with the improved opportunity to learn, grow and flourish.

“Every month we visit our communities. We talk to parents and grandparents to convince them to send their children to school. We try to understand their issues and propose solutions. At times the solution is simple, yet it can make big difference in children's course of life. Other times it is more complicated” says Ms. Huot.

On one of Ms. Huot’s community visits, she met Chok Chann. Chann is 7 years old and had been attending school, but had stopped. On this visit, using the training she’s received from KHEN, Ms. Huot identified that Chann was suffering from impaired vision.

Chann and his mother. ©DRIC/2017/Lenka Tavodova

"I didn’t know that he didn’t see well, but that was the reason why he did not want to go to school”, says Ms. Soeurm Ravy, Chann’s mother.

With the help of KHEN, Chann was referred to a hospital to receive glasses. He returned to school and Ms. Huot moved Chann to the very front of the class so that he could see better.

Thanks to her KHEN training, Ms. Huot also realized that Chann had some difficulties with spelling and writing. Now, she makes sure to dedicate extra time to him and provide him with additional materials so he gets the same chance as every other child to learn and excel to his fullest potential.

Thanks to this extra attention and adapted teaching, Chann now proudly comes to school every day. He can follow the class more easily and his performance has improved. “I don’t know yet what I want to be, but I like going to school a lot. What I like the most is painting” he tells us.

Ms. Huot helping Chann with spelling. ©DRIC/2017/Lenka Tavodova

In the same class as Chann, we find eight-year-old twin brothers Sopheak and Sopheun. Previously, Sopheak and Sopheun rarely attended school because their parents were reluctant to send them as they had difficulty paying attention and following the classes. In order to improve the boys’ learning experience in the classroom, Ms. Huot came up with the idea to get an assistant teacher - Ms. Reuyv - who could spend extra time specifically with the two boys. Ms. Reuyv has also been trained on inclusive education and her role is to support the boys in their learning.

Sopheak and Sopheun. ©DRIC/2017/Lenka Tavodova

“We are beyond excited to see that by having Ms. Reuyv with us the parents agreed to bring the boys to school. They believe that she can help them develop and learn, and with her help the boys are doing great and are more attentive”, says Ms. Huot.

Ms. Reuyv together with Sopheak and Sopheun in class. ©DRIC/2017/Lenka Tavodova

“Every child needs to get education to reach their full potential. I do not make any difference between children with or without disability. I just try to teach them the best I can. Everyone deserves the right conditions for them to learn. There's nothing I want more than to see my students grow and make their dreams come true. If they have an education, they can get a job and get more opportunities. Education opens the world, regardless if you want to stay in your village or go somewhere else” Ms. Huot concludes.

KHEN is providing this inclusive education support, among other forms of support to children with disabilities, in collaboration with UNICEF, through the Cambodia Disability Inclusive Development Fund (CDIDF). This is made possible by grants from DFAT, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the UN joint programme DRIC.

By Maria Svensson

Yam Sok and her family have benefitted from the cash transfer.
From left: Nan San, 4, Nan Somnang, 10 months, mother Yam Sok and Nan Vanni, 8.

©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Maria Svensson

Siem Reap, 5 November 2017: Yam Sok and her family live in a small village in Meanchey Commune, a 30-minute drive from Siem Reap provincial town. Their home is traditional rural Khmer style, with wooden floors and walls made from palm leaves. Three out of her four children surround Yam Sok on the little porch as the UNICEF team arrives at the house.

Nan San, a 4-year-old boy, is playful but clings to his mother’s arm at the arrival of us strangers, while Nan Somnang, a 10-month-old boy, rests comfortably in his mother’s lap. They are the two youngest family members and the reason for our visit, as they are enrolled in a cash transfer pilot project which aims to improve health and nutrition among children under 5 years old and pregnant women in Cambodia.

Yam Sok lives with her family in a village in Siem Reap province.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Maria Svensson

Yam Sok’s husband, Mot Nan, is a fisherman and Yam Sok sells the fish he catches at the local market. This generates around USD 2.50-3.75 per day, but is not enough to provide sufficient food and health care for their children. Some days the family does not have enough rice to eat, even though the neighbours often give them some of theirs.

“I tried to go to the market and sell the fish my husband catches”, Yam Sok tells us. “But I couldn’t earn enough money. We are many people in my family and I couldn’t fix the situation. My children always get sick and I don’t have enough money to pay for transport to the hospital.”

Due to poor health, 4-year-old Nan San has not been able to enrol in pre-school, missing the opportunity of benefitting from early childhood education, which is essential for establishing a solid foundation for children’s life-long learning potential.

Malnutrition is a serious issue in Cambodia, accounting for approximately one third of child deaths in the country. About a third of all children under 5 years are stunted (too short for their age), and one in four are underweight. Stunting can severely harm a child’s intellectual, mental and physical growth, preventing them from developing fully into thriving individuals.

To fight malnutrition, regular check-ups for children are imperative. Providing children and pregnant mothers with nutritious food and quality healthcare can have a profound impact on the capacity of children to grow and lead healthy lives. However, due to barriers such as low income, the utilisation of health and nutrition services has remained low among poor households in Cambodia.

In response, the Cambodia Cash Transfer Pilot Project was launched in eight communes within Prasat Bakong District, Siem Reap Province. The aim of the project is to increase the utilisation of basic health and nutrition services by pregnant women and children under 5 years old living in identified poor households (IDPoor). This involves unconditionally giving small amounts of money to each participant and providing educational sessions in relation to health and nutrition. They also receive additional small financial assistance by completing check-ups during and after pregnancy, and bringing their children to get vaccinations or to monitor their growth, or by attending the educational sessions.

The project is being implemented by the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), with technical support from UNICEF.

In May 2016, the first cash distributions took place and by October 2017, close to 700 families were benefitting from the programme: 834 children under the age of 5 and 61 pregnant women in total. The hope is that the experience of the pilot project will lead to and inform the design of a larger, national cash transfer programme.

For Yam Sok and her family, the cash transfer has had a positive impact on their lives: “Now the health of my children has improved”, Yam Sok announces. “The money from the cash transfer goes to their treatment.”

Yam Sok also uses the money to buy food for her family, such as rice, beef and egg. Some of the money also goes to paying for the older children’s school books and uniforms. She explained that the cash transfer programme has also increased her knowledge of health. Before each cash distribution, there is an educational session providing information on topics such as child nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, maternal and child health and positive parenting.

“After I got knowledge from the meetings, it changed my behaviour. Now, I always take the children to get vaccinations and to the health centre when they are sick. I also changed our food. Before I would always fry beef or fish. Now we eat soups with vegetables that have nutrition.” Yam Sok also tells us that she was encouraged to get birth registrations for her children and that she and her children learned to always wash their hands with soap before cooking and eating.

Sori is a Commune Focal Person in Meanchey Commune,
working with the cash transfer pilot project.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Maria Svensson

Sori is one of three Commune Focal Persons for the cash transfer pilot project in Meanchey Commune. She tells us that the pilot project has been beneficial for the community. Now, more parents have knowledge about and ensure that their children get vaccinations, as Yam Sok has done. They also take their children to the health centre to monitor their growth and development. Through the cash transfer and educational sessions, pregnant women are encouraged to visit health facilities for delivery, antenatal and post-natal check-ups.

Yam Sok also mentions another impact that the extra income has had on her family’s life: as she herself has not had a chance to go to school as a child, she is thankful for being able to cover the costs associated with her children going to school, such as small snacks, uniforms and school material.

“If there was no cash transfer, some of the children in my family wouldn’t have the opportunity to go to school.”

By Chansereypich Seng

A smiley child after getting vaccinated against measles and rubella.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Chansereypich Seng

Steung Treng, Cambodia, November 2017: Located about 30 kilometres from Steung Treng city, Sre Russey village is home to many farmers and villagers. Down the dirt path, about two kilometres, an immunization campaign poster appears before one’s eyes.

In the shade, underneath large trees, a local house serves as a village meeting point for vaccinations. It has been a busy morning since 7:15 AM. As soon as the health centre staff arrived, they started setting up the table and preparing the necessary documents and vaccines. There is no need to announce through microphones because villagers are already present at the site.

The outreach team consisted of two vaccinators, a registration clerk and a village health volunteer. There was also oversight from the acting health centre chief and village deputy chief throughout the whole morning.

Seeing children with tears strolling down their face was a common scene. Indeed, the needles frightened the kids, but health centre staff and volunteers managed to immunize 52 children in the first three hours. This exceeded the target number set for Sre Russey village.

Families gathered at the measles-rubella vaccination campaign site.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Chansereypich Seng

This initiative was part of the national measles-rubella vaccination campaign, launched by the Ministry of Health in Cambodia in response to the surveillance data from 2016, which indicated that measles was occurring in some parts of the country, mostly amongst children under the age of 5 years old.

Two phases were planned and implemented between March and May 2017 to cover the country’s 25 provinces and immunize over 1.6 million children from 6 to 59 months old.

What are measles and rubella?

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, which affects mostly children (WHO). High fever and skin rash are common signs. While most affected people recover within two to three weeks, measles can cause serious complications including for malnourished children and those with reduced immunity. The good news is that measles can be prevented by immunization. When children are not fully immunized, the virus becomes a serious threat to children and communities.

Rubella, on the other hand, “is an acute, contagious viral infection. While the illness is generally mild in children, it has serious consequences in pregnant women, causing fatal death or congenital defects known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS)”, according to the WHO. While rubella was not the immediate issue, vaccines come in pairs, and it is best to prevent these acute diseases as much as possible.

Visonra You, an experienced nurse at Thala Bariwat Health Centre and a vaccinator, described the procedures and challenges:

“We spread the information by carrying loud speakers on our motorbike 7 days prior to the campaign. In addition to general announcement, we gave invitation letters to families that have target children. The village chief also shared the information with villagers,” he said. “However, some parents did not give their consents on purpose. Other parents left home to go the farm in remote areas and brought their children with them, so we could not find where they were and vaccinate them,” he continued.

Nevertheless, he shared the joy and importance of the measles- rubella campaign. “Their (children’s) well-being is what is important. For us not to lose potential human capital in the future, we have to advocate [the importance of vaccination] to families, even in hard-to-reach villages,” Visonra said.

A health centre staff prepares the measles-rubella vaccine during the campaign.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Chansereypich Seng

Samrith Iem, a village health volunteer since 2004, also played an important role before and during the MR campaign. Her main tasks were to share invitation letters and explain to families the potential harm of a measles outbreak, as well as that the most effective way to prevent this disease is to vaccinate their children.

On the day of the campaign, she assisted in setting up the vaccination site, and dipping children’s index finger into a purple ink, a mark to indicate that they have been vaccinated. “I love my work”, she said, “I’ve been working as a health volunteer because I want to spread the word to help prevent mothers and babies from dying.”

“Community members need to understand how harmful the measles virus is, and we need to further advocate because many families are still not exposed to important information related to health,” Samrith continued.

The outreach vaccination team which carried out the campaign in
Sre Russey village, Steung Treng province.
From left to right: a health volunteer, vaccinators,
acting health centre chief, village deputy chief, and health centre staff.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Chansereypich Seng

Afternoon follow-up

After a morning vaccination session, Dr. Navy Kieng was on the move. She is a health officer at UNICEF Kratie Zone Office, and has been with the organization for 17 years. This afternoon, her mission was to have a final check and assure that every child in Sre Russey village has received their MR vaccination.

She walked to each house, talked to families, and asked to see if the target children had purple marks on their index fingers. A cooling box filled with MR vaccines was always ready for any child who had not received their shot in the morning.

This afternoon procedure is called “Rapid Coverage Assessment” or RCA. RCA happens on the day, or day after health staff declares that they are done with the vaccinations. During this important session, even if one child does not receive measles-rubella vaccination, the village fails the assessment.

A peacefully sleeping child is getting immunized later in the afternoon, because he did not receive the measles-rubella shot in the morning.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Chansereypich Seng

Navy shared her thoughts on this campaign:

“Authorities, communes, and health centre staff showed their commitment from the start until the end of this campaign, despite constrained time and staff,” she said. “However, if health centre staff had more budget, and a variety of transportation, they could go to more remote areas. As a result, the campaign in overall could also become more effective.”

“In addition to budget and equipment during the campaign, authorities could further raise awareness during village sharing sessions and national days to villagers. We need more support to increase health knowledge amongst people,” Navy concluded.

According to the Ministry of Health’s report on this year’s measles-rubella vaccinations campaign, over 1.45 million target children were immunized, falling short of the national target to immunize 1.6 million children in the age range of 6 to 59 months.

However in Steung Treng, the number of vaccinated children exceeded the planned target (131%) as families who have moved to this province to engage in agriculture work and who have not yet officially registered with the local authorities also brought their children to be vaccinated. This accomplishment made Steung Treng the second most successful province in the campaign, after Ratanakiri where the number of children vaccinated also exceeded the planned number (141%). Most provinces in the north east reported above 100% immunization coverage during the campaign.

This campaign was implemented by the Government of Cambodia, with support from Gavi (the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), UNICEF, and WHO.

By Buthdy Sem

A child’s physical, intellectual and emotional development
is better nurtured in a family environment.
©UNICEF Cambodia/2015/ Giacomo Pirozzi

Siem Reap, Cambodia, November 2017 – In order to accelerate implementation of a regional strategy to improve child care in Siem Reap province, with the target of safely returning 30 per cent of children in residential care institutions back to their families by 2018, key personnel in the province have been recently trained with support from UNICEF.

The aim is to reunite 644 children in Siem Reap province with their families and back into communities by year-end 2018 as part of a provincial operational plan launched in August 2017 to rapidly advance child protection measures.

Technical and financial support was provided to the Department of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (DoSVY) so they can raise awareness among directors of residential care institutions (RCIs) and community-based centres about essential aspects of reintegration; the principle of the best interests of the child; and elimination of harm to the child during the reintegration process.

Delegates at the specialized training event held in September 2017 in Siem Reap were given guidance on good practices in reintegration support for children and the transition of residential care institutions to community-based services.

An important component of the training was the sharing of delegates’ experiences and lessons learned during the development and implementation of reintegration procedures.

Since January 2016, 144 children in Siem Reap province have been taken out of institutional care and reunited with their families and relatives or placed in other family or community-based care through appropriate case management by DoSVY social workers and staff from the NGO Kaliyan Mith (‘good friends’ in Khmer), a UNICEF partner, member of the Partnership Programme for the Protection of Children (3PC), that offers social reintegration support, including family reintegration, school reintegration and transitional shelter for vulnerable children.

The training session was opened by DoSVY director Mr. Or Mao, followed by a presentation on the principles of the best interests of the child and harm elimination during the reintegration process.

Participants then held group discussions and shared experiences on reintegration support.

Sixty-nine people from RCIs, community-based centres, Commune Committees for Women and Children (CCWC) and Women and Children’s Consultative Committees (WCCC) took part.

Participants were particularly interested to learn more about practical implementation of the best interests of the child and harm elimination, especially in relation to access to education and livelihood support as part of the reintegration process.

The training event was highly productive; nine RCI directors confirmed their intention to move children into community-based services and 30 others said they would reunify 30 per cent of children in their care back to their families. These directors submitted reports on the reintegration process to DoSVY officials at the conclusion of the meeting.

Participants attended the specialized training on
the reintegration of children in Residential Care Institutions
in Cambodia. ©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Buthdy Sem

Significant progress in child care and reintegration has been achieved in Siem Reap province. This is linked to the closure of six RCIs that were shut for varying reasons including not meeting the minimum standard of alternative care for children, reports of abuse and insufficient funds from donors. To date, a total of 107 children from the six RCIs that were closed have received case management and reintegration support services. Some of these children have been reunited with their biological parents or relatives. Others were referred for temporary placement to another residential facility that meets acceptable standards of care or placed in community-based care. These children will continue to receive follow-up visits from social workers for a period of three years in order to support their successful reintegration.

Three RCIs; Green Gecko, Cambodia House and the Life Project of Cambodia have made the successful transition to community-based care and social workers from both DoSVY and Kaliyan Mith have been conducting cases management and reintegration support for children from these RCIs.

In order to promote the efficient implementation of the provincial operational plan, DoSVY will invite representatives of RCIs and community-based centres who failed to attend the recent meeting to undergo training at a future event. DoSVY will also conduct training for RCI staff that support the reintegration of children, as well as for those that have decided to implement the transition procedure.

Decades of research indicate that living in residential care can harm children’s social, physical, intellectual and emotional development. Children placed in RCIs in their early childhood are at particular risk of being deprived of critical social and emotional development.

However, training initiatives such as this recent DoSVY-UNICEF collaboration are helping to raise awareness and build the capacity of key personnel so they can contribute more effectively to improved child protection strategies, especially reintegration.

By Sarah Cowley

©Chansereypich Seng/2017

The end of the 2017 Cambodia Voices of Youth blogging internship programme (VoY) is upon us. What a ride!

As the project lead/coordinator for VoY, I can honestly say that it’s been a fun, educational, engaging and inspiring programme to be a part of. I am grateful to have worked with our fantastic VoY youth bloggers and I am so impressed with their depth of thought, commitment and engagement throughout the VoY internship.

The UNICEF Voices of Youth initiative is a global project that aims to empower youth by providing international dialogue through youth blogging. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals - UNICEF puts youth engagement at the core of its activities. Through VoY, UNICEF is committed to giving young people a safe online space to learn and to share views and join in global discussions. The initiative also offers young people resources and digital knowledge with which they can take action for bringing progress in their communities. Other aspects covered by the internship include understanding the risks presented by digital tools in new contexts, and promoting safe and responsible use of digital tools through the concept of digital citizenship.

©Sarah Cowley/2017

This is the second year that UNICEF Cambodia is working together with VOY at UNICEF headquarters to host a local version of the internship, here in Phnom Penh. Ten amazing youth bloggers were selected, from a 150+ applicant pool, for the 10-week course which was developed and facilitated by blogging expert, Kounila Keo, and guided by the Global VoY curriculum format.

Kounila said, “What I liked most about the VoY programme was meeting interns who are passionate about blogging. To be honest, I didn't expect that much passion from them, and this programme gives them a chance to prove that they can write and connect with many other young people”.

About the class and content, Kounila stated, “We were strangers when the first class started. Throughout these 10 weeks, I have noticed that the students become more expressive in their writing and interaction with each other. The programme has helped open up some students, and some of the content that's been written is not easy to write at all, from my perspective… I noticed that they became bold in expressing their very personal stories, and some content was really emotional.”

©Youra Soeum/2017

The intern’s blogs have covered the sensitive topics of body image, sexuality and self-worth for teenagers. Students have discussed issues related to generation gap and how globalization and a rapidly changing Cambodia is creating both problems and solutions. I have been moved by the sincerity and honesty in blogs about disability and staying true to yourself, and read passionate accounts of the importance of preserving traditional Cambodian culture. I have been reminded about the importance of volunteering to serve the greater good and read moving open letters.

The words of these courageous students resonate not only with me, but with so many others around the world. How many of us have had to deal with the struggle of finding out who we ‘really are’? Or had to come up with innovative ideas for what we can do to reduce our impact on earth? What about the struggle of trying to bridge the divide with your grandparents, who grew up in a world so very different to ours?

There is something for everyone in the 80+ blogs that the 2017 class has produced over the last three months.

Our group had some online learning modules this year. Here we are with teacher Kounila Skyping in from the USA. ©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Chansereypich Seng

I also wanted to know about the interns experiences, so I asked them a few questions in our last class. These are some of the responses:

“The best thing about this internship is that it allows me to express my opinions and write about what I strongly believe in.. I was able to write about some controversial topics and this internship provided me a great platform for my blogs to be seen”– Sopearith, 2017 VoY intern.

"VoY internship was a positive experience for me as I get to voice my thoughts in the blogs. I am also considering starting my own blog after this amazing 10 week internship”– Keomuda, 2017 VoY intern.

“The best thing about the VoY internship is that it is a pressure-free environment where youths can freely express their opinions in writing, and we can receive a lot of useful feedback to improve our writing”– Sotharath, 2017 VoY intern.

The inclusivity of the internship programme is also notable. We have students who speak and write both in Khmer and English, both genders, a mix of ages and school levels and one student is visually impaired. The programme has been tailored to suit the needs of all 10 participants and ensure that every student excels, with no one left behind. I witnessed how students support each other, are kind to one another and help each other with their work.

In terms of the training itself, Kounila said, “I believe that such training from the internship is really valuable to young Cambodian bloggers that would like some practical advice and hear some practical experience regarding blogging, digital security, the legality around online expression. And, only by taking part in these sessions, they will become more confident in blogging and expressing themselves”.

©Sarah Cowley/2017

The VoY programme has opened my eyes to the world of the youth today, and has offered learning experiences for us who have implemented the project too. I hope that from these blogs, teenagers and adults alike can gain insight into the perspectives of the youth of today, that readers feel a sense of pride and accomplishment for the interns on their journey, and that they value the meaningful pieces that the bloggers have created on topics that are so crucial in the world today.

As for our interns, I hope that at the end of the day, the students feel a sense of empowerment, and are proud of what they’ve produced and how far they have come.

We sure are.

Check out the VoY blogs: https://medium.com/@voicesofyouthcambodia
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for regular updates.
Finally, keep your eyes out for future opening in the VoY programme.

By Luka D’Amato

The new school year has begun. It might be intimidating for some students, but also exciting. School is an important part of our lives and futures. It makes us work hard, but it also opens our eyes the world around us, expanding our potential and opening us to new opportunities and perspectives.

©UNICEF Cambodia/2015/Anna Nordenrot

"When I grow up I want to become a doctor and help other people who are sick. With school now available for me, I believe my dream will come true. If I try to study hard and make it all the way to university, I will be able to transform my life. It will be a struggle but I will do everything I have to do; with the support I get from my teachers and family, it will be possible,” 13-year-old Long Sreynet says. Sreynet is from Kratie. Bunong is her first language, and difficulty with Khmer prevented her from going to school. After a multilanguage education programme began at her local school, she was able to begin learning to read and write in both Khmer and her native language. With this opportunity, she now goes to school and is pursuing her dreams.

We grow up being told how important school is, but sometimes it is difficult to remember why it is important to us. This is especially true when the year starts and students have to juggle school work with other pressures, such as having to help out the family to earn an income, helping with house chores and taking care of younger siblings.

As we celebrate the start of the 2017-2018 academic year, let’s remember how much school has to offer. It offers us so many opportunities, like knowledge, life-lessons, career options, friends, and so much more. Everyone has their own reasons and motivations for sticking through it, and everyone’s are different.

©UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Chansereypich Seng

“I am catching up with lessons, and my friends are kind and helpful,” says Sovann*. “I got 10th place out of 70 in my class. I want to study harder,” said Savann. “I want to be a doctor,” she states. “Then I can protect my family as well as Cambodian people,” she says, thinking about her future. Sovann is 15 years-old, she is an outstanding, hardworking student. Due to serious financial issues, Sovann was forced to spend her days scavenging to help feed her family. Now, with government, NGO and UNICEF support, Sovann has been able to go back to school, and is excelling. Her drive to learn is strong, and she further motivates herself by her desire to improve the lives of all Cambodians.

*Name changed to protect identity

So, what are your reasons for waking up early to make it to school and working hard to succeed?

©UNICEF Cambodia/2014/Sok Thol

“My parents want me to be more educated than them so they don’t want me to drop out. But some of my friends’ parents asked them to drop out of schools because they don’t believe in education and say: if you study, there’s nothing to eat so please go and work in the farm. In contrast, my parents have told me that I have to study hard so I can get a decent job when I grow up. Then, I will have enough money to help my parents,” said Ly Vanarasmey (15). Not everyone can afford to go to school, despite the fact that education is provided for free in Cambodia, and many must work with their parents to provide food for their family. Vanarasmey is fortunate enough to have the support from her parents, who know that education is the door to a better future. With proper awareness, more parents can understand the importance of education.

Education makes our possibilities as individuals and as a society endless. It makes us more resilient, and helps us realize our dreams. When we have something that means the world to us, nothing can stop us. School gives us a place where we can begin learning about our opportunities, and begin working towards those. It allows us to make friends who can help and inspire us to reach our goals.

©UNICEF Cambodia/2012/Reid

"When I first started school I was excited but a little worried, but nobody behaved differently towards me. They actually helped me in the classroom. If I had any problems with my reading, my classmate would help me,” recalls Srey Ma (left). “My teacher is very helpful, he teaches me nicely and he uses gentle words,” she continues. Srey Ma be treated at school because of having a disability, but with an inclusive education initiative implemented by the Ministry of Education, she has been able to get the attention and care she needs to get the education she deserves.

Education is a beautiful opportunity and a right enshrined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child that sadly not all children in Cambodia get to enjoy. On this special occasion, let’s remember the importance of education, and celebrate our dreams!

By Luka D'Amato

The cover image is a diagram used to determine

light requirements for different classroom setups.

The schematic was part of the construction manual

created by the then Ministry of National Education,

with technical support from UNESCO Bangkok and UNICEF,

and was used in constructing new classrooms.

© UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Luka D'Amato

Today is Throwback Thursday, which means it is time to look into our archives for something special. UNICEF has a long history in Cambodia, and we want to share with you some of the things we have accomplished in the past. After digging through our records, we found UNICEF’s first annual report in Cambodia, published in 1974, as well as some photographs from throughout the years. Take a minute to read about what the UNICEF office did in its first year in Cambodia!

In November of 1973, UNICEF opened its first country office in Cambodia. Roughly one year later, the office wrote its first annual report. In this, now historical document, UNICEF analyzes the situation of children in the country, determining how to dedicate their resources in a time when battling factions had left many without homes or sustenance. The authors note the Khmer people’s pride in and dedication to education, despite the ongoing conflict ravaging the country.

“The Khmer Republic has traditionally given a high priority to the development of this educational system. . . the Ministry of Education is given a high priority and is second only to the Ministry of National Defense in terms of personnel employed and third (after the Ministry of Finance) in terms of national budget allocation.”

A girl writes with chalk on the wooden wall of a classroom

built with UNICEF assistance, in a camp for internally displaced persons

in the western town on Sisophon. ©UNICEF/5891–1992/Roger Lemoyne

In the first year following the establishment of its in-country office, UNICEF responded to the educational needs of children by building or rebuilding 148 classrooms, publishing 350,000 volumes of primary school text books and 800,000 exercise books, also providing pens, pencils and erasers, as well as administrative and logistical support, and aiding in community education. UNICEF focused its efforts primarily on the rural areas that had been hit hardest by the influx of displaced children needing education.

“There is a real hunger for education at all levels in Khmer society, and even during this difficult period, the Government and people at the community level are willing to sacrifice their time and energy for the construction of schools. Most schools are operating on either two or three shifts per day, and there is a shortage of teaching aids and pedagogical materials. Thus the quality of education has been lowered, even for the limited number of children who are fortunate enough to have a chance to attend school.”

Schoolchildren learn about the dangers of landmines
during an awareness session supported by UNICEF.
©UNICEF Cambodia/1995/Ann Bishop

Cambodia has come a long way in the 44 years since the report was published, and its dedication to education remains strong. Every child has the right to an education, this was true in 1973, and remains true today. Cambodia has made significant gains in education, with more children than ever before enrolled in primary school, but unfortunately many children still do not get to complete their schooling.

Today, UNICEF continues to support education in Cambodia, although in different ways than we did 40 years ago. Our present focus is to strengthen the education system and to ensure quality and inclusive education for all children in Cambodia, especially the most vulnerable children, including children with disabilities and children from indigenous communities. As in the past, UNICEF works closely with government bodies, like the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport, as well as NGOs and development partners to accomplish this goal.

You can visit the UNICEF Cambodia website to learn more about how we support education in Cambodia and our blog page for more stories about the efforts of teachers and community members to help build brighter futures for children in their society.

School under construction. © UNICEF Cambodia/Photographer unknown

By Navy Kieng

Eleven year-old *Chivit goes to a local stream to collect water.

December 2017: *Samnang Chivit is an eleven-year-old girl living with HIV.

She resides with her mother and her siblings. Her father is alive but has left the family and they do not know where he is.

Times are hard. The family do not own their own land or house and they are constantly on the move in order to find work to survive.

Chivit’s mother is the main wage earner as an agricultural worker harvesting cassava or rice, depending on the season.

She does not have a fixed income because of the seasonal nature of this employment. Since she is reliant on transitional work and the need to move frequently from place to place, the children’s ability to attend school is virtually non-existent.

Hence, they have dropped out of the classroom and lost their right to an education. They still hope to return to school to continue their learning and get the opportunity to better their lives.

Chivit’s mother described how she found out she was living with HIV. “One day when my second daughter reached one year of age, I got an abdomen pain and went to the health centre for treatment.

“The health centre midwife had doubts for my disease because they gave me treatment many times. Still, my condition did not improve, so I was asked to do a HIV test.

“Eventually, the result was found to be positive. I was then asked to bring my husband and children to do a test too. Unfortunately, my husband and second daughter were also found to be HIV positive.”

With this diagnosis, medical staff administered standard antiretroviral therapy (ART) with a combination of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to maximally suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of the disease.

Despite her own health issue and young age, Chivit has taken on an important support role for her family. She said: “Every day when my mother and my older sister go to work I stay at home and carry water from a well or stream to fill a jar.

“I help cook for the family. Sometimes, I help my mother to wash clothes and look after my younger brother. Every day we drink boiled water because it is good for health. We gained this habit from local health staff who educated us about this practice.”

In many residential areas, such as the community Chivit currently lives in, there is no discrimination or prejudice against people living with HIV.

They enjoy admirable support from villagers with donations of food, especially in difficult times when people face more severe health challenges.

Once a month, Chivit and her mother travel to the provincial hospital for consultation and ARV medication.

Chivit’s mother said: “The doctor has scheduled me and my daughter to go to hospital for treatment on the same day, but in two different places. As an adult, I attend an adult clinic but my daughter gets treatment at a paediatric unit.”

Besides the delivery of ARV, both mother and daughter are recipients of vitally important support care through the ‘mmm’ (short for Mondol Mith Chuoy Mith in Khmer, meaning ‘friends help friends’) scheme whereby patients receive essential health knowledge and counselling from medical staff.

This gives them the valuable opportunity to share their feelings of living with HIV and experiences of health services with fellow patients and clinic staff. This is a significant intervention that complements their medical provision.

The hospital visits have also been made more user-friendly for young patients such as Chivit through a UNICEF-supported scheme that provides reading books and toys for children to use in the waiting room while they wait their consultation.

In addition, UNICEF helps with transportation costs so they can attend treatment sessions. The family expressed their appreciation for this support which makes it possible for them to maintain their health and the ability to earn a living.

Chivit’s mother said: “Without this support, our lives would be in jeopardy. Before we got antiretroviral treatment, my daughter and I were frequently sick. We did not have time to get a job and our lives were very difficult.

“The support we receive to cover our travel cost has helped us get regular treatment. Also, we are able to participate in the ‘mmm’ meeting so we are better informed about how to care for our health.

“With this useful information, we are able to share experiences among families of other children living with HIV.”

*Not her real name to protect her identity and that of others in the story.

By Luka D'Amato

Phnom Penh, Cambodia, December 2017 – Growing up, Heng Samnang loved crime movies. They inspired her to study psychology and then to become a social worker. For Samnang, her work ‘solving crime’ means helping disadvantaged children thrive and keeping them safe from harm.

“In a crime movie, people don’t know the killer. We don’t want the killer to kill more people, so you must observe everything. You have to talk to the witnesses and find fingerprints,” Samnang says.

In her work, she is a detective as well as a social worker—she must see everything, ask the right questions, make sure that the children are safe from violence, and will also have opportunities in their futures.

“I look to see if [the parents] are taking care of their kid. I see if they are eating three times a day, going to school, and if they have time to study when they are home. I make sure there is no violence. I see the neighbours to make sure there is no discrimination—that they don’t blame the kid or family,” explaining a part of her process in identifying and solving problems that children face. Institutionalized children are often stigmatized by community members, which is why Samnang works to ensure that their neighbours do not look down on them for their pasts.

One of Samnang’s primary goals is to reunite children living in residential care institutions with their families, and find foster homes for those without family that can take care of them. Reintegrating a child requires a lot of work because she must talk with the children, parents, community members, local authorities, residential care institutions (RCI), and NGOs to ensure the best future for children.

“After I see that a kid’s family is okay, I can help the child go home. That is my favourite part,” Samnang said.

However, this process takes a lot of work. Even when the child returns home, her work is not finished. Samnang must regularly follow up with the family for at least two years to make certain the children are doing well, integrated back into their family and community, working towards a positive future, and not subject to abuse.

Samnang visits one family which she helped reunite, she is checking up on them to ensure that their reintegration is going well. The family consists of two girls and their mother—their father is absent. They are very poor, which is why the mother sent her kids to live in an RCI. Many poor families have resorted to sending their children to RCIs because they saw long-term residential care as an opportunity for their child, thinking they will have a better life and access to education. However, long-term institutionalization can negatively affect a child’s development, which is why Samnang works so hard to bring families back together.
Samnang sits on the floor with the two girls and their mother. They laugh together as Samnang tries to make sure they are comfortable. The girls seem happy and confident, touching Samnang affectionately. Samnang returns their affection with warmth, showing the strong bond and trust that they have developed.

Their one-room apartment is small, with just enough space for them to lie down in. There are no windows, no bathroom, and some necessities. A shelf, some cooking utensils, a portable burner, sheets, and some school supplies sit in the corners, making room to sit on the floor. Despite being small, the apartment is clean. The girls’ art and schoolwork decorates the walls—adding life, hope, and a sense of pride to their home.

The family decorates the wall of their one-room
apartment with pictures and drawings.
© UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Luka D'Amato

The mother is a factory worker, earning a small monthly salary. “It is not enough, but they can live on it. The girls’ school supports them by paying for their uniforms, study materials, and for English classes,” Samnang says. “They live in a small room, but they live happily. . . They’re happy because they live with their mother,” she adds.

After they are all comfortable with each other, Samnang begins to address why she is there with them. She is making sure that the girls are safe, happy, well-fed, healthy, going to school, and preparing themselves for the future.

Samnang spends most of her time watching them, “I observe a lot. If we don’t observe, we cannot find the problems,” Samnang says—showing her detective side once again. She asks the girls and their mother questions, letting them talk freely amongst each other. Even then, she observes how the girls express themselves and how the family interacts—looking for ques, trying to understand how they are doing.

“When I see the kids, I can understand them. Sometimes the kids want to keep information to themselves, so I spend a lot of time with them, talking to them about their life,” Samnang says.

The tone becomes more serious as she asks them questions about their lives. They respond solemnly at times, and although the atmosphere is heavy, it remains positive. It is clear they still face adversity, but they continue to smile and laugh together, showing their strength.

The family, especially the girls, trust Samnang. Despite the weight of the visit, they are happy to have her there. Life is not easy for the family, but they are getting support. Both the girls stay fed, are healthy, attend school regularly, and appear happy. Samnang seems pleased with their progress.

Once Samnang has gathered all her information, making sure she understands what they have and what they need, she begins to make a case plan by talking to them about their future and what they want to do. The girls are still young, and they want to stay in school, making Samnang smile. As they say goodbye, the girls hand Samnang a portrait of her that they had drawn themselves. Samnang blushes. Her influence on these girls’ lives is inspiring, and it is clear how strongly she cares for them. They hug and say goodbye.

Long-term institutionalization of children can be damaging, and because of the prevalent belief in the benefits of RCIs, four out every five children living in residential care have at least one living parent that, with the proper support, could take care of them. Living in institutions not only negatively impacts children’s long-term development, but can also expose them to various forms of abuse and exploitation.

“Sometimes the centres are bad. They keep the children for business. They pocket the money they collect and never help the child develop,” she says. Children study the same amount when they live at home as they do in centres, according to Samnang—dispelling the myth that long-term institutional care is beneficial.

“When the kid lives at home, they live with freedom. They can go to school and play with their friends, they get warmth from their mother and family members. When they live with their family, they don’t need to be scared,” Samnang says.

Social workers’ main role is to interact with and assess families and children to identify risks, help families find solutions to their problems, refer to them to social services, and ultimately to improve children’s lives. The immense responsibility and impact that social workers have on children make them an important investment for Cambodia’s future. However, there is a severe shortage of social workers in Cambodia, and Samnang works fifty cases at a time in ten different provinces. With challenging caseloads spanning wide areas, social workers face many obstacles in their work. But, for Samnang, this does not stop her.

“I like my job. I like kids and I want to see them grow up well. I like seeing children happy with their families,” she says. “We need to find solutions and take care of [children]. We need to cooperate with residential care centres to return kids to their families,” she says, identifying how they need to continue their fight to protect children.

After two years of being a social worker, Samnang’s drive to help is still strong. Her work is difficult, but she continues to fight for children, taking joy in seeing them living happily. She does not want to keep seeing crimes against children, so she must continue her work helping children.

Samnang discusses with the family, the tone is serious,
but they maintain a positive attitude.
© UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Luka D'Amato

By Luka D’Amato

Reminding students to keep hope, "Hope School" is painted in colors
on the side of one classroom.
© UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Luka D'Amato

Break Bonggong, Kandal Province, December 2017 – It is a normal day in Kandal Province. Yet, excitement emanates from Hope School’s campus. The community based care centre is modest, but the heart and care poured into it brings it to life.

The walls of the main building and classrooms are decorated with the kids’ art and painted on with inspirational words. Looking around the grounds, recycled water bottles, painted to resemble flowers, hang along the fences and in the trees.

Ms. Un Samphors, local director of Mom’s Against Poverty, the NGO running the community centre, talks passionately about an environmental workshop, one of the sustainable programmes they are initiating. The environmental workshop is just one example of how Hope School is utilizing their resources and energy to add beauty to the lives of children, while teaching them valuable lessons and preparing them for their adult lives.


	Water bottles are cut and painted to resemble flowers, adding beauty while teaching a lesson in sustainability and crafts. © UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Luka D'Amato

Despite their dedication to providing a welcoming, safe environment, Hope School is much more than an education outreach programme. Designed for disadvantaged children, it has transformed into a community centre with the aim of reuniting families and providing children of all ages with the support they need to better their lives and become productive members of society.

The organization helps kids go to school by providing school supplies, uniforms, and lunch and dinner. They also help the children obtain a more comprehensive education by paying fees for additional classes not covered by the public school, like English courses. They help students who have been left behind catch up with their coursework and offer vocational classes—teaching students everything from computer skills and English, to sewing and music.

One Participant of a vocational training program practices traditional sewing,
learning a trade that se can utilizing in her future.
© UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Luka D'Amato

“We want to give the kids new skills, both the boys and girls. When they go back to society, they will be the main people that can help others and their families,” said Samphors, “It is more than just [preparing them for] jobs – it is expressing their emotions, a release.”

Before Hope School’s creation, the organization operated as a residential care institution (RCI), providing long-term care, including housing children and adolescents. However, most of the children living under their roof had families they could live with. After learning more about the damaging effects that institutionalization has on kids, Samphors decided to transition to a community-based service model.

“I went to other places that had transitioned. I thought to myself ‘great, why don’t I do this?’ After getting more information, and knowing we would have help with making the change, we began to do it,” Samphors said.

Yet, this was only the beginning of their journey. Facing many obstacles, they struggled to transition. Their first roadblock was their donors; they would never be able to operate if they could not ensure that they would stay funded.

“Eventually, after talking to our donors, they trusted us to make the change. . . Now, we have more money and more activities for the kids,” Samphors said.

Another major difficulty was reuniting the children with their families. Many disadvantaged Cambodians believe that their children will have greater access to education and an increased quality of life if living in an RCI. However, many do not understand the negative effects that institutionalization can have on children.

“We had difficulty convincing the parents or relatives of the kids to make the change. Often, they did not understand, or did not care,” said Un.

To overcome this challenge, Hope School turned to other organizations supporting the national effort to reduce RCIs and reunite families. With technical support from UNICEF, the government, and other NGOs working within the Partnership Program for the Protection of Children (3PC), they informed families on the importance of their children living with them.
Yet, convincing parents was not their only barrier. “Some kids were reluctant to go home because of issues they had at home. This meant I had to bring people together to discuss these issues with them,” said Sat Sithy, Chief of the Child Welfare Bureau from the Provincial Department of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (DoSVY), in Kandal province.

With the provincial government and UNICEF’s support, they gained the tools and knowledge to transition to a more beneficial, productive and sustainable model. In their new approach to alternative care, they would reconnect children with their families—or find them foster parents, stop housing children, and then refocus their resources to provide more aid and opportunities to the children through expanding areas like vocational training. “It took two years to change. It was not easy,” said Un. Despite the difficulty, “Parents feel better and better. At the beginning it was stressful, but we found ideas to make it better. We follow up every week and visit the houses. It is busy, but it is getting easier. We think more and more, and it is getting better,” she continued.

One of the families who was reunited with help from Hope School.
The family continues to receive support through regular checkups,
financial aid and access to other services provided by Hope School.
© UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Luka D'Amato

Adapting ultimately proved to be the right decision. Rather than loosing funding, Hope School has more funding and resources, improving their ability to help the children in their care. After reuniting families and no longer providing residential care, Hope School also has more space to think about how to help the children. With their new creative energy and greater resources, Hope School provides more services, extending their ability to prepare children for success. Samphors is particularly proud of a new aquaponics program that they are preparing to teach, which will expand opportunities for students.

While initially taking a lot of energy and resources, Hope School and the children it helps care for are better off. Both the government and Hope School have gained valuable knowledge in reintegrating families and implementing a more fruitful approach to care.
“Because of our technical experience, we can overcome these challenges, like engaging support from communities. . . Now, we are ready to address these issues,” Sat said. Sat is proud of the experience they gained and expressed his desire to help other organizations make the change as well.

Phouk Sary, a government social worker supported by UNICEF, is assigned to children at Hope School, in his visits, he has observed that many of the initial problems facing Hope School’s transition had been solved.

“The kids seem happier now that they can go home. No one is reluctant to go back to their families,” said Sary. “They maintained the quality of services and education after the transition,” he added.

Hope School has reunited families through a variety of techniques, including providing financial support and helping parents find jobs. “I feel more comfortable living with my mother. I feel like I can have the warm care that I need,” said one child at Hope School.

Samphors tells the story of a group of boys who grew up living in the slums, picking through trash to survive. She talks about their anger, frustration, and difficulties in attending school. Thanks to aid from Hope School, the young men learned to play music at an art school. They formed a metal band, and with help from a teacher at Hope School, have been learning how to promote their music through social media. Now, they make music videos and play several gigs every week. The band practices in Hope School’s improvised recording studio, where students can play instruments.

Members of Doch Chkae and a teacher at Hope School stand together.
The band who has worked hard to better their lives,
finding opportunities at Hope School.
© UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Luka D'Amato

The boys look like members of a heavy metal band, but the image Samphors gave of their anger seems to have faded. They are smiling—excited to show off their music. Hope School provides more than a place to eat, do homework, and receive vocational training, they offer positive channels for emotional expression and development.

What is most striking about Hope School’s story is their success in not just providing community support, but being a community. Since transitioning from an RCI to a community-based service facility, Hope School has gained the resources, expertise, and space to care for both the collective and individual needs of the children and their families. What the children need is family care alongside support mechanisms; like education, vocational training and hope for a brighter future—all things Hope School can now provide.

Bottles add structure to the building and showcase a sustainable initiative.
This area left uncovered by concrete adds light
and fresh air to the classroom, while keeping it cool. © UNICEF Cambodia/2017/Luka D'Amato

By Rachel McCarthy and Sovannarem Ngoy

Norng Y Thong is one of more than 1,000 students benefitting from

MoEYS-UNICEF scholarships to ensure she finishes high school;

Ratanakiri, Cambodia, January 2018: Norng Y Thong is a 12th grader from a village in Ratanakiri Province, a rural mountainous region along the border with Vietnam and Laos. From the capital, Phnom Penh, it takes eight hours along highways, bumpy dirt roads and endless stretches of rubber trees to reach Norng’s upper secondary school, where 700 students attend.

Teenagers wearing the national school uniform -- white shirts and navy-blue trousers or skirts -- pour through the school gates to begin their day. With books in hand, they giggle and chat noisily as they make their way to class.

Like some of her classmates, 19-year-old Norng is a member of an indigenous community. She is Tampuen, a hill tribe with its own language and culture. High levels of poverty in Cambodia’s northeastern provinces prevent many girls like Norng from attending school, where early employment or early marriage is often prioritized over time spent in classrooms.

But Norng has set her eyes on a different future. She dreams of becoming a teacher after graduating. Financial scholarship support from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport MoEYS) and UNICEF, enabled by generous contributions from Starwood Hotels and Resorts through UNICEF Australia, is helping her realize this goal. This academic year, Norng received two payments of US$150 to cover her basic educational needs and lessen the burden of school on her family.

“I want to become a teacher so that I can teach here, in my community. Our community lacks teachers,” Norng explains. “As a Tampuen, I know this community. I know it better than the teachers sent in from outside. We need local teachers for local communities.”

Scholarship support for students from indigenous communities, like Norng, is helping ensure more local teachers for local schools; as more minority students complete secondary school in Ratanakiri, more are eligible to enter provincial teacher training colleges and become teachers.

In the meantime, sending in teachers is necessary in Ratanakiri, where few children complete secondary school, let alone pursue higher education. According to government data, in the 2016/17 school year, 10,353 students enrolled in Grade 1, but only 944 students completed Grade 9. This dropped even further by the end of high school, with just 401 students graduating last year.

Roughly 22 indigenous groups reside in the northeast of Cambodia. Among them, school completion rates are significantly less than in other parts of the country. Many children encounter significant language and cultural barriers to receiving an education, while also facing serious financial struggles. To address these challenges and enable more adolescents to graduate, UNICEF and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport have thus far provided school scholarships to 1,095 grade 11 and 12 students from indigenous backgrounds.

This investment in children’s futures is yielding results. In Ratanakiri Province, for example, 97 per cent of Starwood scholarship recipients – those in the poorest economic quintiles – have continued their education and are on track to complete high school. By comparison, the national upper secondary dropout rate was 19.4 per cent in 2016/17.

For Norng, scholarship support enables her to continue learning. “It has helped me pay for school materials, like books and clothing. I use the money for food, like rice and canned fish, and transportation. It’s allowed me to focus on learning without the worries of the past.”

“When I think back through my years at school, I think of hardship,” she says. “When I was in Grade 10, my family had no money. I would walk through the forest to find vegetables I could sell. Then I’d walk a long way to the provincial town to sell them. It was all I could do to get by.”

Even with scholarship support, Norng’s daily routine is demanding. “I wake every day at 4 a.m. to prepare food for my relatives. I borrow a motorbike to get to school by 7 a.m. I study in the evenings, and on weekends, I work in the rice fields.”

Norng’s school principal, teachers and community members form the Scholarship Support Committee, which ensures scholarship funds reach students identified as most in need.

“In our school, 58 students from ethnic minority communities received scholarship support in 2017. For them, the money is crucial. But it’s not just about money; it’s also about recognition. When you feel acknowledged for your struggles and supported by your community, you have a reason to come to school,” says the principal.

“We see reductions in absenteeism with the scholarships because we think these students are happier to come to school,” he observes.

When asked what Norng would say to other girls facing similar struggles, she offers these heart-felt thoughts: “Even if you have no money, even if you have empty pockets like me, don’t give up. Go to school. Don’t listen to others who tell you that you are not much, that you’re just a girl.

“I believe we are all capable of so much, if we work hard. Just stay in school and keep learning.”

Norng Y Thong in front of her family’s wooden home.

Her village is home to 300 Tampuen families;

By Buthdy Sem

A young boy doing his school work in a group home

Poipet, Cambodia, January 2018 – Having a home to come back to after school has changed the lives of young victims of trafficking. To provide better and safer care for child victims of human trafficking and labour exploitation, NGO Damnok Toek began transitioning its long-running residential care institution into a community-based care home in January 2017, and the benefits are already obvious.

Arriving home from school, Dara and Chamrong*, two boys who had made this transition, greeted us politely with “Chom reap sou?” (How do you do?). Dara, 16, said he was very happy living in a group home. “I can focus on my study and learn better as there is no disturbance from other friends,” he said. “The result is that my study has improved. I was ranked second among 40 students in grade 8.”

Damnok Toek (‘drop of water’ in Khmer) was given technical and financial support from UNICEF and the Partnership Programme for the Protection of Children (known as 3PC), and was influenced by other institutions that had transformed into the community-based model. Damnok Toek learned about community-based care from the NGO, Cambodian Children Trust, a member of 3PC which, besides working to protect vulnerable children in Cambodia, also works as a platform to share best practices with its partners.

As a result, and in coordination with a commune committee for women and children and a village chief to ensure the safety of the children, two group homes were formed. Up to four children live together in the group homes, with a social worker who looks after them. The social worker guides the children in their daily routine of getting ready for school, doing their homework and keeping the house tidy.

“I am happier living at this home than living at the institution, because I feel I have developed spiritually,” said 17-year-old Chamrong. “I am learning how to grow and communicate with other people,” he continued. “I am more exposed to the community here and have more people to communicate with. I am learning to live a normal life within the community,” he said. Chamrong said living in the home had taught him many life skills, including looking after younger members of the group and doing housework. Chamrong is in grade 10 and is ranked ninth out of 42 students.

Damnok Toek has placed six children in two group homes as part of a pilot initiative. Services include house rental, food, medical support, living facilities, education, social support and counselling by a social worker.

“They are happy here,” said Ms. Chhey Chan, a coordinator of the alternative care programme who is also a social worker. “They have integrated well in community life and can relate to their neighbourhood. They are behaving well and learning well. We are confident about implementing more group homes,” she added.

Ms. Chhey Chan visits the home every day to check on the children’s progress and wellbeing. She talks to the owner of the home and the neighbours. This helps her understand how the children are progressing. Neighbours of the group home said the children were friendly and studied hard.

A young girl studies in a group home

This is the first time Damnok Toek has placed children who have experienced trafficking and labour exploitation in neighbouring Thailand into group homes. After their repatriation by Thai authorities, the Poipet Transit Centre of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation referred the children to Damnok Toek for child protection services, including a safe house, case management and family reintegration.

“A total of 26 vulnerable children and youths, mainly victims of human trafficking and exploitation, have been living at a Damnok Toek-run residential care institution for two years–and some for more than 10 years,” said Mr. Sang Rithy, the Director of Damnok Toek Poipet. “They were not able to be reintegrated with their families or relatives because their whereabouts are unknown.”

“I am very pleased to see them living independently, becoming self-reliant, getting up by themselves, preparing and going to school by themselves and significantly improving their independent living habits and self-discipline,” he continued. “I hope they become good students, good friends and good children in their families and communities.”

The 3PC programme aims to promote family-based care, transforming institutional care into models such as independent living and group home arrangements. By the end of 2018, at least 26 vulnerable children who are victims of human trafficking and currently living in residential care at Damnok Toek will be reintegrated into independent living arrangements or group homes.

*The names of the children have been changed to protect their identities.

By Chansereypich Seng

Makara who has just woken up from his nap gives a big smile.

Kandal, Cambodia, January 2018 — Makara was peacefully asleep at home, but awoke to a conversation between his parents and staff from the NGO Veterans International Cambodia (VIC).

He greeted the staff with an adorable smile. The seven-year-old boy toddled happily toward the living space of the house with help from his parents.

Makara has been affected by Cerebral Palsy (CP) since birth. CP is a condition caused by damage to the brain during its development, challenging individuals to function in everyday life due to negative impact on muscle coordination and physical development. In Makara’s case, he could only crawl until last year, when he stood on his own for the first time at the age of six.

In addition, Makara has been having seizures since he was three months old, and was sent to a hospital in Phnom Penh after four months to get a diagnosis.

After identifying his condition, epilepsy, Mrs. Oum, Makara’s mother, had to go back and forth between the hospital and home to acquire Makara’s medicines. However, his medications did not do much to help him. Makara often had epileptic episodes, which weakened him and prevented him from actively participating in everyday life activities.

In 2012, Makara’s parents first heard about Kien Kleang Rehabilitation Centre, supported by VIC, which provides rehabilitation services to persons and children with disabilities, with an emphasis on poor families in Kandal province.

“I heard about the centre from many people, so I decided to take Makara there”, Mrs. Oum said.

Since then, Makara has received services and assistive devices from the rehabilitation centre such as treatments from a physical therapist as well as a round walker to help him move around more easily.

It is quite a long way from their home to the rehabilitation centre – around three hours each way.

The distance has not deterred Makara’s parents from taking their only son to the centre. But distance can be a major barrier to accessing important support services for children with disabilities from low income families and those who lack means of transportation, like Makara’s.

To address a need for quality services for children with disabilities, UNICEF supports partners such as VIC through the Disability Rights Initiative Cambodia, with funding from the Australian Government.

While lack of data on children with disabilities remains a challenge in Cambodia, it is estimated that anywhere between two to 10 per cent of children have a disability. Children with disabilities are often more vulnerable, experience discrimination, face lack of services and have less opportunities to develop to their full potential.

That’s why UNICEF is partnering with VIC to support home-based rehabilitation services since 2015. Home-based care allows service providers to reach families who cannot travel to locations where the services are available. It is also a way to empower parents to care for their children at home on a regular basis.

The VIC project specifically focuses on children with Cerebral Palsy and Spinal Cord Injuries, where physical therapists go to their homes every month to provide physical treatments and check if families need any specialized equipment.

Physical therapists explain to parents the importance of family support to children with disabilities, both physically and emotionally. As guided, Makara’s parents regularly massage his muscles, teach him how to talk, to sit, and most importantly, to never lose hope.

Makara smiled as he stood on his own, and soon toddled back to his father.

By the end of 2017, the VIC project has provided services to approximately 800 children with cerebral palsy or spinal cord injuries.

With support from VIC, care from family and his own perseverance, Makara’s condition has become much better compared to six years ago.

“He can eat and take a shower by himself sometimes. He walks step by step, often falls down, but he keeps getting up”, Mrs. Oum said.

“At dawn, he always walks around the village to stretch his muscles and I accompany him. He is really hopeful”, she continued.

Mr. Sear, Makara’s father, said with giggle, “If he can walk around freely and fully, I will host a party and invite the whole village.”

Makara is also passionate about learning. He is now a first grader at a faith-based school near home where he attends every morning with the help of his father.

In order to stay with Makara every day, his father quit his job as a construction worker. He now farms near their home. His mother is also a farmer, and sells vegetables at a market nearby.

Despite these challenges, with the progress Makara is making each day, the family never loses hope or fails to smile.

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