Better Futures for Cambodian Children and Youth

Hello from lockdown in Cambodia!

You may have heard that Cambodia is in a dire situation right now as Covid-19 cases continue to rise.  We were very lucky last year with so few cases, but that has all changed in the last while.  When we started 2021 there had only been 374 confirmed cases and 0 deaths.  As of May 02, there have now been 14,520 confirmed cases and 103 deaths.

Last week, Sihanoukville became the second city in Cambodia to designate a “red zone,” putting five zones under stringent lockdown measures for 14 days with immediate effect There was no notice so families could not prepare.  Only those individuals with government issued special permission cards are allowed to travel in and out of red zones.

A small group of M’Lop Tapang staff (all of whom tested negative for COVID-19) have now received government issued permission cards allowing them to travel and visit families in the community.  This team has managed to deliver emergency food supply packages to 178 vulnerable families with children in the last few days and will continue to reach even more families in the upcoming weeks.

Your donations are helping us to do this and we wanted to thank you for that. There are so many Cambodian families struggling right now and we are grateful for your support in making sure that these families and children are getting the emergency supplies they need right now during this crisis.

Take care. Stay safe.

Hello from Cambodia!

2021 is shaping up to be another challenging year and we just wanted to take a minute to thank you again for your generous donations and encouragement in supporting the work we are doing here at M’Lop Tapang.

Education and training program have been just recently closed again nationwide here following an increase number of COVID-19 cases.  Children and youth that would normally attending classes with us are at home with their families.  Even with classrooms empty our staff is keeping busy.

Families that we already struggling financially even before the pandemic have been finding it even harder to get by day to day.  Food security is most often the most urgent concern.   We have a designated number of staff who comprise our ‘Emergency Team’ that has been following up with the most vulnerable families and children in the local area, providing food and other supplies.  Since the pandemic began our teams have distributed nearly 40 tons of rice (along with other food and hygiene items). 

“When my children were going to school at M’Lop Tapang they ate lunch and breakfast there.  Now that they can’t go there we have to cook so much more at home.  It costs a lot of money and we don’t have very much. I was a construction worker before but now there is no work and I have no job.  I’m happy that the M’Lop Tapang team is helping by giving us rice to cook.” Father of five young children.

Thank you again for your support and for joining us to help those most in need right now.

Take care and stay safe.

Roth Chanphalkun (Kun)
Co-Director, M’Lop Tapang

Links:

• M'Lop Tapang's Emergency Support in the Community (March, 2021)