Tiny Toones engages, inspires and educates impoverished kids from the slums of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We provide a unique combination of creative arts and education, reaching children who have dropped out or never been to school, and are at risk of falling into gangs, drugs, crime or lifelong poverty. Over 100 children attend dance, music, English, Khmer, math, art and computing classes daily. We must raise $30,000 to pay the rent and teachers each year, especially crucial during COVID-19.
Thousands of Cambodians live in abject poverty. 20,000 children are estimated to live and work on the streets. Only one in three stays in school beyond primary level. Tiny Toones' students are aged 5-24 and are particularly vulnerable to drug and substance abuse, sexual and labor exploitation, domestic violence, and gang involvement. A quarter of the children at Tiny Toones report never having attended school yet many are put to work from as young as five years old.
The Tiny Toones centre is a safe-haven for children and young people. They come to dance and they come because it's fun, it's free and they feel valued and cared for. At the centre they learn about respect, positive thinking and living a drug-free life, and become part of a community. Our dancers perform throughout Cambodia and beyond. Their achievements are an inspiration to others growing up in the slum areas. Supporting this project will help transform the lives of a new generation.
These kids visibly change: coming from the most impoverished backgrounds you see their confidence, motivation and self-esteem all improve beyond measure. They learn to be creative and to enjoy learning English, computing and other key skills. They learn to look out for others and what it means to be part of a community. Ultimately, Tiny Toones moves kids away from destructive paths - such as drugs and gang involvement - and gives them new motivation, hope and the chance to break out of poverty.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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