Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia

Dear Kind Donors and Friends of our School,

How immensely grateful we are to you all for your constancy, good will and steadfast help.

As you will read in our report below, your support is immensely important and indeed it is life-saving, especially because for some time now, it is nearly impossible to receive any grant from a donor organization for the care of our Children. The care of Children has for some time been “out of fashion”.  But yet, it is to our School that other organizations across Cambodia, even Embassies turn, in order to ask for our help.

To understand the gravity of some of our cases, just in the space of two months, I will write a little, and in respect for our Children’s privacy, without giving their names. Some of the details below may be distressing. However they are the reality and the truth of those of whom we take care and of the wider situation in Cambodia, still gravely affected by the genocide and war.

As you know, we also have an Emergency Temporary Shelter. Two months ago, a young woman together with her three-year old Child, ran away from her husband, after he tried to strangle her. He had beaten her often. She escaped from the capital Phnom Penh to our School, 137 kilometers away, where one of her close relatives works. With strangle marks still upon her neck and bruises, we contacted the police and social services. She rested for several weeks in our School, until the fear and trauma had subsided and her health was regained. During this period, we counselled our Children and Staff not to open the gate to strangers, nor give any information to anybody who was not working in our School. As the young woman recovered, our Director, Mr Sothy helped find her a job and soon she will be able to rent her own place to live and her little Girl can come and play at our School when she is at work.

As you all know, our School takes full-time care of Children from the time they are very young until they are independent adults and can go to university or begin work, as well as our Blind Children and Youth.  Even then, they all stay in touch with us and come to visit. We have a network of former Students, spanning over three decades. Now those grown Children, have families of their own whom they bring to see us, and many are professional Musicians and Artists, as well as working in all branches of professional life.  

When our Children come to live at our School,  it is because alas, they have nobody and have suffered neglect, abandonment and abuse. These Children are the forgotten Children, and belong nowhere in society. Without help, many would have died, been trafficked, or been sold into slavery and prostitution. This is how vital all your support is.

Many years ago, before building our School, I also lived in poverty and then lost many close members of my family, some under tragic circumstances. Even though only a girl, yet being already a professional violinist and singer, the profound Love of Music and the quiet discipline involved in daily practice and a transcendent vision of life, together with firmness of character, saved me. Yet as with all those who lose their families very early on, one forever carries within one that sense of looking from the outside in at the cozy warmth of a lighted window… forever a stranger. Equipped then with this deeper understanding and knowing that many Children who have lost their families or endured great suffering, feel very isolated, and may not be so strong and can become lost; thus after first teaching at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, I built our School during the war, strengthened by these experiences and with that internal light for the love of Music and love of Traditional Cambodian Culture.

Our School also takes care of those Children who perhaps have a parent in prison, or are gravely ill in hospital, or parents who are going through severe poverty and homelessness. All is done in coordination with the local authorities and our ChildSafe partners. These dear Children can stay at our School until their parent or parents are ready. Constant contact is kept with their parents so that they know their parent loves them and they will see them soon.  Tragically, on the 1st of September of this year, the father of two little girls of whom we take care in this way, was killed in a road accident on his way to Bokor Mountain in Kampot. 

Two weeks ago, a young woman brought with her, her eleven year old sister, who had been raped multiple times by her stepfather. 

The mother and grandmother however, enabled the man and allowed him to run away.   Immediately on receiving the Child into our care, we set into motion contact with the police and social services, a special medical visit and counselling, of which I am personally following-up exigently. The little girl of great fortitude and courage, said of our School, “I like it here and want to stay.” 

Remembering that our School is within a very large garden full of trees, flowers, fish-ponds and little birds and that my dear Cambodian colleagues have been with me many years, some for over three decades, it is thus a Haven in every sense. This year, we celebrated our 31st Anniversary since our founding.

Indeed one of our 17 year old boys asked to do vocational training in the capital Phnom Penh, at a famed school. To the best of our ability, we checked the credentials of the school and were reassured because the Minister of Education had even made a visit there. We all gathered round with tears but also joy at his new adventure. However after only a few days, he wrote to me and said, “Please can I come home back to School? It is terrible here!” It emerged that despite the school’s affirmed appearance and the $400 fee, students had to sleep on mats on the floor all mixed together, that there was not enough food, (1 duck egg between four Students) and no bathrooms, so that they had to go outside. Our dear Child, who has no parents and has HIV, was also denied permission to collect his monthly treatment from the designated HIV/AIDS centre and in a matter of days was covered in a rash. He is now safely back with us, is resting and recovering, having been in touch with his HIV/AIDS specialist and very hopefully can do his Vocational Training at the Don Bosco Centre in Kep, near to our School.

Since July, we have welcomed back our beloved and revered Classical Dance Teacher, Neark Kru An, retired now from the Royal Ballet and one of the few survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide. In her, rests immense knowledge and love of ancient, traditional Cambodian dance. In a short space of time, she has formed our girls into a dance troupe of continuing and growing high standard. Thus equipping those who wish, with the formation to go on to become professional Dancers at the National Theatre and Royal Ballet.

Much to everyone’s delight, in late August, one of our little girls at our School came fifth in National Exams. An official ceremony was given for her in Kampot Province and we made a special cake for her at School.

Then our Mohori Music Teacher, Loak Kru Samoeun together with our Children, made a wonderful vegetable garden inside our School. Loak Kru Samoeun who cannot walk well, takes our little Children every day to primary school on his special mobile vehicle. It is a most beautiful sight and one full of Joy.

Links:

• Official Website
• Official Facebook Page