A Conference of Like-Minded NGOs

On the morning of June 23, our facility manager Ruth attended a meeting hosted by M’lup Russey Organization, an NGO that works in the area of child and family support. The event, held at Culture Coffee in the Russian Market area of Phnom Penh, brought together 15 local NGOs that share the same overall goal – improving child welfare in … Read More

From Schoolboy to Working Man: Sothon Moves On

You remember Sothon, don’t you? He has been a mainstay at Little Hearts for 11 years, having morphed from a quiet, shy little boy into everyone else’s Big Brother, and even filling in as a caretaker for a few months. Over the years, his life story has been told in several of our blog posts: he came to Little Hearts … Read More

A New Partner: Aqualife

Recently Little Hearts received a visit from the staff of our newest partner, Aqualife, a company dedicated to providing the purest, freshest drinking water available in Cambodia. Aqualife is the sole licensed importer and distributor of IONCARES water purifiers from Korea. Around 20 of Aqualife’s staff members came to our campus to install four advanced water purifiers. One machine (a … Read More

Another Rocking Fundraiser for Little Hearts

Another year has passed, spring is in the air, and once again supporters and friends of Little Hearts in Belgium gathered for the annual Big Little Hearts Garden Party, which took place on Thursday, May 18th. The setting this time was not a castle or country manor, but rather Hangar 27, a stylishly modern multifunctional venue in Egedem, near Antwerp. … Read More

Lisa (left) and Naomi (right)

Lisa and Naomi: Two Outstanding Students

Today we celebrate the academic achievements of two of Little Hearts’ most diligent residents: Lisa and Naomi. Both girls were recently recognized by their school for outstanding academic performance, which is the result not only of their intellectual gifts but also their attitude to learning. They work hard, respect their teachers, go to school on time, take an interest in … Read More

Finding Independence: An Update on Ilang

Meas Ilang, now aged 24, hails from Kompong Chhnang province, around 70 km from Phnom Penh. She grew up very poor and couldn’t go to school; she dreamt of wearing a smart-looking school uniform, having a proper home and sleeping in a real bed. Her life changed when she and her sister Ilay came to Little Hearts 10 years ago. … Read More

Eggs in the Mango Orchard: Easter at Little Hearts

Easter has come and gone again! Like last year, Little Hearts residents celebrated with a traditional Easter egg hunt. But this time, there were some tweaks to the festivities. For one thing, Easter fell on the same weekend as Khmer New Year, so we had to stage Easter events a few days earlier, as some of the kids had to … Read More

Little Hearts at FamFair

For two consecutive weekends (17–19 and 24–26 March), Little Hearts participated in the Family Weekend Fair (FamFair) at Phnom Penh’s Cambodiana Hotel upon the invitation of the event’s host, Engage Cambodia, an advertising and consumer research firm. The fair, which was attended by over 5,000 visitors, featured many local and international companies, educational institutions and NGOs. In particular, there were … Read More

A Full-Time Position for Auntie Keo

Auntie Keo has been working at Little Hearts for almost a year as a weekend cook. (Ma Khun, our weekday cook, does need a break once in a while!) Her work on Saturdays and Sundays begins very early, sometimes as early as 4 am, to ensure that breakfast is ready for the children by 5 am. And as Ma Khun … Read More

From Barbie Outfits to Bedsheets: Seamstresses at Work

A few months ago Roxanne observed that three of our girls (Lisa, Dina and Mary) enjoyed hand-sewing new clothes for their Barbie dolls. Their stitched mini-creations – dresses, jeans, shirts and skirts – were stylish and detailed. Since these girls like sewing and making things out of fabric, thought Roxanne, why not let them learn some basic tailoring skills using … Read More