Seven years ago, the Department of Child Welfare of Kandal province asked Little Hearts to help several destitute children from S’ang district. As these children weren’t orphans, we were unable to invite them to our facility. Instead, we took on the responsibility of caring for them and their families in their own homes. While some of those families have moved away from S’ang and are no longer in touch with us, we continue to support nine of them with fortnightly donations of food staples and clothing. We also fund all school-related expenses for their children, including bicycles to travel to school, textbooks, stationery, uniforms, and so forth, with the stipulation that the children must attend school regularly and perform well in their studies. Our support of these children is supervised by Mr Sithy Sat, the director of Kandal’s child welfare agency, who often accompanies us on our visits to the families.
Unfortunately, there are many more families in Cambodia who are afflicted by extreme poverty and require help. Through a personal connection, we recently became aware of the plight of one family in Phnom Penh and decided to intervene. Tiang is a 29-year-old mother of three living in abject conditions in the city’s Tumnob Tuek commune. She used to sell vegetables at a nearby evening market but lost her job when the market closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, leaving her with no income. She must care for her children (aged 17 months, 4, and 5) on her own because her husband – who struggled with drug addiction, debt and legal troubles – has absconded. She has resorted to peeling garlic in front of her home, a part-time occupation that earns her just 12,000 riel a day (about $3).
Little Hearts’ general manager, Bjorn, visited Tiang at her living quarters – a one-room storehouse where she, her mother and the children sleep on hammocks and mats. The children’s only playground is the street, where they roam barefoot and only partly clothed. Having decided that something must be done to help her, Little Hearts has pledged to send Tiang a tuk tuk loaded with provisions (food, clothing, shoes, toiletry items) every month. In addition, we will ensure that her children are enrolled in the nearest government school when they reach school-going age, and we will fund all their learning needs (uniforms, stationery, and afternoon tutoring).
Little Hearts would like to be able to help more families like Tiang’s so that they may live with dignity and in an acceptable level of comfort and hygiene. If you would like to contribute to this effort with either funding or supplies, please check the Get Involved menu or drop Tony a line at tony@lho.ngo.