Skip to main content

A visit to the CDO orphanage in Siem Reap, Cambodia


Meet the Children at the Children Development Organization
(CDO) in Siem Reap, Cambodia

CDO is now taking care of 27 students between the ages of 4 and 15. (8 girls and 19 boys). In Cambodia, it’s estimated there are over 100,000 orphans or abandoned children. Some have parents but come from families that can’t provide enough food for their children or they suffer from physical abuse and neglect. Here at CDO, the children are trained to do chores around the orphanage. They take turn to do laundry, wash dishes, cook, dust and myriad of other tasks. Konti and Map’s turn to do the dishes when I visited them.




Konti (left) and Map are seen doing their daily tasks behind the only well available for the orphanage.

The girl on left is Konti (age 6) and the boy is Map (age 7). Both are orphans and living at Children Development Organization’s orphanage (CDO) in Siem Reap. Konti’s parents gave her to one of their relatives and moved to Thailand either to beg or find jobs. Konti was brought to the CDO orphanage by a stranger. Map’s parents also left him at the orphanage and disappeared.

The children at the orphanage posed for a picture with me
CDO orphanage was started by Mr. Sakoeun, last year to help the orphaned children and to provide them with a safe environment and education. Most of the children in this orphanage come from a village called Leap Chas, about 40km from Siem Reap.
The village is a very poor area. clean water, food, adequate housing and clothing at times are very scarce. The lack of good roads and transport makes finding paid work difficult. In order to survive, the villagers go hunting in the forest and collect any edible plants, fruits and vegetables. However, most of the villagers suffer from malnutrition and disease.
Ms. Savorn Mom, who takes care of day to day affairs told me they need help. The rent of the orphanage is US$180 per month and the monthly budget for operating the center including meals, rent, education and other expenses come to around US$1,200 per month.
The biggest expense is the rice. The children consume 14 kg of rice each day (cost of 1 kg is around US$0.50cts). When the school starts in September, they need to buy uniforms (cost per uniform US$4.50) and each student has to pay for the teacher at the public school US$0.12 cts per month/per child.
Yes, they need help. If you would like to donate to CDO, please contact

Mr. Sakoeun, started the orphanage to provide a safe environment for the children

Ms. Savorn Mom, popularly called as Shrey Mom looks after the children at the orphanage

Front view of the orphanage

Some children at the orphanage


Sign at the entrance of the orphanage at 87 Watsvay Village, Sangkat Salakomroeuk, Siem Reap

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

VISIT TO ABDUL BAHA VILLAGE IN MYANMAR (BURMA)

In 1989, the military government in Burma, officially changed the English translations of many names dating back to Burma's colonial period, including that of the country itself: "Burma" became “Myanmar.” The name Burma has been in use in English since the 18th century. Burmese are very friendly. Highlight of our visit to Burma included a visit to the Shwedagon Pagoda and Abdul Baha village. Shwedagon Pagoda is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar. It is sacred to Buddhists from all over Asia and it is believed to contain relics of the four previous Buddhas of the present kalpa. Myanmar's military yielded to a civilian government in 2010 and has dramatically reshaped its economy, opening up various sectors, including energy and infrastructure development, to direct foreign investment. Many foreign investors, especially from ASEAN countries rushed to set up factories and raze old neighborhoods to build luxury housing estates. New hotels and large condominiums...
5 comments
Read more

Visit to Safe Haven orphanage in Mae Sot, Thailand

January 1, 2010: During the Christmas 2009 break, Debbie and I visited an orphanage along the Thai-Burmese border in the northern part of Thailand. Our Foundation has recently built water towers to collect and store water for the children throughout the year for this orphanage. Our trip to this area was to visit several orphans who are currently sponsored by the Foundation. These children are from Karen tribes who are refugees from Burma. It all began about 15 years ago, when Mrs. Tasanee Keereepraneed received a frantic message from a local villager in Tha Song Yang, which is about 3 hours north of Mae Sot province on the Thai-Burmese border, that a little girl had lost her mother during birth. In Karen culture this is interpreted as a bad omen, and the child is often killed. Having lost her own father at a young age and her children also having lost their father when Tasanee ’s husband was murdered, Tasanee decided that she, if anyone should be the person responsible for caring ...
2 comments
Read more

BUILDING A COMMUNITY IN A VILLAGE IN BIHAR, INDIA

Bihar is a State in India, where Lord Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist Religion is said to have attained enlightenment under the Banyan tree. Millions of Buddhists around the globe go on pilgrimage to this place. But, in a small village in the Bihar sharif cluster, about 80 km from Patna, the capital city of the State of Bihar, the villagers are striving hard to build a community that will contribute to the spiritual and material transformation of society. I had the distinct opportunity of visiting the Bihar sharif cluster and meeting with the villagers and the chief of the village. To create such a society, it is essential that every one in the village be empowered to participate in the constructive process that will give rise to it. It is just happening in this small village of population 2,000. The village is called Hargawan. I visited this village during my recent trip to India and my trip was coordinated by Mr. Rajnish Singh, an Auxiliary Board Member (ABM), an appointed mem...
2 comments
Read more