AFESIP - Acting for Women in Distressing Situations - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

AFESIP CAMBODIA is a non-governmental, non-partisan, and non-religious organization established at the grass-root level in Cambodia in 1996. The dire situations of thousands of victims forced into sex slavery are the reasons why AFESIP exists today.

AFESIP CAMBODIA cares for those victimized of trafficking and sex slavery. The success criteria have been, first and foremost, securing victim’s rights by providing holistic care through a victim centered approach with long term goals of successful and permanent rehabilitation and reintegration.

The “humanly correct development” is defined as “conforming to the most fundamental rights; those applicable anytime, anywhere, and to any persons in peace as in war time, freely contracted by any country of the world” (UN civil and political rights pact, article 6; right to live, article 7; forbidding of torture, article 8; forbidding of slavery, article 11; forbidding of unfair detention).

Our aims and objectives are:

* To combat trafficking in women and girls for sex slavery
* To provide holistic care and recovery for those rescued from sex slavery
* To provide occupational skills
* To reintegrate those rescued into the community through financial independence in a sustainable and innovative manner.

AFESIP CAMBODIA also seeks to combat the causes and consequences of trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation through:

* Outreach work in HIV/AIDS prevention
* Advocacy and campaigning
* Representation and participation in women's issues at national, regional and international forums.

AFESIP Cambodia
Communication Department
#62CE0, Street 598, Boeung Kak 2
Toul Kork, Phnom Penh
Cambodia
Tel: (855) 023 884 123
Fax: (855) 023 884 123
Website: www.afesip.org

Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

During the wet season in Cambodia, many people suffer from the notorious dengue virus, a virus which is carried by mosquitoes that thrive in the waters that collect during the wet season. For many people, escaping the virus means vigilantly covering up and closing windows or doors; however for women and children living literally behind prison bars, this is very difficult to do. Thanks to an extremely generous donation from the Women's International Group (WIG), LICADHO was able to distribute blankets and mosquito nets to 664 minor prisoners, pregnant women and children living in 14 Cambodian prisons.

The materials are essential in helping to avoid dengue fever and other mosquito-borne viruses which prisoners are very susceptible to. In CC2, toys and books were also distributed to children living with their mothers in prison, thanks to private donors. The toys and books play an important role in providing stimulation to these innocent children who are living with their mothers in prison and who have very little material in the way of recreation or education.

During the distribution at CC2, WIG representatives and LICADHO staff were also invited to visit the prison's health center where they met with sick female prisoners and were able to give them the donated materials. The materials will also be distributed to 12 other prisons over the next week, which include: Sihanoukville, Kampot, Koh Kong, Kompong Speu, Kompong Chhnang, Pursat, Battabang, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Kompong Thom, Kompong Cham, and Svay Rieng Prisons.

During her speech at CC2, LICADHO President Dr. Kek Galabru appealed to the inmates, particularly the minor prisoners, to have solidarity and to regard each other as family members, and to develop and apply themselves when they eventually left the prison. She added that this was especially important as they are among the next generation who will contribute to the development of the country.

Representatives of the minor prisoners from CC2 and Takhmao Prisons also had a brief chance to address the group, promising to be unified and to renew themselves after their eventual release from prison.

The LICADHO Prison Project continually monitors the living conditions of prisoners however due to insufficient funds, the lack of sanitation, poor hygiene, and malnutrition in Cambodian prisons, conditions unfortunately remain very poor. In Cambodia's prisons women, children and men are all maintained on a prison budget of USD$0.38 per day, which pays for two meals a day, sanitation, cooking fuel, water, electricity and transportation. Prison is no place for children to grow up, but Cambodia's lack of a juvenile justice system throws children into adult courts and adult prisons with no alternative.

Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights
#16, St. 99, Boeung Trabek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
P.O. Box 499, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Tel: (855) 023 330 965, (855) 023 211 391, (855) 023 982 669
Fax: (855) 023 330 965, (855) 023 217 626
E-mail: contact@licadho.org
Website: www.licadho.org

Sunrise Children's Village - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodia, like many other Third World countries, has more than its share of orphaned and abandoned children. Thirty years of war, foreign occupation, genocide and civil war has become the norm for this battered country.

The original group of 24 children came from Site B Refugee Camp (also known as Prince Sihanouk's Camp) in Thailand, where their parents and families fled either the Khmer Rouge Regime between 1975-1979 or the Vietnamese occupation, which followed from 1979-1992. In 1993 almost all Cambodian refugees in Thailand were repatriated back into Cambodia to take part in the UN-brokered elections. However, as these children were already orphaned in the refugee camp, they were abandoned again, just over the border in Cambodia in a very poor village called Ampil, in the province of Oddar Meancheay.

After the Khmer Rouge brutally killed a teenage boy from the group, they were moved to another temporary area in the city of Sisophon in the same province for a few months. Military activity again forced them to move to the city of Battambang to even more Spartan living conditions, until finally land was found for them outside of Phnom Penh and Red Cross buses carried them to the capital in late 1994.

The Coup of July 1997 once again threatened their home, as rebel government soldiers tried to take over the land that had previously been military barracks.

In January 2001 we were again forced to move, as the owners of the land required it for another purpose. So, until September 2002, we were temporarily located in a house 12 kms from the capital in a town called Ta Khmao. At the previous land we were not paying for these items, so it was even more vital for us to find more sponsors, both private and corporate, to assist us in building a new centre on land presented to Sunrise by the Cambodian Government in 1999. In September 2002 we were able to move to the new land and our lives are much improved.

Children come to us in a myriad of ways: parents or other family members have been killed or maimed by land-mines, died of hunger or disease and often targeted for murder because of their political affiliations. When these children are rendered homeless, the villagers sometimes make every effort to care for them, but more often than not, they are taken into homes and used as slave-labour in return for food and a place to sleep until their plight is brought to our attention.

To comply with Cambodian Government regulations, Sunrise investigates claims of abuse or neglect and once the village leaders have produced background details on the children and given official notice that they wish the children to be cared for by Sunrise, these papers are lodged with the Ministry of Social Affairs, and we are then permitted to take the children from the village and become their "guardians" until they are 18 years old.

In each case we go to the villages to assess the situation on the ground to ensure that the need is real. If it is not too traumatic for the children, photos of the living conditions are taken to compare later with life at Sunrise.

Following are some of the things that Sunrise provides for the children under our care:

* Love
* Food
* Shelter
* Inoculation against Polio, TB, Typhoid, Hepatitis A and B
* Clothing (includes provision of 2 school uniforms)
* Medical and Dental Care
* Education at Government School
* Evening English Language Classes
* Traditional Cambodian Music and Dance Lessons
* Sewing Classes
* Field Trips
* Personal Counselling when required
* English-Language Library
* Physical Exercise Program, Health & Hygiene Instruction, Family Planning and HIV Aids Awareness
* Computer School
* Carpentry School
* Agricultural Training
* Life Skills Weekend Workshops
* Employment and Accommodation is secured for the children when they turn 18 and have to leave Sunrise

Experience has taught us that in the past when volunteers worked with us, the children bonded with them very quickly - they are so needy - that when the volunteer eventually left, the children were depressed and actually felt abandoned all over again. They do not understand why the volunteers can't stay forever.

Medical experts tell us what the children need is constancy in their lives and to see the same people around them every day. So to provide this we employ Cambodians on local salaries to do all the work previously done by volunteers and this seems to work well.

But if you are ever in Cambodia we would welcome your visit for half a day to see what the children do at Sunrise, so please do keep in touch.

Sunrise Children's Village
Post Office Box 2504
Phnom Penh 3
Phnom Penh
Kingdom of Cambodia

Geraldine Cox, President
Cambodia: +855 (0) 12 803 069
Fax +855 (0) 23 210 361
Australia: +61 (0) 419 696 012
geraldine.cox@sunrisechildrensvillage.org
Website: www.sunrisechildrensvillage.org

Location of the Sunrise Children's Village
As the orphanage has no actual 'street address' please follow these instructions:
Depart from Phnom Penh in a Southerly direction along Norodom Boulevard. Go past the Independence Monument keeping South on Norodom Boulevard, continue past the Monivong Bridge and keep on going until you reach Takhmao town. Go across the river and through the town to the roundabout and take the second exit which is Road 21 in the direction of Sa'ang. The Sunrise Children's Village is 7.5 kilometres from the roundabout. It is on the right hand side of the road and there is a sign outside.

Location of Sunrise Angkor Children's Village
The orphanage is located right in the heart of Siem Reap. Most hotels are only a couple of minutes drive away by taxi or tuk tuk. For directions please ask Gerald Trevor on 012 800960 for guidance.

Women in the Material World

A follow-up to coauthor Peter Menzel's lauded Material World: A Global Family Portrait, Women in the Material World once again illuminates the human family--but this time with the focus on women. The result is an arresting collection of photographs, interviews, and anecdotes documenting the day-to-day lives and thoughts of women from 20 different countries. From Albania to India to the United States, we hear the female viewpoint on politics and religion, men and marriage, children and education. Cultural stereotypes are both supported (an Ethiopian mother explains why her daughter must be circumcised) and shattered (the loving equity of an Albanian marriage). The gorgeous accompanying photographs artfully link narrative text with faces and environs, from the rugged peaks of Bhutan to the Mediterranean beaches of Israel. What emerges is a captivating survey of women's lives in the late 20th century, and--even more--a powerful feeling of connectedness with these fellow human beings.

From Nowhere to Nee - A Novel

Read about the fictional novel Hayden Wills wrote while living in Bangkok in the 90's. "From Nowhere to Nee" is an innocent love story about a teenage boy lost between two cultures. He falls in love with a beautiful young Thai girl who is a victim of poverty and circumstance... You will fall in love with the characters and learn about Thai culture and life in "The Land of Smiles." All proceeds from the sale of this novel will go towards the support of the Cyntax Foundation.

Center for Children's Happiness - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Steung Meanchey Municipal Waste Dump is located in southern Phnom Penh, in a district of the city of the same name, Steung Meanchey. The dump itself covers about 100 acres. It is flanked by private property on which rubbish pickers build makeshift huts and are charged exhorbitant rents by landowners. Roughly 2,000 people, about 600 of which are children, live and work there.

It is nicknamed “Smoky Mountain” because of the miasma of smoke that the dump constantly gives off. It is literally on fire; the waste creates methane as it rots and the methane burns. In monsoon season and throughout much of the rest of the year, the surrounding area is swamped and the children live and play in fetid water.

Most of the rubbish pickers at Steung Meanchey are either from Phnom Penh or came to Phnom Penh looking for work and ended up in the slums. Many of the approximately 600 children have parents or relatives who also work on the dump and look after them. Some of them go to school, but most do not - at least not on a regular basis -, and it is safe to say that virtually none of them ever completes a primary school education. The school fees are too high and their families need them to collect rubbish to contribute to the family income. Adults earn, on average, 4000 to 5000 riels (US$1.00 to $1.25) a day; children earn on average about half that amount. A whole family working together can actually earn more money than they could in the rural village from which they originally came. (source: The Centre for Children's Happiness)

The Centre for Children's Happiness (CCH) was established and managed by Mr Mech Sokha, who himself is an orphan, the sole survivor in his family of the Khmer Rouge genocide of 1975 to 1979. He started the orphanage in October 2002 with help of a Japanese woman, Ms.Osanai Mieko, a President of Japan Team of Young Human Power (JHP) organization. It provides a home and education to 30 children - 12 girls and 18 boys. The children are either orphans or belong to parents who cannot take care of them due to illness or disability. All of the children previously worked as garbage pickers at the Steung Meanchey landfill in Phnom Penh. For more information, please refer to:

Mech Sokha, Director
Center for Children's Happiness
# 413, Street 371, Group 12, Trea village, Sangkat Steung Meanchey,
Khan Mean Chey, Phnom Penh City

Tel. 023-995023, 012-832330
E-mail: mechsokha@hotmail.com

New Baby at Baan Tharn Namchai Orphanage

Duang Prateep Foundation - Baan Tharn Namchai Orphanage

Ban Nam Khem, located about two hours north of Phuket, was the most severely affected village in Thailand on December 26, 2004. Out of 5,395 known fatalities in Thailand, 2,500 were residents of Ban Nam Khem, with only 49 out of 1,400 houses surviving without major damage. Within a few months of the 12/04 Asian Tsunami disaster, the Duang Prateep Foundation moved to recruit local staff in the community surrounding Baan Nam Khem, who were trained by DPF workers from Bangkok. Soon the locals were replacing the Bangkok based staff who had provided the initial assistance. Under Ms. Rotjana Phraesrithong's guidance, the local recruits have responded superbly to the many new challenges they have faced.

In the second half of 2006, DPF staff were able to move their program of activities from temporary tents to permanent community centres. The first building opened at Phru Teaw in August 2006, with another centre at Baan Nam Khem to follow later. At Phru Teaw over forty orphans are living in the DPF centre, with others living in houses close by. The buildings also provide a night care facility for working parents who do not want their children left alone at night.

In addition, the new buildings are centres for many community based activities. Local residents of all ages come to the DPF buildings to enjoy the toy library, to study music and dance, to learn craft skills and for other vocational training and income generation activities, to participate in youth groups, and to attend community meetings.

The relationships formed between people living near the Duang Prateep Foundation centre in Khlong Toei Slum, Bangkok, and the people living in the tsunami affected villages, will continue to be strengthened. In particular, young people in both areas will benefit from the opportunities to learn from and assist each other.

The Duang Prateep Foundation is committed to working with tsunami affected villagers over the long term. The new centres will provide the facilities needed to further build on the impressive start made in the months after the tsunami.

Baan Tharn Namchai Orphanage
156/81 Moo 7 Tambon Bangnaisrj
Baan Ka Chard Road, Phru Teaw Village
Amphur Takuapa Phangnga 82110

For more information, contact Rotjana Phraesrithong at rotjanadpf@hotmail.com

Duang Prateep Foundation
34 Lock 6
Art Narong Road
Klong Toey Bangkok 10110 THAILAND
Tel: +66 (0)2 671 4045-8, 249 3553, 249 4880
Fax: +66 (0)2 249 5254, 249 9500
Web: www.dpf.or.th

One Laptop Per Child Foundation

Nicholas Negroponte, an MIT professor, created the One Laptop Per Child Foundation for the sole purpose of delivering a laptop to every child on earth! Negroponte and his team have developed a $100 laptop which they hope will revolutionize education by providing children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment, and express themselves.


Link: sevenload.com

To learn more:

One Laptop Per Child Foundation website: http://laptop.org/en/index.shtml

Wikipedia: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Main_Page

Get Involved: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Getting_involved_in_OLPC

Piloki Village Fish Raising Project

On Monday August 6th we loaded up a barge with materials for the fish pen building project, including 72 bags of fish food, yards of netting and string, 6 large plastic barrels and a metal frame consisting of 8 metal rods. Because we needed the barge to carry all the materials our journey was 3 hours from Thongphapum instead of the usual 1 hour the regular boats take. However, the weather held out on us and we had a quite scenic and beautiful 3 hour ride with limestone mountains surrounding us and tiny villages in our periphery. We did not arrive in the village until fairly late in the afternoon on Monday so we just unloaded the materials and investigated the village a bit. We ended up staying at the local pastor's house after being fed quite a feast.

The next day we had a town meeting with the people of Piloki in the morning to discuss plans for the fish raising project and the homestay program. Through this meeting concerns, comments and suggestions were aired on both sides to ensure that both of these programs run as smoothly as possible. At this meeting it was decided that the villagers would grow a fish similar to red snapper instead of the originally planned catfish because the former is more profitable and easier to sell in the local markets. That afternoon we set to work measuring out the netting and cutting the appropriate lengths. The work was split into two teams: the inner plastic netting which has smaller holes and will hold the fingerlings initially and the outer rope netting which will hold the fish once they get bigger. The team working on the inner plastic netting created a rectangular shaped box and worked in pairs to sew up the seams with rope. The other team worked on feeding rope through the outer netting and sewing up seams as well. We worked late into the afternoon and had another delicious meal that night.

On Wednesday morning we worked on finishing up sewing all the seams and started putting together the metal frame. For the framing work we relied mostly on the locals because they seemed to be seasoned pros and knew exactly what to do. We finished up everything and launched the finished project on Wednesday afternoon. Although the numbers varied, we had about 15-20 people from Piloki village helping up with the fish nets and without them we could not have finished so quickly. Because the Piloki village is situated on the banks of the dam, the local people seem at home on the water therefore I think this project will be really good for them. They will be relying on their local resources to make this project successful and generate income. The biggest challenge they will face in the future is reducing the cost of feeding the fish as store-bought feed can be quite pricey.

Dana Givens
Baan Dada Volunteer

Piloki Village Homestay and Fish Raising Project

Piloki is a remote village in western Kanchanaburi Province, near the Thai/Burmese border. Its residents are a mix of Karen, Mon, Thai, and Myanmar ethnic groups. The Karen people, having for years been persecuted by the Myanmar military dictatorship, seek refuge in Thailand along the border with Myanmar.

As a result of the construction of the Vajilarongkorn Dam in Thongphapum District in 1991, these refugees - politically powerless and economically marginalized - were forced by the Thai government to re-locate to what is now Piloki Village. This village is only accessible by boat: a minimum one hour boat ride from Thonghapum or three hours from Sangklaburi District. While the government assisted in the relocation, there is no opportunity for farming and livestock due to the fact that the majority of the village is situated in a forest preserve. As a result of this economic and social isolation, poverty, disease, and lack of health care and education have threatened the health and family stability of this community.

To provide economic assistance to Piloki, Baan Dada helped organize A homestay tourism project which will empower its members to generate income within the village. Tourists who are looking for a remote, quiet and beautiful place with very friendly people will find Piloki and the surrounding area a good place to explore. Go fishing with the villagers, learn back strap style cloth weaving, volunteer at the fish farm, learn Karen style cooking, teach English in the primary school, explore the 200 foot high waterfall, and much more…

In addition to the homestay project, we are establishing a fish raising livelihood project funded by BCTFN (British Community in Thailand Foundation for the Needy).

Please consider a visit to Piloki Village. For more information, please contact Ricardo Zoleta at:

E-mail: dadaramakrishna@gmail.com

Baan Dada
109 Moo 6
Tambon Nonglu, Huay Ma Lai,
Sangklaburi, Kanchanaburi 71240
Thailand
Tel 1: 083 – 310 6058 (for English)
Tel 2 : 089 – 216 9137 (for Thai)
http://www.baandada.org/aboutus.htm

Molaka Weaving Cooperative

The Molaka Weaving Cooperative began in late 2005 to employ poor residents of the village of Molaka in Western Thailand. The weavers use traditional handwoven techniques to produce shirts, shoulder bags, purses, change purses, and wallets while the men weavers produce large and small handwoven baskets, mini-takraw key chains, and table decorations from locally-sourced bamboo. Proceeds return to the weavers directly, with 10% going to support Baan Dada and the 40 children who live here.

The Molaka Weaving Cooperative currently employs Karen ethnic minority weavers from Molaka village. The Cooperative employs fair-trade practices in that the workers receive a fair price for their labour, they work in safe, clean conditions, and they use democratic, participatory strategies in maintaining the enterprise. No children are involved in this work.

We are currently building a Weaving Center on the land next to Baan Dada Children's Home, which will allow us to expand the enterprise by inviting more weavers to live and work here.

The objective is to raise the standard of living of Molaka village, and in the future, other villages in this area. As well, it seeks to raise awareness about the plight of Karen and other ethnic minorities living in rural areas of Thailand.

You can support or volunteer for the Molaka Weaving Cooperative in the following ways:

Our products are colourful, inexpensive, and come in many sizes and designs. They make wonderful birthday and Christmas gifts. Please consider buying them for your family, friends, teachers, students, classmates, or co-workers today! You will be directly helping to improve the quality of life of some needy families in this impoverished area of Thailand.

- Do you know of a shop near your home that sells ethnic, fairly traded handicrafts from developing countries? If so, would you be willing to approach the shop manager about the details of this project yourself and ask them to consider importing these products. This type of volunteering will help the project tremendously.

- As well, by promoting our woven products to clubs, religious groups, sports teams, or other associations you may belong to, you will helping us to reach new markets, directly benefiting both our weavers and our Children's Home.



For more information, or to view and/or purchase these items please visit our blog:
http://thaiweavingenterprise.blogspot.com/

Volunteer Opportunity - Baan Dada, Thailand

Baan Dada Children’s Home provides a loving home, education, a healthy diet, and access to creative learning opportunities to 42 abadoned boys and girls from remote villages on the Thai/Burmese border. The majority of the children are Karen, an ethnic minority not considered full citizens on the Thai side and persecuted by the military government on the Burmese side.

The children are cared for by Dada Ricardo Zoleta, with support from 10 staff members hired from the local community. The Home is located in Huay Ma Lai village, a half hour from Baan Unrak Home of Joy in Sangklaburi, western Kanchanaburi.

Accommodation and 3 vegetarian meals a day are provided for you for 120 baht a day (around $4 CDN a day). You are welcome to stay in the Volunteer House behind the Home, which has electricity, running water, and a private bathroom.

Make a difference on behalf of these amazing children, support community project such as a Dairy Goat Lending Project, help market handwoven bags, fundraise to build a new Girls’ Shelter, construct a building, work on the organic farm, or lend your talents and creative energy for a new project.

You can also learn about village life and Karen culture, practice Thai cooking and daily meditation, and play sports and music. Free yoga lessons are also available upon request.

* Please email Dada Richard Zoleta at dadaramakrishna@gmail.com
* Please visit:
o http://www.baandada.org
o http://www.neohumanistfoundation.org/vidyadharma/aboutus.htm

Volunteer Opportunity - Baan Unrak, House of Joy, Thailand

Baan Unrak Home of Joy, located in Sangklaburi, Kanchanaburi Province on the Thai/Burmese border, supports over 120 abandoned and orphaned children. The children are cared for by Didi Devamala from Italy and Didi Anuaraga from Norway, who are social workers and yogic nuns of the Neo-Humanist Foundation, a non-profit agency registered with the Thai Ministry of Health.

You can stay at the orphanage or at a Guesthouse in town. Baan Unrak has seen groups of teachers from Japan volunteer there over Christmas holidays since 1999.

As a volunteer, you can care for the children, teach classes, music, or computers, paint murals, put on musicals, organize sports tournaments, do arts&crafts, and write project proposals and grant letters. You can also learn vegetarian cooking, practice yoga and meditation, hike and swim with the kids - there is plenty to do!

* Please email Didi Anuraga at didianuraga@yahoo.no
* Please visit http://www.neohumanistfoundation.org/baanunrak/

CARE - Empowering Women

CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. They place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives.

CARE's Mission

CARE's mission is to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities in the world. Drawing strength from their global diversity, resources and experience, they promote innovative solutions and are advocates for global responsibility. They facilitate lasting change by:

* Strengthening capacity for self-help
* Providing economic opportunity
* Delivering relief in emergencies
* Influencing policy decisions at all levels
* Addressing discrimination in all its forms

Guided by the aspirations of local communities, they pursue their mission with both excellence and compassion because the people whom they serve deserve nothing less.

To learn more about CARE, visit their website: http://www.care.org/index.asp?