About Cambodia
Cambodia truly is the Kingdom of Wonder, full of charm and adventure. Khmer people are gentle, friendly and always welcoming. From the steamy jungles, vibrant markets, and magical temples of Siem Reap, to Phnom Penh where motorbikes rule the roads, street foods include crispy crickets, and monkeys traverse the tangled power lines, you can't help but love it.
However the warm smiles and laughter that characterise the Khmer people belie the frailty of life in Cambodia. These people continue to show symptoms of post-traumatic stress, after their struggle through years of political instability, bloodshed and poverty. Today Cambodia has a very young population with over 50% of their people being under 30 years of age. 80% live in rural areas, are poorly educated and are dependent on subsistence farming for survival.
The occupation of the Khmer Rouge resulted in the death of nearly two million Cambodians. People with any education or free thinking were targeted and the nation suffered a void of people with the skills and experience to take the country forward out of this horrendous period. Although Cambodia has greater stability today, it relies heavily on foreign aid and has to deal with deep-seated levels of corruption.
The harsh realities of living in poverty can lead to debt, alcoholism, abuse, and indentured servitude, from which it is almost impossible to escape. Education is key to breaking this vicious cycle for struggling families in Cambodia.
Providing access to early childhood education is particularly important in poorer areas of Cambodia, where children do not have a safe place to play, learn, and grow while their parents work.
Most Cambodian children attend at least some primary school, but less than half get to the 10th grade. With more than one in seven people in Cambodia living on less than $2.15/day, school becomes an unaffordable luxury for many.
Children living in poverty are at risk of being sent to work to help support the family. Around 1 in 12 Cambodian children are in the workforce. This work is often unsafe.
It is common for parents to need to travel far away to find work, leaving their daughter at home to look after her siblings.
Young girls living in poverty in Cambodia are also at a high risk of being trafficked, particularly into the sex industry. One third of the trafficked sex workers in Cambodia are children, some as young as three years old.
Malnourishment is prevalent in Cambodia, with one third of children being stunted. Visible hair lightening, a product of childhood malnutrition, is common in poorer communities. Even if a child is getting enough to eat the food is often nutrient deficient. Sickness also strips nutrients from the child's body.
Many Cambodian families struggle to provide adequate hygiene facilities for their children. Only 1 in 5 of the poorest rural Cambodians have access to a toilet.
