It was inevitable I suppose… nothing lasts forever and at some point, there has to be an ending. That is what is happening right now at the Wat Opot Community. Mr. Dara and representatives of the Social Services of Cambodia have begun the process of home evaluations so that the children can be reintegrated with their families or relatives.

For some of the children, the change could have a very positive effect on their future while for others it may not go quite as well. That is why Mr. Dara is working toward creating a new NGO that will be responsible for doing home visits to ensure that the families have the necessary resources to feed, clothe, and educate the children being reintegrated.

It will be a couple of weeks before they are finished with their evaluations, however, it is hoped that all of the children will be placed sometime before May of this year.

Mr. Dara will also continue to work with the Wat Opot alumni, many of whom live and work in Phnom Penh. Providing support and counsel for this many people is a big undertaking, but in the long run, it may be more beneficial for many of them to have a support group they can call on when things get rough.

Although I am disappointed that the residential program at Wat Opot is closing, I fully support Mr. Dara in his desire to start a new Organization and hope to play a small part in its creation. I will provide more information on how you can support this new program soon, however, be assured that any funds previously donated to the Wat Opot Community are being used to support the children during the reintegration process.