The SAHAKA FOUNDATION staff, with the cooperation of the Community Council of Women and Children (CCWC) and leaders of seven villages in the Dounkeng commune, Komchaymea district, Prey Veng province, allowed me to tag along with them as they assessed the needs of the poorest families in the area.

We visited 13 families in the two days we went out, and could have done more; however, with our present funding, we can only accept 10 new children at the most. Seeing the needs and hearing their stories was difficult, but deciding who we can help will be an even more difficult task.

Their stories are varied, and unfortunately, men are the reason behind many of them. Although the law says men must pay child support if they divorce their families, little is done to enforce this… and if a man marries a divorced mother, he often refuses to accept or support her children, which means they end up living with grandmothers who have little means to support them.

Others were displaced families from the border, who had to leave everything behind when the Thai military invaded their village. Some of the children we met were actually good students, but after graduating from sixth grade, they could not continue to grade seven because of the distance they would have to travel. There is no public bus service, and the cost of paying for a ride every day is more than they can afford.

Sometimes, while talking to the families, we find out that they have not eaten in two days, and it is impossible to just walk away and tell them to have a good life. A bag of rice costs $22.50, plus $10.00 for condiments and vegetables will keep them for a few days, but education is the only thing that will break the cycle. of poverty. This is the goal of the SAHAKA FOUNDATION.

The SAHAKA donation page is up to date for those who may want to help us in this coming year with a tax-deductible donation. If you live in Cambodia, you can make a QR donation to the SAHAKA FOUNDATION bank account.

We are very appreciative of the support we have already received. Without it, we could not be making these life-changing opportunities for the children and families of Cambodia.