In 1996 the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR), in Phnom Penh, Cambodia began an AIDS awareness program in the Province of Takeo. Mr. Vandin San met with target groups, informing them of the dangers of AIDS and the steps they could take to prevent contracting it. While there was some concern at that time, no one could foresee how large the epidemic would become. 

In the years that followed, Mr. San continued to work with COERR, dealing primarily with the training and education of Buddhist Monks. He arranged and led several conferences in each of the nine Districts of the Takeo province in which 344 monks participated. At least one representative, from each of the 226 Buddhist Wats of Takeo attended.

While no one can measure what effect this had on the spread of AIDS in that area, one thing is certain. The people, and especially the Buddhist Monks of Takeo, were far more aware of and open to dealing with the situation facing Cambodia, than were other Provinces where this form of education was not available.

As a result of the close working relationship COERR developed with the Buddhist Wats of Takeo, it was decided in 1999, at the close of a seminar, that it was time to do something that would directly impact the growing AIDS problem.

In February of 2000, COERR began construction of one of the first AIDS family health centers in Cambodia. It was unique, in that it was built on the property of a Buddhist Wat and would be used not only as a treatment center but also as a training center for Monks and family members.

At the beginning of 2000, Mr. Wayne Matthysse, a medic who also worked with COERR,  assisted Mr. Vandin San with home visits to three families infected with HIV, living near the project. Within a few months that number had increased to 10 families, and by the beginning of 2001 rose to 40 families. By the end of 2002, the number had jumped to over 250 families, and as the epidemic grew the number of families helped would be over 1500.

In 2001 Vandin San and Wayne Matthysse formed the local Non-Governmental Organization called PARTNERS in COMPASSION-CAMBODIA and took over management of the Wat Opot Project from COERR. What had started as a health clinic soon developed into a twenty-four-hour Family Health and Hospice Care Center. Many victims would return to their homes after treatment while others stayed until their death.  A crematorium was built and funeral services were provided free of charge. There have been over 500 deaths from AIDS-related causes since 2001,  many were in hospice care at the time of death.

In August of 2003, a new relationship with MEDICINS SANS FRONTIERS completely changed the program’s direction when all of the patients were started on Anti-Retro-Viral Therapy. From the care of dying members, the program was suddenly challenged to look at them in a whole different way. They were no longer victims but instead needed help in rebuilding their lives, and their children, many who had been orphaned, now needed education and residential care. For that reason, it was decided to split the program,

In November of 2006, the last of the seriously ill patients died in hospice care and it was decided that because there was a new hospital unit built in the Takeo Hospital, specifically for AIDS patients, the need to continue providing hospice care at Wat Opot was no longer needed. Mr.Vandin San took over the responsibility of organizing programs for Adults by establishing home care teams in several of the Provinces. They provided food and basic necessities for family subsistence, transportation costs to and from the clinics to make sure the medicines were being taken, and training for skills that would enable self-sufficiency as the victims began to restructure their lives.

Children orphaned, or infected by the virus, became the responsibility of Mr. Wayne Matthysse, who created the Wat Opot Children’s Community. The Wat Opot compound became a thriving community and a home to many vulnerable children. Mr. Dara Phan took over the directorship of the Community while Mr. Matthysse served as an Overseer.

In 2021 the community went on lockdown because of COVID. Donor support began to dwindle, and although the community was able to survive financially by performing cremation services for nearly 200 COVID victims, the donor interest was never revived, and support for orphanages was being discouraged worldwide.