{"id":507,"date":"2024-06-11T17:25:12","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T17:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/watopotians.org\/?page_id=507"},"modified":"2026-04-30T05:34:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T05:34:22","slug":"sahaka-foundation-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/watopotians.org\/index.php\/sahaka-foundation-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Our History"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I<\/strong>n 1996, the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, launched an AIDS awareness initiative in Takeo Province. Mr. Vandin San engaged with target groups, educating them about AIDS risks and prevention measures. Although there was initial concern, few anticipated the epidemic\u2019s future severity.. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the years that followed, Mr. San continued to work with COERR, focusing primarily on the training and education of Buddhist monks. He arranged and led several conferences in each of the nine districts of Takeo province, with 344 monks participating. At least one representative from each of the 226 Buddhist Wats in Takeo attended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While no one can measure the effect this had on the spread of AIDS in that area, one thing is certain. The people, especially the Buddhist Monks of Takeo, were far more aware of and open to addressing the situation facing Cambodia than were those in other provinces where this form of education was not available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1999, following a seminar and recognizing the strong partnership COERR had built with the Buddhist Wats of Takeo, it was decided to take action to address the escalating AIDS issue.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In February 2000, COERR started building one of Cambodia’s first AIDS family health centers. It was unique because it was located on the grounds of a Buddhist Wat and served not only as a treatment facility but also as a training center for Monks and families members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the start of 2000, Mr. Wayne Matthysse, a medic working with COERR, assisted Mr. Vandin San with home visits to three families affected by HIV near the project. Within a few months, that number grew to 10 families, and by early 2001, it increased to 40. By the end of 2002, over 250 families had been reached, and as the epidemic expanded, assistance was provided to more than 1500 families.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In 2001, Vandin San and Wayne Matthysse established the local NGO called PARTNERS in COMPASSION-CAMBODIA and took over the management of the Wat Opot Project from COERR. What began as a health clinic evolved into a 24-hour Family Health and Hospice Care Center. Many victims returned home after treatment, while others stayed until they passed away. A crematorium was built, and funeral services were offered free of charge. Since 2001, over 500 people have died from AIDS-related causes, with many succumbing while in hospice care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August 2003, a new partnership with MEDICINS SANS FRONTIERS radically shifted the program\u2019s focus, as all patients began receiving Anti-Retro-Viral Therapy. The program moved from caring for dying patients to viewing them in a new light\u2014not just as victims, but as individuals needing support to rebuild their lives. Children, many orphaned, also required education and residential care. Consequently, the program was divided to address these different needs.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In November 2006, the last seriously ill patients in hospice care passed away. It was then decided that since a new hospital unit dedicated to AIDS patients was built at Takeo Hospital, the ongoing need for hospice services at Wat Opot was eliminated. Mr. Vandin San took on the task of organizing programs for adults, setting up home care teams across several provinces. These teams offered food, basic necessities for families, transportation to clinics to ensure medication adherence, and training in skills to promote self-sufficiency as patients began rebuilding their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Children who became orphans or were infected with the virus came under the care of Mr. Wayne Matthysse, who established the Wat Opot Children\u2019s Community. This compound grew into a vibrant community and a safe haven for many vulnerable children. Mr. Dara Phan succeeded him as director, while Mr. Matthysse took on the role of Overseer. In 2021, the community was placed under lockdown due to COVID. Support from donors decreased, and although the community managed to sustain itself financially by providing cremation services for nearly 200 COVID victims, donor support never fully revived. Globally, there was a trend to discourage support for orphanages. In early 2024, it was decided to end residential care at Wat Opot Community Center for various reasons, including financial considerations. By the end of May, all children were reintegrated into the community or placed in other care facilities under the oversight of social workers. The Wat Opot Children’s Community was officially closed, with all properties transferred to Partners in Compassion-Cambodia. Guardianship of the children was returned to the Social Services Department of Cambodia, which became responsible for their ongoing educational and financial needs.<\/p>\n\n\n

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June 7, 2024 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flag launching day of the Sahaka Foundation Organization (SFO)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Following the urgent request of Social Services and the families responsible for the children\u2019s education and living expenses, Mr. Dara Phan, guided by Mr. Patrick Mooney and Mr. Wayne Matthysse, decided to create a new independent NGO. This organization aims to support children who were previously sponsored while residing at Wat Opot Community. Using leftover funds from the Wat Opot Children’s Fund, he started conducting regular home visits to monitor the children’s school attendance and living conditions. The long-term goals of the SFO program include helping orphans and vulnerable children through child-care initiatives, day-school programs, and projects that support completion of secondary education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further information on how you can become a part of this new NGO please follow us at: https:\/\/www.sahaka.org\/<\/a>. For local support, please use the QR code below.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The SAHAKA Team<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 1996, the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, launched an AIDS awareness initiative in Takeo Province. Mr. Vandin San engaged with target groups, educating them about AIDS risks and prevention measures. Although there was initial concern, few anticipated the epidemic\u2019s future severity..  In the years that followed, Mr.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/watopotians.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/507"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/watopotians.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/watopotians.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watopotians.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watopotians.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/watopotians.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1189,"href":"https:\/\/watopotians.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/507\/revisions\/1189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/watopotians.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}