Friends, programs for street children in Cambodia

Background What are street children? Mith Samlanh (Friends)   Background  Years of war and political instability have led to the destruction of families and traditional community support in Cambodia. The country is slowly rebuilding itself but poverty is a major issue. Phnom Penh, the capital, is a quickly expanding city which appears to offer an attractive escape from the problems of poverty. People from rural areas arrive in Phnom Penh with few contacts and limited skills. Sometimes family members arrive together. Sometimes children leave their family behind and try to create a new life for themselves. Many young people find themselves with nowhere to live, no one to care for them and unable to support themselves so they live on the streets and have a high risk of exploitation and physical and emotional abuse. What are street children? UNICEF has defined three types of street children: Street Living Children: children who cut ties with their families and live alone on the streets In Phnom Penh there are about 1,200 street living children, 20% are girls and most are 12-18 years old. Street Working Children: children who spend all their time or most of their time working on the streets to provide income for their families or for themselves. These children have a home to return to and do not usually sleep on the streets. In Phnom Penh there are 10,000 to 20,000 children (depends on definition), 50% are girls and most are 6 to 15 years old. Children of Street Living Families: children who live with their family on the streets. In Phnom Penh there are between 500 and 1500. Mith Samlanh (Friends) History Mith Samlanh (which means 'friend' in Cambodian) was established in August 1994 in response to the numbers of children sleeping on the streets in Phnom Penh. Mith Samlanh/Friends started as a drop-in centre with a school attached with the personal funding of the three originators. After ten years the project has grown to twelve interlinked services, including outreach, boarding house, educational and vocational training, health care and HIV/AIDS, family reintegration, substance abuse awareness, children's rights and staff development. It works with an average of 1,600 children per day across seven centres and employs 220 people (5 expatriates) including social workers, teachers, skill trainers, doctors, house parents, cooks and cleaners and a small administrative staff. Sponsors include: AusAID, UNICEF, UNFPA, the European Commission, Save the Children Australia and private donors. Objectives The overall objectives of Mith Samlanh (Friends) are: Meeting the street children's immediate essential needs in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child: the right to life: providing nutritional meals, shelter, a safe environment and medical care; the right to development: providing education and reintegrating them into public school and by developing their curiosity; the right to protection: fighting all forms of abuse against children including physical, sexual, family, and emotional abuse; the right to participation: making children aware of their responsibilities and promoting action within the centre and in the community; Reintegrating the children into their families, into society, into the public school system, into their culture; Building the capacity of the staff so that the Cambodian nationals are able to run the program independent of foreign intervention in the near future. Programs Mith Samlanh / Friends has developed special links with the children living in the streets and in vulnerable communities. Its interlinked programs offer children, families and communities strong support to rebuild their lives and develop foundations for a self-supportive future. Peer education is a strong feature of all Mith Samlanh / Friends programs. Prevention and Outreach activities aim to avoid children coming to the streets or allow them to leave the streets. Mith Samlanh / Friends teams work in the streets day and night to provide counselling, basic health care and street education which includes a mobile library that encourages children to read, information on facilities and options, awareness campaigns (HIV/AIDS, Child Rights) and alternative income generating activities. An Outreach Team chats with two new arrivals to Phnom Penh giving them with information on how to remain safe and find employment The Boarding House and Transitional Home provide children with a safe shelter, meals, hygiene facilities, health care, a family atmosphere, support for studies and counselling. Young people stay at the Boarding House and are supported as they work through their traumatic experiences and develop goals and skills for their future. The Training Centre aims to develop skills and build self-confidence so children can access gainful employment. Students have access to a range of vocational training that includes: Mechanics Motorcycle and car Electronics Radio and television repair Electricity Repairing electrical appliances and setting up the electrical systems Sewing Drawing and cutting patterns for different garments Using different sewing machines for work in factories and at home Hairdressing for men Washing, cutting and colouring hair Cooking Khmer and Western styles Beautician Farming Animal husbandry and vegetable growing Business ventures Working in a real business environment, children learn how to managed finances, to deal with customers and learn about accountability within the commerce industry. Profilts generated go back into Mith Samlanh / Friends programs and students are rewarded with an income. These business ventures include: Friends The Restaurant Asian and Western tapas and snacks. Students gain first-hand experience of the hospitality business, serving the customers, taking orders, cooking and learning about hygiene in the workplace. Condom Cafe Khmer food, medical clinic and reproductive health education services. As part of the Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS Awareness Program, the Cafe provides a meeting place for low income vulnerable adolescents who are excluded from access to public health structures because of cost and stigma. Friends 'n' Stuff A shop selling materials repaired by students in mechanics, electricity and electronics training. Also goods designed and handcrafted by students in sewing and welding training. Nailbar Manicures and pedicures in every colour. Meet Riem Yuan Riem Yuan was 19 years old when he decided to leave his family of 12 people. He is the oldest son and was helping his parents earn an income through farming and collecting palm sugar. His father remarried after his mother died, from malaria, and he felt his younger siblings were less cared for than the two children of his step mother. Riem Yuan had only attended two years of school and wished his brothers and sisters could attend school for longer. During a family dispute he cursed his stepmother and left home. He went to Phnom Penh hoping to find employment and send money home to help his brothers and sisters attend school. He quickly found a job in the construction area but it was hard and irregular work. When Riem Yuan heard about Mith Samlanh's vocational training centre he could see the possibility of stable employment. He undertook sewing training with the goal of working in one of the numerous factories around Phnom Penh. He demonstrated high qualities for teaching and is now employed by Mith Samlanh as a teacher assistant. He goes to his village twice a month in to pay his siblings' school fees. Source: Mith Samlanh (Friends) http://www.streetfriends.org/