I have been living and working in Siem Reap, Cambodia for almost a year. I fly home soon. Throughout my year here I have faced many challenges in my working role and then, on April 3, Mamamia posted an article ‘How much do you give?’ that captured my thoughts perfectly. You see, I have spent a lot of my year trying to figure out how to increase the frequency and generosity of donations from individuals and private companies. I still haven’t found the answer and, as a team, we are continuously fighting to ensure the needs of the 110 students we work with are met.
The organisation that I work for is Anjali House. We aim to provide each child with free health care, food, clean drinking water and education. We believe that no child should be forced to beg or work. We believe that they have the right to enjoy their childhood – to learn, play, make friends and grow in a safe and happy environment. These are basic rights that no child should be denied.
The students that we work with are ex-street children. By this we mean that they used to work on the streets; begging, selling roses/postcards/bracelets or sometimes collecting and selling rubbish. The children were either actively participating in these activities or were at risk of doing so without someone providing them the opportunity to just be children.
Whilst at Anjali House, we forget the circumstances of how the students end up at the organisation because when they are here they are joyful, energetic and craving knowledge. We forget that their families earn between USD1.25 and USD2.50 per day, and that some of them have to cope with the added stresses of domestic violence, alcoholism and parents with disability or chronic illness on a daily basis. The students thoroughly enjoy attending Anjali House and we are glad they get to enjoy their childhoods whilst they are here.