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Oliver Peisley volunteering in Cambodia

Cambodia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. A country ravaged by war only four decades ago, it still suffers today with inadequate infrastructure and a very poor economic situation. Over one-third of the population of Cambodia lives below the poverty line.

Unfortunately, these problems have a huge effect on the children of Cambodia with more than 50% of the population being under 21 years old and the number of street children is rising by 20 percent every year.

“There are an estimated 616,023 working children aged between 5 and 17 years and 2,000 street children in Phnom Penh. A further 15,000 children, while not homeless, spend more than six hours a day scavenging and begging.  It is estimated that there are 700,000 economically active children between the ages of 5 and 17 in Cambodia. Nearly three quarters of these children have dropped out of school. “Without education they face the stark reality of living the same life as their parents; poor and hungry, susceptible to all kinds of abuse and disease.”
NOTE:International Organistion ‘Round Square’ representative Andrew Fox

Le Restaurant des Enfants (LRDE)  in Cambodia is where we volunteered in April 2017.

LRDE commenced their good work in Cambodia on 1 February 2010 and to date (@ 21 October 2017) have provided 490,642 meals to Phnom Penh’s street children. LRDE operates Monday through to Saturday every week and the children that attend are provided a fresh hot meal and access to showers, medicines, doctors, nurses, barbers, and a place to rest and play. (NOTE:  Every child is welcome to attend every day LRDE is open).

In addition to this good work, LRDE staff work tirelessly to find sponsors for the children.  Sponsoring a child will provide to the child and their family: rice 15-20 kg per month, 1000 riles ($0.25 USD) to go to school, health care, two fresh hot meals a day, a uniform and school materials (if the child is not of school age they are provided extra milk).  (Note:  In Cambodia the average income is $1.00USD per day.

Mum and I are heading back to Cambodia on 30 June 2018 where we are volunteering with LRDE again but in addition we will be volunteering at the Elephant Valley Project , then moving on to the Lotus House  (near Siem Reap), whose mission is to create sustainability within a community and rise above poverty to create social change. Lotus House help the local communities to help each other, to live in a thriving, functioning, self sustaining Community by providing the money and tools to do that. Our intention is to raise enough money to support at least two children to go to school and provide LRDE with extra food, hygiene products, perhaps even a play house for the children, and also to make a significant donation to both the Elephant Valley Project and Lotus House so we have set up a Go Fund Me page and if you would like your donation to go to a specific project use LRDE, EVP or LOTUS on your donation. Help us to help those in need. Go to https://www.gofundme.com/raising-funds-for-cambodia

Oliver Peisley (Year 7)