CCT's Families
CCT has implemented a new project targeting local families to provide them with living assistance, business loans and training, land and housing so they can become financially independent. In Cambodia poverty can break up families and it is hoped that through the support and self determination offered by our program families will be able to stay together and improve their own lives. We are currently working with twenty families.
If you wish to sponsor one of our families, please visit Sponsor a CCT Family
Chaing Family
Peng was orphaned at a young age, and his wife Nath, who recently gave birth to a baby boy with the sole help of her five year old daughter, is from a poor family that could not afford to send her to school, thus she is illiterate. They have supported themselves and their four children by doing odd jobs, such as gardening and cleaning houses in order to get by. Unfortunately, they were not able afford both their rent and to send their children to school, and so their children too are unable to read and write and were headed for a similar future. After an attack on Peng and Nath's children by their landlord the family fled their home and were referred to CCT by a Women's organisation for abuse victims. We are currently looking for a sponsor for the Chaing Family, for $5000 we will be able to purchase land in their name and build for them a modest but secure concrete home which will provide the family with security for generations to come. We will also be able to set up a small business that Nath can run from her home, which will mean that she will not have to leave her young children unattended during the day.
If you would like to sponsor the Chaing Family please contact us at: info@cambodianchildrenstrust.org
Reout Family
When CCT met the Reout Family, their home consisted of a single bed frame in the void underneath a family member’s house. It was a space they shared with four other families, which would flood regularly in the wet season. With the father of the family, Vath, working far away on a Thai fishing boat, his wife and three young children would become homeless until the floodwaters receded.
Since then CCT has been able to purchase land in the Reout Family’s name, build them a secure home and establish a small business for them. The family is now reunited, their girls are in school and they are successfully running their own business selling vegetables to the local market.
Finally, life is looking up for the Reout family!
Souern Family
The Souern Family comes from a small village in Prey Veng Province, near Phnom Penh. Tul Chim is physically disabled by Polio – he is able to walk with the use of crutches but becomes tired very easily and can only use one hand at a time. They struggled to make a living growing rice on a small plot of land and unfortunately due to flooding their crop was failing.
Tragically, this family lost two young boys because they could not afford to take them to see a doctor. After borrowing $50 from a neighbour and using damaging chemical fertilizer on their flood-damaged crop – the family, in debt and desperation to keep their remaining two sons alive, came to Battambang city to beg and collect recycling. When asked what the main concern in her life was, the mother of the family Somnet Noy replied, “I want to be able to feed my children every day- but there is no hope for us, our debt is too big.”
As a result of sponsorship The Souern Family is now debt free, they own their own land and house as well as having a water pump that provides their family with fresh water. They have just begun using the water pump as a source of income, selling on the bottled water and their rice field in on the mend. We were also able to provide them with a brood of chickens for breeding and some pregnant cows!
Chaim Family
The Chaim family consists of 37 year old Rim and her three boys; Ga Gadah who is 15, Toit who recently turned 13, and Boing Loing who is 11. When CCT met the Chaim Family Rim was experiencing severe PTS and was unable to maintain steady employment. Her eldest son, Gah Gadah, left school to work at the local abattoir making just 50 cents a day to support his family. Struggling to make ends meet, Rim was forced to leave Toit in the care of his grandmother in Poipet province, by the Thai border.
When CCT met the Chaim Family they were squatting in a dilapidated shack at the back of their in-laws block of land. The shack was made from tree branches, bamboo and was thatched together with grass and banana leaves. It leaked badly which meant Rim and her children did not have a dry place to sleep. When CCT learnt about this family's situation we negotiated with their relatives to give them the small piece of land they were squatting on and have now secured the land title in their name and have built them a small but sturdy home upon it.
Toit has since returned home to live with his mother and brothers to the relief of the rest of his family. Rim has since established her own small business selling Khmer salads from a portable cart which leaves all 3 boys free to attend school.
With a few simple initiatives we have been able to provide this family the means by which they can become self-sufficient. The boys are all very bright and eager to learn so we are providing them the opportunity to study at English and computer school to see that they reach their full potential.
Visit the Chaim Family Photo Gallery
Thim Family
Without an education, Pouert and his wife Tuern, could only find work as labourers in the Thai-Cambodian border town of Poipet. In Cambodia this means very long days for very little pay.
Pouert, who is now partially blind, and Tuern were forced to work seven days a week just to afford to feed their children and pay the rent on their tiny plot of land. The small sum left over was not enough for them to send their children to school.
Sponsorship of the Thim family has allowed us to purchase land in their name and build a small but secure brick home upon it, which will provide them with security for generations. We have also been able to establish a small business for the family, which has now allowed their children to attend school for the first time in their lives!
Bik Family
Davi Bik was orphaned during the war, at the age of six and spent the remainder of her childhood in an orphanage. She married young and had seven children. When Tara first met Davi she was living at the base of Banon Mountain with her husband and six of her seven children – Vissna, Sreypia, Dong, Ga, Makara, and Dou. Their home was an old, dilapidated shack with no walls and an old, leaky tin roof, although Davi had made every effort to keep it clean and pretty.
Davi’s husband, Oe. was violent and abusive. Davi’s eldest daughter, Ganya, ran away to Phnom Penh at 14, to escape his abuse, which included death threats. He also regularly beat Davi and was very violent with the other children. CCT tracked Ganya down to Phnom Penh and interviewed her. As a result of this, on Christmas Day 2010, Tara lead three undercover policemen to Oe's arrest. With CCT's support, Ganya has successfully prosecuted her father for crimes including multiple rapes and attempted murder. He confessed to all accusations and is currently in jail awaiting sentencing.
Ganya has now moved back to Battambang, where she was reunited with her mother, Davi, and her siblings in an emotional reunion. They now own their own home and are running a successful business at the base of the Banon Mountain.
The children are now in school for the first time in their lives. The whole family is thriving in their new environment, free from the oppression and abuse they suffered for so many years.
Visit the Bik Family's Photo Gallery.
Phon Family
Da Phon is a landmine victim who lives in the Banon district of Battambang. After hitting a landmine when trying to plow his own land he lost his right arm from the elbow down, as well as the majority of the fingers on his left hand. As a result of shrapnel from the blast, he is now also blind in his right eye.
The father of 10 children, he supports three generations of his family, working without complaint despite his physical disabilities.
CCT has assisted the Phon Family in moving towards self sufficiency by helping them to set up a profitable farm. Da and his children are now growing vegetables that they sell at the local market as well as raising cows and chickens!
Roua Family
Abused by her father for many years, Ganya ran away from her family home when she was only 14 years old. She made her way to Phnom Penh, and faced a difficult life in Cambodia's rough and poverty stricken capital. CCT met Ganya in Phnom Penh, and successfully helped her to prosecute her father who is now in prison. As a result she, her husband and her beautiful daughter have returned to her home town where she now lives with her mother, and the siblings she had been separated from for many years. Her little family now supports itself by running a small restaurant in a popular local tourist area, while her husband Borng works as a motorcycle taxi!
Kaite Family
Both Bunna and his wife Wory are victims of human trafficking, Bunna who has suffered crippling polio leaving him without the use of his legs, was taken to Malaysia and used as a beggar to generate money for the traffickers. Eventually immigration officials caught Bunna and when he couldn’t produce any form of identification he spent six months in an overcrowded, windowless cell in a Malaysian prison.
Wory was trafficked into Thailand and was put to work at a clothing factory, one day her sleeve got caught in one of the machines, pulling her arm into its inner workings and completely crushing her hand which was left permanently crippled.
Bunna and Wory met when he returned to Battambang and soon married, Bunna worked fixing bicycles whilst Wory sold peanuts at the local market to support themselves. However, when Wory gave birth to their first and then second baby girl the money that they were able to make just wasn’t enough. Bunna began begging after he finished work every day to try and pay his rent and keep his family fed.
Bunna is a charismatic man with a 100 watt smile, since meeting CCT Bunna has undertaken a motorcycle mechanics traineeship, and has now fulfilled his dream of owning a tuk tuk fitted as a mobile mechanic business. Bunna's young daughters now have access to good healthcare and education. This family now lives together in a home they own and industriously supplement their income by running two fruit stalls.
Visit the Kaite Family's Photo Gallery.
Huhn Family
When Pak’s husband died his brother forced her and her children from the family’s home. Pak and her 5 children, including a mentally disabled daughter, had no money, were still coping with the loss of their husband and father and had nowhere to go. They began living in a small hut on government land, hoping they would not become the targets of opportunists. On many occasions, Pak was approached by child traffickers wanting to buy her children. Time and time again, Pak refused.
Their life was hard. Their house was little more than a leaky shack made from materials that the family was able to fossick from various rubbish heaps and abandoned buildings. Their only income came from the morning glory and lotus roots that Pak would pick every morning at 3.30am before getting her children ready to go to school at 4.30am. She would walk the two hours with her children to their classroom every day and then would sell her vegetables while she waited for their classes to finish so that she could walk them home. Pak was able to earn 50c -$1, on a good day.
CCT has since relocated the family to a new, secure rental home with running water and electricity, something they have never experienced before. CCT has assisted Pak in establishing a small business, she now runs a pancake stall at a primary school in her neighbourhood on weekdays and on the weekend she operates her stall outside of a popular local temple. Pak is hardworking and motivated in her efforts towards reaching self-sufficiency.
Ann Family
Jantra and Srey Mom live in a houseboat a long way out of Battambang city - about a day’s trip up the river. Both are HIV positive. They have 5 children, who fortunately are all HIV negative.
The family has a small business breeding and selling fish. CCT has provided them with a loan to develop their small business into a larger enterprise. Should any health issues arise for Jantra and Srey Mom, CCT will ensure they are able to access good quality healthcare and that their children are supported.
Visit the Ann Family's Photo Gallery
Pich Family
Savon Pich is married with 4 children and living in Siem Reap. She is a long-time friend of Aki Ra, who runs the well-known Landmine Museum in Siem Reap – an organisation doing amazing work to clear Cambodia of landmines and help victims.
Tragically, Aki Ra’s wife, Hort, mother to his two children and his number one supporter, died recently. In her absence, Savon took a job working at the Landmine Museum to help Aki Ra and support his work. This meant that she and her husband could no longer afford to send their three school-aged children to study English and undertake extra education. CCT is now supporting their three children, Royal, Srey Mom and Srey Nich to finish their extracurricular education, which will put them in good stead for future employment.
Gong Family
Ni Gong is the mother of CCT’s children Premprey and Sophy. She is a kind and gentle woman who was the victim of severe domestic violence, leaving her physically disabled and in chronic pain. She is also the sole caretaker of her granddaughter, Juju. Juju’s mother abandoned Juju just three weeks after she was born, leaving her in the care of Ni.
CCT currently covers the costs of rent, food, medical bills and pre-school for Ni and Juju. Ni currently runs a small steamed corn business, and actually brings corn to the children at CCT every week!
We plan to secure land in Ni's name upon which we will build them a home that will provide security for this family for generations to come. The family will be able to operate future businesses from this home which means that they will never have to pay the high rent for shop space in town. This is a very exciting project for CCT and we will be sure to keep you updated as the land is secured and building begins!
Visit the Gong Family Photo Gallery
Meah Family
The Meah family were living in extreme poverty. They had no house or land of their own and were squatting in a tiny straw hut in the Phnom Sampeau village. Sophea is suffering a severe mental illness and is not able to provide or care for her two daughters. This meant that Euorn, 79yr old mother to Sophea and grandmother to Sopoan and Sopeaya, had to walk miles every day to sell little Khmer cakes in order to make enough money to look after her daughter and granddaughters. They were all frighteningly thin and struggling to survive.
The Commune Chief alerted CCT to this family's situation after they we evicted from the tiny shack they had been squatting in.
We have now moved them to a small, but safe and comfortable, brick home at the base of Battambang's famous Phnom Sampeau Mountain, which attracts both local and foreign tourism. We are in the process of setting up a small shop outside the front of their home, which should generate enough income for the family to eventually become entirely self-sufficient and sustainable.
This intervention has helped prevent two little girls from becoming orphans.
FAMILY UPDATE AUGUST 2010: Euorn was suffering from such severe tooth decay that she was in constant pain and unable to eat solids. She has now finally finished all her dental work. After a total of 9 visits to the dentist she has had all her teeth extracted and has a perfect new set of dentures. She's thrilled! She says it's the first time in years that she has been pain free and is now able to enjoy eating again. She has even put on a kilo or two! Visit the Meah photo gallery to see the results.
Visit the Meah Family Photo Gallery.
Chhuom Family
The Chhuom family are extremely poor, they were tricked into selling their home and land in order to pay for a surgery that doctors promised would restore their blind daughters vision.
Both parents, Vary and Ra, came from very poor families who could not afford for either of them to finish school, which means that they have only been able to find minimum wage work to support their children.
As a result of their sponsorship the Chhuom family are about to move into their very own home! Vary will run a small business making cakes which she can sell from home and Ra will complete his training as a mechanic so that he will be able to gain paid work fixing engines in his local area.
Hout Family
Ni was a soldier in the military. He had an accident which left him a quadriplegic and caused permanent damage to one hand. Unable to work or care for himself, his teenage daughter, Gontia, took on the role of fulltime carer to her father. It is a role she has carried out diligently, without complaint or thoughts of the sacrifice she has made.
After CCT met Ni he was forced to undergo surgery to remove a large cyst and stone in his kidney. CCT was able to pay for this surgery and then move both Ni and Gontia into one of CCT's homes while he recovered. Living at CCT, Gontia was able to participate in literacy classes for the first time in her life.
Now that Ni has made a full recovery CCT has assisted him and Gontia to find a home in Battambang, where Ni is close to medical care. CCT provides them with the support that enables Gontia to receive vocational training as a seamstress. The skills that she is developing will see her gain employment at the completion of her training course. We are all very impressed with Gontia's determination to support herself and her father.
Visit the Hout Family Photo Gallery
Chan Family
Gong was born into a large family with seven siblings, including Sinet, Sineit and Nacha who now live at CCT. His parents worked as candle sellers, earning less than $1.50 a day to support their family.
Gong's youngest sister died of malnutrition at just six months of age and his father became infected with HIV after engaging in prostitution. His mother was forced to sell the few possessions they owned to pay his father's medical bills. His father died of AIDS when Gong was a teenager.
Gong's mother remarried and left Battambang to work in Poipet on the Cambodian/Thai border with her new husband. Gong and his siblings were left alone for months at a time while their mother struggled to make a living. Gong was forced to leave home and work in the rubbish dumps, scavenging for rubbish that could be sold as recycling, making at most 50 cents a day to help support his family.
His mother then became ill with AIDS, leaving Gong and his siblings with their step father while she went to a provincial hospital in Banteay Meanchey Province. During this time, their step father beat Gong and raped Gong's little sister, infecting her with HIV. After their mother passed away, Gong’s siblings were sent to live in a local orphanage (from where they were rescued by CCT in 2007) but Gong was too old for the orphanage and was left to find work to support himself.
Gong is now married to a lovely woman named Art and has two beautiful little boys named Jet and Jen. He is a diligent and hard working carpenter who only wants the best for his family. Despite working seven days a week, he still doesn’t make enough money to make ends meet and the family can only afford to live in a dirt-floored tin shack. Art is uneducated and has no form of income.
The future looks much brighter for the Chan family. CCT has provided Gong with a loan to grow his business and build a home on the vacant block of land left to him when his parents passed away. We will provide Art with vocational training, enabling her to contribute to the family’s income and Jet will now attend an international preschool where he will learn to read and write in both Khmer and English.
Visit the Chan Family Photo Gallery.
Chuon Family
OCTOBER 2011. IT IS WITH DEEP REGRET THAT WE ANNOUNCE RERN CHUON PASSED AWAY. OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH HER FAMILY AND WE WILL SUPPORT VANNA AT THIS SAD TIME.
Rern Chuon is the auntie of CCT's young adults Sinet, Sineit and Nacha, as well as Gong, whose family is being supported by CCT. Rern lives in Battambang province with her son Vanna.
Vanna has grown up in extreme poverty as Rern struggled to make a living. When Rern contracted tuberculosis she was too sick to continue work and was eventually hospitalised. After many months of treatment she was allowed to return home, but due to inadequate care in the provincial hospital she did so in a very poor condition. With no living relatives to support her, other than young Vanna and another son who is currently doing time in prison for stealing, Rern and Vanna had no income. Rern was too malnourished and frail to work, so Vanna went to work in the rubbish dump, in an attempt to feed himself and his sick mother.
When CCT met Rern she was in such an emaciated condition that she was unable to walk the 20 metres to our vehicle. She and Vanna moved into one of CCT’s homes where Vanna was able to attend school and Rern was able to rest, while being nursed back to health on high-energy milk formula and a healthy balanced diet.
We aim to provide them with the means to support themselves and ensure that Vanna can continue his studies.
Visit the Chuon Family Photo Gallery
Rett Family
Following the death of her father, Jana was left by family members at a local orphanage in Battambang district. She was never educated past a 1st grade level and suffered years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her carers.
When Jana was old enough to leave the orphanage she was unskilled, ill educated and had no one to help her to make a life for herself. Eventually she fell pregnant and with nowhere to live and no one to care for her she had no choice other than to sleep on the streets.
Jana's son was born on the 8th of June, 2010. She named him Aryaa. When asked about what she wants to do in the future, Jana is uncertain. She has never had the luxury to think beyond the day.
Soukia Family
When CCT met Lee Soukia and his wife Jandar they were living together with their three small children in Battambang’s slum. Without the money to send her children to school Jandar would instead take them with her to pick through the rubbish looking for metals and plastics that could be sold as recycling. At best the family was able to make a couple of dollars a day to feed themselves.
CCT has since assisted the Soukia family to establish a small business which means that Jandar and her children will no longer have to pick through the rubbish dump in order to get by. Jandar now has a mobile cart which she takes to the local market, schools and temples selling iced sugar cane. CCT has enrolled her children in school and now 11 year old Srey Goh and 5 year old Vanna are attending public school for the first time in their lives!
CCT is also in the process relocating the Soukia family back to their home town where we will purchase land in their name and build them a home, this will provide the Soukia family with security for generations to come. CCT will also assist Lee Soukia in establishing his own motorcycle repair shop out the front of his new home, which will see this family well on their way towards financial self-sustainability.
Visit Soukia Family's Photo Gallery
Lee Family
When CCT met the Lee family they were squatting in an abandoned train station building. It was the peak of the rainy season and so the building had been severely flooded. They were forced to perch on rocks to keep themselves up out of the ankle deep, black, stagnant water. The children had acute respiratory infections and were worryingly malnourished.
CCT provided the Lee family with rent assistance as they worked to get back on track. Jet now works as a builder and CCT has provided his wife Suey with a mobile cart which she can wheel into town and use to sells snacks and drinks in order to supplement her husbands income.