This is a picture of Mr. Albert Datsira with the SCAO children! Sometimes the only thing a child needs is for someone to shower them with attention, love and laughter. Thank you for volunteering your time and love Albert! The Children will never forget you and enjoyed your visit very much.

Your Donations Make A Difference

Please visit our blog often for future updates as to our progress in making all the new efforts by SCAO a reality. Your donations are always appreciated, no matter the amount. It takes a village to raise a child in Cambodia, and we plan on helping as many of our beautiful children as possible. 100% of your donations go entirely to benefit our children and to the construction of the new center. Thank you for your generosity.

By Kristin Tomlinson

An amazing volunteer team visited us recently from Singapore — Rochelle Tan, Michelle Chan, Madeleine Koh, Nicole Tay, Ling Tay, Ng Hwee Hwee and Roger. They all made the trip out to SCAO for a couple of days not only donate their time, but also their love. Coined “The Singaporeans,” this group was probably one of the smallest groups we’ve ever had, but that didn’t effect the huge amount of generosity and kindness they spread throughout SCAO.

Food for Thought

Not only did they donate so much to the orphanage, but every volunteer came here at their own expense — each paying for their entire trip to Cambodia. Talk about perseverance and determination. Before arriving at SCAO, they made a pit-stop at the local market and picked up school supplies, stationery, lettuce, carrots, limes, eggs and various other vegetables for the children. In addition, the Singaporeans also bought what we at SCAO consider luxuries: loaves of French bread, pork and apples. Often times, these “luxuries” are hard to come by and are very expensive. Therefore, we rarely eat them, and when we do, the children have to share. So for the first time in years, the children didn’t have to share . . . they were so appreciative and thrilled! When everyone saw all the gifts, food and supplies that had been donated, we were beside ourselves and overcome with so much joy. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house and a small feast was cooked that night to celebrate.

Let There Be Light

In addition to the abundance of food and school supplies, the Singaporeans brought with them a SCAO first — a solar panel control box and battery! This will not only save money, but will also give the Center and classrooms electricity . . . it recently lighted our very first light bulb! A special thanks must be given to the very generous, gracious and kind Ben Line staff that helped raise the amount to buy the panel! Thank you so much to Angela, Jus, Anqi, Lena, Midah, Adeline, Danny, James for all that you do! Your efforts will never be forgotten and will always be cherished!

Clothes To My Heart

In Cambodia, children cannot attend school without a uniform and SCAO has a limited number of them. By recognizing this need, the Singaporeans decided to fill this void by going to a local market and buying a tremendous amount of uniforms, in addition to purchasing a new pair of shoes for each child. And as if the volunteer group couldn’t have helped anymore, they found a way. With the orphan size growing, and a scarce number of beds, the Singaporeans helped construct new beds made out of wood and straw mats. They’re already planning on donating sleeping bags for their next trip! As you can see a little goes a long way. By providing these tiny necessities, they are impacting and changing these children’s lives forever. The Singaporeans came here with a small group and made an impact that will not only last years, but forever. Thanks again for all you did!

Your Donations Make A Difference

Please visit our blog often for future updates as to our progress in making all the new efforts by SCAO a reality. Your donations are always appreciated, no matter the amount. It takes a village to raise a child in Cambodia, and we plan on helping as many of our beautiful children as possible. 100% of your donations go entirely to benefit our children and to the construction of the new center. Thank you for your generosity.

The SCAO faculty and children have been busy at work building a brand new classroom before the rainy season begins. With the expansion of SCAO, new classrooms and sleeping quarters are necessary in order to provide sufficient space for everybody to learn and live comfortably. We are so thankful that all these new projects were funded and sponsored by one of our volunteer groups from Canada. Thanks again guys!

Brick by Brick

Everyone has been eager to help, and it has been so great to see everyone pitch in to get every single task done. As you can tell by the pictures, the classrooms are supported by a wooden frame, tarp and metal roof. They’re not nearly as sturdy and protected as we’d like them to be, but we are so grateful to be given the opportunity to build additional classrooms. We strongly believe education is power, and all the kids are so excited for the new school year to get under way and begin learning with all their new classmates. With love, compassion, determination and faith these children can accomplish (and build) anything!

Your Donations Make A Difference

Please visit our blog often for future updates as to our progress in making all the new efforts by SCAO a reality. Your donations are always appreciated, no matter the amount. It takes a village to raise a child in Cambodia, and we plan on helping as many of our beautiful children as possible. 100% of your donations go entirely to benefit our children and to the construction of the new center. Thank you for your generosity.

It always makes us happy when SCAO sends us updates of new improvements or activities going on in the Center. We love sharing these stories with all the supporters and hope they will inspire others to get involved and make a difference!

SCAO Children in Classroom

Vegetable Garden of Hope

We are so happy to announce that the SCAO center recently planted a new Vegetable Garden! In addition to all the fruits and vegetables they were already growing, they have now added Lemongrass to the list. This has turned the children into mini-caretakers as they each have a personal responsibility to make sure the plants and vegetables are watered daily and growing properly. The children love all the new tasks at hand that the garden has to offer and are excited to watch the vegetables grow and eventually eat them. This will teach them that hard work does pay off!

Kids Chasing Chickens

A Coop for the Chickens

In addition to the Vegetable Garden, SCAO built a brand new Coop for the 19 chickens they just bought. Talk about exercise, the children are easily amused by running around and trying to round up all the chickens and put them back in the coop. Not only have the chickens become a great source of entertainment for the kids, but they have also taught them a valuable lesson in farming education and the various ways to reduce food costs.

Your Donations Make a Difference

Please visit our blog often for future updates as to our progress in making all the new efforts by SCAO a reality. Your donations are always appreciated, no matter the amount. It takes a village to raise a child in Cambodia, and we plan on helping as many of our beautiful children as possible. 100% of your donations go entirely to benefit our children and to the construction of the new center. Thank you for your generosity.

SCAO is planning to open a second education center that will offer free English classes in mid 2011. The new center will be located in a beautiful and authentic farming and fishing village just north of Phnom Penh in the Pursat Mountain region only 12 km north of the present SCAO center.

Free Education to Help More Children

Of course fundraising activities will begin immediately so this project can help more Cambodian children needing the very basics in education and opportunity and who presently live in isolated and impoverished conditions. The people in this village community are very friendly and the local chief welcomes the support of SCAO as an active NGO (non-governmental agency) for this area. The project is planned in three construction phases: a first, second and third floor will be built according to donations that flow in. The free education can begin immediately upon completion of phase one.

SCAO New Building

Building Better Lives

Mr. Samith, the SCAO Director, purchased the land with the severance pay from his former job as a forest administrator and other savings years ago very inexpensively. The estimated cost for the three-story building with all the necessary facilities and using the most cost effective building material (cement) is around $32,000 US. The new education center will still be easily accessible to volunteers as it is only 35 minutes by motorbike from Phnom Penh. The center would attract more volunteers, especially those who want to experience the real countryside of Cambodia. Volunteers can also have the option of staying overnight at the new center.

Management and control can be handled and coordinated by Mr. Samith, Hom and Srey Lat from the mother center. A housekeeper, a cook and a guard for the new education center will be hired from among the local villagers and adequately compensated for their work.

Your Donations Will Make the Center a Reality

Please visit our blog often for future updates as to our progress in making the new SCAO Education Center a reality. Your donations are always appreciated, no matter the amount. It takes a village to raise a child in Cambodia, and we plan on helping as many of our beautiful children as possible. 100% of your donations go entirely to benefit our children and to the construction of the new center. Thank you for your generosity.

Because of the recent donations from the global community, we have had the opportunity to make renovations to the center and offer some amazing events and activities that directly benefit our children. This is all due to the generous support we’ve received by visiting guests and volunteers, and from those who have contacted and supported SCAO through our website www.savechildreninasia.org.

In addition, we have expanded the awareness of our center through the kind support of sister websites in Germany – www.kinderhilfe-in-kambodscha.org; Spain www.estrellas-de-camboya.org; and Great Britain – www.thescoopfoundation.com/projects.html. The exposure we’ve gained from these sites has allowed a tremendous outpouring of aid and has given more people the opportunity to see the good work SCAO is doing for our Cambodian children! We cannot thank these neighboring sites enough. Please look for future news and exciting updates!

What a wonder day of celebration at the SCAO center. We welcomed the Khmer New Year with food, song, friendship and sharing. The children played games, enjoyed the meals prepared by the volunteers, and invited guests and parents joined in the festivities.

As you can see by the posted photos, fun was the order of the day.

For those interested in knowing more about our Cambodian culture, here is a cultural history of our New Year celebration.

What is Cambodian New Year ?

Khmer New Year is the greatest traditional festival and national holiday. Khmer New Year begins on April 13th or 14th, depending on the ancient horoscope, “MohaSangkran”. The majority of the Khmer populations are farmers. Farmers reap and harvest their crops from the rice fields all year long, except during April. In April, there is no rain and it is very hot. Therefore, the farmers rest from working in the rice fields and celebrate the New Year.

The first day of New Year is called “Moha Sangkran,” meaning “welcoming their new angels.” This year is the year of the Rooster (Mon), and Moha Sangkran of the New Year will begin on April 13th. The leader of Angels is named KimiteaTevi. Khmer people clean and decorate their homes and prepare fruits and drinks to welcome their New Angels. They believe that any angel who comes to their homes will stay with them and take care of their family for that whole year.

The second day of New Year is called “Wanabot,” meaning “to offer gifts to the parents, grandparents and elders.” The third day is called “Leung Sakk;” that means “the year starts to be counted up from this day.” The last ceremony is called “Pithi Srang Preah”, when elders, parents or grandparents to apologize for any mistake they have done. Khmer New Year is not just a great traditional festival. It is also a generation passing on traditions.

It’s always good when we have something to celebrate and share with our supporters.

The expanded building project has been completed and we now have more room to house, educate and care for the children. This is indeed a great celebration, particularly after the recent floods that forced us to evacuate our facilities. But with the sun and dry weather, SCAO has rebounded thanks to the generosity of our contributors and the hard work of our community.

The Children of SCAO

SCAO linked this inaugural ceremony with a combined celebration and information session, inviting relatives of our children, the poor families in the neighborhood and our cherished volunteers. It was a warm-hearted event in which the SCAO philosophy of the well-being and education of disadvantaged children was a main focus. Additionally, families and parents got to directly experience the purposes and functioning of SCAO, its mission and its vision.

The pictures posted of this event show the energy and excitement on the children’s faces and the pure joy of being part of the SCAO community. All adults — parents, relatives, local community and volunteers — participated in making the inauguration a great success. Sharing food, exchanging stories, and the overall camaraderie and friendship reinforces to our reputation as a caring and loving organization.

The Men and Volunteers of SCAO

SCAO is always looking and finding ways to improve the lives of our children under our care. It is equally important for our contributors to see their donations at work to house, educate, care and help the children become productive members of our community. It is our hope and prayer that our children grow up and give back to other Cambodians in need. Brick by brick, book by book, this is the way we will help rebuild our country and its spirit.

A Big Hug to Our Generous Donors

Because donations directly benefit all the children, we want to thank our recent group of generous donors. A special thanks goes to a group of kind people who randomly found our website. They were so impressed by the work we were doing and the quality of our wonderful site, they made a generous donation. Another donor from Toronto, Canada who has taken us under his wing has just made his second bighearted donation.

The Women of SCAO

Thanks to donations from people like you, we have been able to expand SCAO. For example, we recently started offering sewing classes for disadvantaged children from the community.

Seymar and Sey taking a quick afternoon nap on their straw beds.

Mr. Samith, working hard on that second floor for S.C.A.O

Li May working on homework in Cambodia

As you can see, everyone is benefiting tremendously from all the efforts and renovations being done at the orphanage. The kids are happy and so grateful for all the support, love and education they receive from volunteers daily. S.C.A.O. has come a long way in helping provide these children a better life, but there’s still a long road ahead.

We need your help:

SCAO is constantly working hard to improve the lives of the children under our care so they can realize a better life. Your donations a big part of our Center’s success and are not only very welcomed and needed, but much appreciated by the children and the Samith family. Please visit our donations page for more info on how you can help.

Mark your calendars: A Rock Night benefit will take place on the 27^th of February. Organized by the Jüchen Children’s Aid Society Association in Cambodia.

The concert that will take place at Red Hot in Jüchen, Germany and will feature bands: Sunday Minds, Freeze Dried Rockers and headliner Fandango. “The 3 bands promise a terrific evening” said organizer Jennifer Glindermann. Dancing will be provided by dance mad DJ Fischkopp.

100% of proceeds from ticket sales go to the Children’s Aid Association in Cambodia, which supports Save Children in Cambodia (SCAO). This concert will help raise funds for the expansion of the SCAO center and the addition of a dormitory to accommodate more children Tickets are available at Polo redhot for €13.20 (incl. booking fee).

For our German readers:

Jüchen rockt für Kinder in Kambodscha!

Endlich ist es soweit! Am 27. Februar veranstaltet der Jüchener Verein Kinderhilfe in Kambodscha e.V. eine Benefiz-Rocknacht. Im redhot von Polo heizen zwei junge Jüchener Bands und der Mönchengladbacher Headliner dem Publikum mächtig ein. „Ich bin glücklich und stolz, dass sich Sunday Minds und die Freeze Dried Rockers bereit erklärt haben, kostenfei zu spielen. Als dann auch noch Fandango zugesagt haben war der Abend perfekt!“ freut sich Organisatorin Jennifer Glindemann. Alle drei Bands garantieren einen grandios tanzbaren Abend – und DJ Fischkopp wird den tanzwütigen Füßen den Rest geben.

Die Einnahmen aus dem Kartenverkauf gehen zu 100% an den Verein Kinderhilfe in Kambodscha e.V., der ein Kinderhaus in Kambodscha unterstützt. „ Wir sorgen dort für den Lebensunterhalt sowie die medizinische Versorgung von 17 Kindern und kommen für die Kosten der öffentlichen Schule auf. So haben die Kinder die Chance, aus Armut auszubrechen und eine furchtlose und sichere Kindheit zu verbringen. Schritt für Schritt begleitet eins unserer Gründungsmitglieder die Entwicklung der Organisation vor Ort. Damit unsere Spenden wirklich zu 100% ankommen!“ versichert die Vorsitzende des Vereins. Mit dem Erlös soll die Erweiterung des Kinderhauses finanziert werden, da zwei neue Kinder aufgenommen wurden und der Schlafsaal vergrößert werden muss. Karten sind bei Polo im redhot für 13,20€ (inkl. Vorverkaufsgebühr) erhältlich. Neusser Str., Jüchen Einlass 19 Uhr Beinn 20 Uhr