Welcome to Raise Cambodia
Cambodia is still the second poorest nation in East Asia despite significant progress in recent years. Cambodia has a population of over 15 million people with 33.3% of the population being under 15 years old. It is a nation inundated with poverty, exploitation and human trafficking. Cambodia’s children need protection, education, guidance and love.
Will & Anne
Will and Anne Downie have been working with partner organisations in South East Asia since 2007 to help alleviate poverty. In early 2011 they visited Cambodia for a holiday and felt a strong desire to be able to do something to help the Cambodian people. Many short term trips to Cambodia later they are now in a position to be “hands on” in Cambodia organising and dealing with the projects. William has a farming and business background. Anne has a background in Accounting, training and small business ownership. They have six adult children and a growing tribe of grandchildren.
Our Story
Since 2007 we have been committed to making a difference in Asia. After a visit to Vietnam we found ourselves profoundly impacted by the poverty that affects much of the population and we decided to do something to make a difference to as many Vietnamese people as we could. With the generous support of family, friends and acquaintances we were able to sponsor a number of villages and became involved in projects to improve the lives of the people living in the villages.
Early in 2011 we visited Cambodia and it is here that we are now focussing our attention. Cambodia is a nation with a broken past. Nearly two million people lost their lives during the reign of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970’s. Since that time thousands more have been killed or maimed by landmines left behind from that era. The effect of the devastation is still felt today. With much of the older generation wiped out during this period, the family structure previously a bedrock of Khmer culture has been broken down.
Cambodia is still the second poorest nation in East Asia despite significant progress in recent years. Cambodia has a population of over 15 million people with 33.3% of the population being under 15 years old. It is a nation inundated with poverty, exploitation and human trafficking. Cambodia’s children need protection, education, guidance and love.
About Raise
Cambodia is a nation with a broken past. The Vietnam war, the civil war and the Khmer Rouge regime during the 1970’s has left the country in tatters. Nearly two million Cambodians lost their lives during that time . Thousands more have been killed or maimed by land mines since that time.
Raise Cambodia exists to raise awareness and support for people living in extreme poverty. Check out our projects page to see our current range of projects. We have a love for the Cambodian people and a passion for helping those in need. We assist individuals and families along the path to becoming self sufficient and with this comes a sense of self worth and a hope for the future when in the past the future has seemed bleak. We do this in collaboration when appropriate with village officials and community involvement together with other organisations that we partner with.
Water and Sanitation
Many Cambodian families particularly in rural areas have no access to clean drinking water. They obtain water from stagnant ponds, streams or canals. This water is polluted with rubbish and contaminated with bacteria. Illness caused by drinking this water prevents parents from going to work and children going to school. Providing clean water for a family can also help them on the road to self-sufficiency and better health as they may be able to grow their own vegetables and fruit for their own consumption or sale at the local market. Clean drinking water, and for washing hands also helps with sanitation issues.
Imagine having to go out into a barren field with little or no trees or bushes when you need to go to the toilet. This adds to the shame that many poor families feel already and also adds to the problem of disease that this lack of sanitation causes. The Cambodian Government has a goal to have all families with a toilet by 2025 and we are doing our bit to help this goal be achieved. Often the family is able to build the toilet themselves after we provide the materials needed.
Education
Education is the best way to empower children with the knowledge, strength and confidence needed to understand and promote their own growth, self-sufficiency and rights. With education children can leverage themselves and their families out of the cycle of poverty.
Around 80% of children start school but many don’t finish. Schooling is only compulsory for the first six years but this is not policed and only around 25% go on to start high school. Children are kept out of school for a variety of reasons – their parents may be unable to afford the fees for books and uniforms, they may be engaged in child labour or be looking after younger siblings. They may live too far from the nearest school or their parents may not realise the importance of education as they themselves are uneducated. Without education these children will never escape the poverty cycle. Our program provides for school fees, text books and a uniform for the children at a school at the old tip site in Phnom Penh which is an area of extremely poor families who attempt to survive by scavenging items from the rubbish dump