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Paya Ngoto school in Burma
Introducing a new concept in childcare, Who Will is a charity that cares for orphans and disadvantaged children in Cambodia.
In 2007 UNICEF estimated that there were approximately 600,000 orphans in Cambodia. There are many Non Government Organisations working in Cambodia that aim to help look after these children. Who Will is one of these, but uniquely believes that wherever possible children should be raised in a family environment and residence in an orphanage should only be considered as a last resort.
To make this idea a reality, Who Will have built a village, which is located approximately 30 miles from Phnom Penh. Each family home houses up to 12 children and a house mother, who is responsible for bringing up her family of orphans. This allows the children to grow up in a real family environment and ensures that the children do not carry the unjustified stigma, which occurs in Cambodia of ‘coming from an orphanage’.
One such project is Pour un Sourire d’Enfant (PSE), 'For a Child’s Smile', established by a French run NGO to help disadvantaged children who had previously lived in squalor earning a meagre livelihood collecting waste from municipal dumps.
The PSE Centre and school, provides education, but also excellent vocational training from silk weaving to gardening for children and young adults. The project is well worth visiting and the students love to meet people and show you around the school so they can practice their English.
Stop for lunch at the school’s excellent training restaurant called Lotus Blanc (there are several other outlets also in Phnom Penh) as all profits are ploughed straight back into the project.
The 'Stay Another Day' initiative provides a booklet, available in most hotels, of NGOs operating in Cambodia and information about how to ensure your holiday has a positive impact on the communities you are visiting. We also always strive to work with local businesses to promote the growth of locally led tourism projects and hotels.
Please contact us for further information if this is an area that interests you as there are several other projects in Cambodia that you may wish to visit while you are in the country, or continue to support once you return home.
ELIE, with the support of the Bunong minority villagers, rescues and treats domestic elephants which come from abusive backgrounds and have suffered illness or injury as a consequence.
This truly unique experience allows you to learn more about Cambodia's elephants and the efforts to protect them in the area. Emphasis is more about observing the elephants and helping to look after them in their natural environment than actually riding the elephants, but this is a great way to relax, take in the beautiful countryside and learn a little more about the Bunong minority culture.
Trained mahouts accompany you and the elephants during gentle walks through the jungle to waterfalls and if you are fortunate you may also spot some of the wildlife in the area such as gibbons and eagles.
WLT is a UK charity, established in 1989, which works internationally to help create nature reserves by funding the purchase of privately owned land that has high conservation value and which provides a habitat and source of food for a vast array of animals and plant life.
Of particular note are the endangered Bornean orang-utan, nine other species of primates including the proboscis monkey and western tarsier, the Bornean pygmy elephant and all eight species of hornbill. Oil palm plantations are one of the biggest threats to the orang-utan and the World Land Trust aims to protect this magnificent species by buying large tracts of land to safeguard their environment from development.
The charity has purchased 222 acres (90 hectares) of land so far and is fundraising to continue this process.
Audley and the WLT
The Southeast Asia team will be raising funds through various events and initiatives to help the WLT continue with land purchases in the lower Kinabatangan River basin. The first tract of land identified as a key purchase was recently secured by WLT having raised £343,000 for its purchase.
Now they plan to continue this programme in this area of Borneo with new land acquisition targets in the pipeline in order to ensure the survival of this unique ecosystem and its threatened inhabitants.
If you would like further information either contact us or visit the WLT website.
Traditionally, books have been rare in Laos. The number of children who go to school is slowly but steadily increasing, yet many children have never read a book outside of school textbooks. Few Lao people think that reading can be fun, can add to their education, or will provide information to improve their quality of life.
Big Brother Mouse is a charity that aims to change this; they are a publisher that aims to make books fun for both children and adults and are looking at ways to promote reading throughout Laos.
Back in May 2008, a number of Audley staff, clients and suppliers decided to raise money to help rebuild Paya Ngoto School.
The school is in the Irrawaddy Delta, Burma, and it was badly damaged by Cyclone Nargis in 2008.
Among the fundraising events was a raffle. Here are some of the prizes that were on offer:
In the end all this fundraising managed to raise a total of £11,000.
The money provided physical improvements to the school, with most importantly, a much needed flood defence wall and a raised-level concrete playground – both employed to stave off the annual monsoon flood waters and increase the children’s safety.
Educational items such as a cassette player and tapes, clocks and also 10 school uniforms have also been provided from the proceeds.