“Sunshine House came about after an unusual experience. One day while walking near the Central Market, one of our workers was approached by a woman selling her baby for US$20. It would be easy to think ‘how could a mother sell her baby for US$20?’ But it turned out her husband was dead, she was dying from AIDS and given the fear HIV/AIDS caused in the community, she figured at least her child would be safe and the few dollars could purchase medicine to ease the pain as she died. That experience, together with the fact that nothing existed for children left behind by AIDS, led to the Sunshine House project.”
RESCUE is not an EVENT it’s a process.
It’s a sad fact that orphans are an incredibly vulnerable population group within Cambodia; many are homeless and exploited. Our commitment is to provide these children with the necessary resources and education to become future leaders and the professionals that Cambodia so desperately needs.
In the year 2000 Awareness Cambodia established its first project, Sunshine House, where children orphaned or abandoned due to HIV/AIDS could find safety, security and education.
Located in the rural countryside of Kompong Speu province (80km from Phnom Penh), Sunshine House has developed into a small village housing Khmer staff, children and a full-time volunteer nurse and her family. Sunshine House is a place of rescue, shelter and protection. We ensure a holistic approach is taken to care for all aspects of our children’s wellbeing.
House of Progress provides accommodation for our young adults as they continue their upper high school education.
The House of Progress was initiated to provide a seamless pathway from Sunshine House to Graduation House.
House of Progress is focused on providing continued upper high school education, life-skills training and preparation for future employment or university studies.
We see the children of Graduation House as the future leaders and professionals that Cambodia so desperately needs in order to rebuild as a nation. Graduation House represents the final step in the educational journey for Awareness Cambodia’s children.
This project provides young adults with a home in which to live independently (but within the support structure of Awareness Cambodia) whilst they attend university or technical training.
Rescue is not a moment or event, it’s a process. The journey from Sunshine House to House of Progress and onto Graduation House allows orphans to access higher education within a supportive and structured environment.
Today’s students are studying and graduating from disciplines such as Civil Engineering, Economics, Architecture and English Literature.
Importantly, Awareness Cambodia Child Development Programs are registered with the Cambodian Government and enjoy a high status with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor, Vocational Training and Youth Rehabilitation (MOSALVY).
We reduce suffering by providing options for forgotten children
