Our Work
Empowering children, women and communities through 4 programs areas at grassroot level to break the cycle of poverty and discrimination
Childcare
27 years caring for children
Cambodia has today over 16 million inhabitants, including 11% of children between 0 and 6 years old (UNICEF). Only 21% of them have access to good quality pre-primary services (such as preschools and day care centers) (UNESCO), notably due to a lack of knowledge of available services when they exist, persisting socio-cultural norms questioning the concept of child care outside the immediate family circle, and strong financial constraints.
KHEMARA has over 27 years’ experience educating, caring for and protecting 3 to 6-year-old. We currently run 8 child care centers (CCCs) directly targeting vulnerable children in the community, focusing on the most disadvantaged. This includes children from low-income families (living off less than USD 2 a day), those with disabilities, orphaned children, those living with HIV, and children at risk of domestic violence or neglect.
CCCs are an effective way to provide young children with a quality education while allowing parents to seek employment, which in turn supports and improves the quality of life of the whole family. Notably, our CCCs have an impact on women as they allow them to work during the day and thus increase their confidence, financial security, capacity and family income. It also allows older sisters to stay in school rather than being at home baby-sitting the younger children.
329 children directly benefited from our 8 Child Care Centres
3 balanced meals were provided every day to every child
All children received monthly health check ups by health professionals
53 students received follow-up home visits and support as they progressed to primary school
192 parents and community members received training on Early Childhood and Education
Income Generation
Empowering people through financial independence
Khemara’s microfinance project offers its beneficiaries initial loans of USD $120 with 0% interest. To increase the likelihood of success in their small businesses, we conduct workshops on business skills, marketing and loan repayment advice, as well as training on profit making.
Coupled with mandatory saving plans, we follow up with our beneficiaries by visiting them every 2 weeks to monitor progress and offer support where necessary.
We have served over 100 people since the beginning of the project, and so far 100% of our beneficiaries have been successful in repaying their loans and generating savings.
60 beneficiaries received loans
to start their businesses
60 beneficiaries received
training on how to implement their businesses
$8,040 was distributed as interest-free loans to beneficiaries
60 repaid their loans
and accumulated savings
2 communes
benefited from the project
Public Health
Creating healthy communities
Even though Cambodia’s public health system has greatly improved over the last few years, the poorest sections of the population still face great difficulties in accessing healthcare. Therefore, Khemara began the Public Health Project in 2015 to deliver educational and operational support to people living in disadvantaged areas of Phnom Penh and its surrounding areas. We currently operate in Mittapheah, K1, Psar Lech, Pormongul and Koh
Dach. The goal of the Public Health Program is to provide crucial healthcare services and ensure that disadvantaged people receive the treatment they would not otherwise be able to access or afford.
Our program offers primary healthcare services, hygiene and sexual health education, and the creation of basic care plans for disadvantaged communities. Because we value feedback and the opinion of our beneficiaries, Khemara also conducts monthly meetings with key stakeholders to ensure that communication is effective and that the projects are running smoothly and in harmony with the needs and particularities of each community.
197 beneficiaries
received check-ups
190 beneficiaries were diagnosed
with a health condition
20 were referred to a Para Clinic
71 public health volunteers
worked with us
Child Protection
Preventing child abuse
Child abuse remains a major area of concern in Cambodia. The figures from UNICEF (above) highlight the problem. Khemara launched its Child Protection Programme in February 2015 to counter the prevalence of these unacceptable levels of abuse. The aim of the project is to have a qualitative and quantitative reduction in the prevalence of child abuse. The Child Protection Program provides care and support to orphans and vulnerable children and their families to improve the quality of their lives through health and education in the community. It also aims to strengthen partnerships between the community, government and civil society in order to contribute to effective and sustainable child protection.
Since its creation, Khemara has made child protection a central goal of its Child Care Centres and conducts home visits to ensure children are safe at home. We have focused our project on Roka Pro Pram in Tbong Khmum Province, a commune with both high poverty and a high school dropout rate, leaving children especially prone to abuse. We target the community as a whole through events and meetings.
6,308 people benefited directly from the project, and a further 8,047 indirectly
3,435 children benefited from the services of the community-learning centre
1,480 participated in
community meetings
760 people attended training sessions on child rights
and child protection
8 villages and 1 commune conducted elections of child representatives