Srey La & Dalin

Srey La joined the CCF in April, 2007 when Scott, while on a visit to the dump, found her mother extremely sick and took her in. Someone had called Scott over to a small, fly infested tent where he found Koan, 34, extremely sick and with no medical care, pain relief or clean water. Rejected by her family due to the stigma associated with her illness, she was left to die on her own. Little Srey La, just seven years old, was sent out to work every day, picking garbage to get enough money so that she and her mother could eat.

Scott brought them both back to CCF1 and immediately sought palliative care for Koan. Little La has taken to the CCF like a duck to water and has already learned a lot of English.

One of Koan's wishes from her hospital bed was that we look after her 12 year old son Dalin, who was missing. We were very happy recently when we located Dalin at the dump and brought him into CCF. He has been welcomed in and has adapted really quickly. He says he is so happy to be able to live and study with his sister and his new friends.

Taren, 8-years old

Taren, or Houy to his friends, is from Kompong Cham province which is north of Phnom Penh. He was born into a very poor family and when he was only 8 months old his parents divorced. Soon after he was abandoned by both and left to live with his great-grandparents.

Houy used to go to school for half a day and look after the neighbour's cows for the rest of the day in return for rice. The family often struggled to find enough money for food as Houy's grandparents and uncle all have tuberculosis and the medical fees are expensive.

When Houy arrived at CCF he was very thin and had severe skin damage from being out in the hot Cambodian sun all day. He was also extremely timid, but since then his health has improved and his confidence grows every day. He says that he loves his life at CCF and especially likes studying and playing with his new friends. His favourite subject is English and when he is older he wants to help sick people.

Kolap, 12-years old

Before arriving at CCF, Kolap was living at Steung Meanchey, Phnom Penh’s municipal rubbish dump. Her village is centered between rising mounds of trash. Before arriving at CCF, she was not attending school. She spent her days at the dump, picking for redeemables, never straying far from the family home. Her face is scarred with burns from an accident with a gas stove.

Every time she would see Scott at Steung Meanchey, she would grab his hand and repeat “soam reeun” (“I want to study, please”) over and over, until her persistency paid off and she was admitted to the CCF.

When the CCF2 facility was ready, Kolap was in the first group of students to move there. Now enrolled in CCF2's general education program, she is learning Khmer reading and writing, English, computer applications and art. Her self-esteem is markedly on the rise and she once again has the glow of a healthy child.

Srey Chan, 6-years old

Srey Chan was found by Scott on a trip to Steung Meanchey, the city garbage dump.

When she was 4, her family moved from the provinces to Phnom Penh, to escape subsistence farming and try for a better life. They settled at Steung Meanchey in hopes that more money could be made picking garbage, but their life has been a difficult one.

After locating her mother, Srey Chan was asked back to CCF, and mother and child arrived the next morning at 8am. She took quickly to the CCF. Smart and enthusiastic, she now studies 8 hours a day, 4 hours at public school and 4 hours at CCF. She returns home nightly to her family on the CCF’s tuk tuk.

On a recent trip CCF field trip to Kep City in Kandal province, Srey Chan left Phnom Penh for the first time, and swam in the ocean

Kagna, 12-years old
Nita, 10-years old

Kagna and Nita were sent from their impoverished home in Kandal Province by parents who could no longer feed themselves and six children.

The sisters’ destination was Steung Meanchey, Phnom Penh’s garbage dump, where they would live and be under the supervision of their great aunt. The hope was that Nita and Kagna, by picking through the garbage, searching for recyclables, along with 500 to 600 other children in similar situations, would earn enough to feed themselves and perhaps enough to send some home.

From the green island community in Kandal to the filth and squalor of the dump took a serious toll on the girls’ health. When found by Scott on March 17, 2005, they were suffering from upper respiratory infections and malnutrition.

They were brought to the CCF the day they were found, receiving medical treatment, food and clean clothes. That week, after negotiations with the great aunt, they enrolled at the CCF and commenced an education program that includes Khmer reading and writing, English, computer training and nightly dance and drama school. Nita is hoping someday to become a teacher.