Why help?
After adopting our
ten-month-old baby
boy from Cambodia, I
knew we would have
to give back to the
community that gave
us our son.
While researching the
adoption process, what I
found was horrifying. Most of
the orphanages in Cambodia are
corrupt; the children are treated like
tourist attractions and used to make
money. The girls are often held back
from adoption to be sent into the sex
industry later.
There are many children, some as
young as two or three, who live on the
dumps, scavenging for recyclables to
make US$2 a day to feed themselves.
It’s dangerous work and the mortality
rate is high.
Taking action
I came across the Cambodian
Children’s Fund (CCF), a charity that
was doing more than just offering band-
aid solutions, and opened a Hong Kong
chapter in 2011.
In three years, we have raised nearly
US$2 million, which has gone into 65
projects on the ground in Cambodia.
We have built several schools and
have 2,000 students currently in the
education programme.
We have vocational training courses,
childcare facilities, free medical
clinics and leadership programmes to
encourage and empower children to
make a difference in their communities.
Children's
champion
Rescuing the poorest children from life on the rubbish
dumps of Cambodia is the motivation behind the
tireless efforts of Hong Kong mum Libby Vaughan.
Here’s how she keeps going, as told to
Katrina Shute
.
It’s about getting them out of the
“rubbish tip” mentality.
At last count, around 10,000 people
currently benefit through the CCF.
Feeling the love
I don’t cry any more when I see the
poverty and tragedy in Cambodia.
What makes me cry now is when I see
children who were destined for a life
of begging or prostitution become
educated, productive members of
the community. They have discovered
hope. These are tears of happiness.
February 2015
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