The first charity project starts implementation
The charity workers at M’Lop Tapang (MT) street children’s centre in Cambodia have now found and purchased land for the sports centre, thanks to the funds we have raised through ‘The Long Road Home’ adventure.
The money we are raising is for two charity projects, one in Pakistan for 10,000 children and one in Cambodia for 5,000 children. We still need over 50,000 USD to meet the overall fundraising target, but the Cambodia project has more or less funded - hence implementation can start.
The land MT have purchased is at a site a few hundred meters from Sihanoukville’s central market, in the very centre of town. The location is five minutes from the slums, and five minutes from MT’s drop-in centre for older, mostly drug-abusing children.
Thouch Seth, MT outreach manager said, “This area is an ideal location, as there are many bored youth using drugs nearby.”
The playground will have a small info point, where all children can meet social workers if needed. “The families of many children do not allow their kids to attend our centers, but this playground allows those children to meet outreach social workers, and at the same time have fun and be safe”, Thouch Seth said.
Currently, it’s the rainy season, and conditions are particularly hard for Cambodia’s poor. Slum areas become a river of garbage, water borne diseases and mud. The MT education center is full of up to 100 kids at any time.
MT tries to help street-children build stable lives and reintegrate into their families and communities. This summer, Map, an 18 year old, ex-drug user, has just been reintegrated with his family after 8 years of no contact. The MT drop-in center and outreach team encouraged him to leave the streets, stop using drugs, learn new skills and seek out his family. Now he has his own small business with pony and cart in his home province. His family are delighted to have him back and thought they would never see him again. The MT Outreach team does regular follow up visits and Map is extremely happy to be both back with his family and making his own income.
Tren, an 18-yr old ex-drug using, street-living kid who has been attending the MT drop-in center for over a year, was one of 20 people selected to attend a MT training programme on how to work with street children. He did so well that he was selected as full-time volunteer in the MT outreach team, a great role model for kids who are still using drugs on the street.
MT expects more than 300 kids a day will use the sports centre, making a terrific difference, not just to MT but to the whole community. Maggie Eno, who runs M’Lop Tapang, writes: “The sports centre will be one of the most effective programs yet. Sports can help enormously when working with kids, for building self-esteem, making friends, keeping fit and replacing boredom. The space will be open to all children, from every background. It will be their place. It will be unique.” A huge thanks and pats on the back to EVERYONE who has made this possible through donations. As the sports centre goes up, I’ll write again with news and photos from the MT team, so you can see for yourself how the funds you have donated are being used. Thanks again to all - and I really hope that we can also reach the target for the Pakistan over the next few months, so that project can also start implementation.
Meanwhile, I’ve now finally made it to Baku in Azerbaijan, on the other side of the Caspian Sea, and am getting ready to set off on my next leg, through the Caucasus…