Cambodia is predominantly associated with the world’s largest religious monument, Angkor Wat, a bucket list tourist attraction for avid travelers in South East Asia. It is this tourism, along with garment exports, that has fueled Cambodia’s economic growth over the last 25 years. According to The World Bank, this growth measured at 7.7% between 1998 and 2019. This correlates with the country’s declining poverty rate, dropping from 36.7% in 2014 to 16.6% in 2022. While these facts are impressive, it is the Cambodian people and the charities supporting them that truly demonstrate this progress. 

Here are five charities operating in Cambodia to maintain and expand on Cambodia’s elimination of poverty and encourage its people’s movement into the upper-middle income class.

1. Tiny Toones

Among the first charities operating in Cambodia in this list is Tiny Toones. This unique Cambodian charity takes an alternative approach to poverty reduction, teaching Cambodian children the art of break-dancing to prevent gang involvement, exploitative labor and substance abuse. Tuy Sobil established Tiny Toones in 2005, hosting dance lessons in his home for local kids living on the streets. As interest grew, Sobil became more than just a dance teacher; introducing English and computing lessons as well as general guidance. Fully funded by donations and staffed by former students, this grassroots Cambodian charity sees more than 100 children through its doors every day. Its scholarship program provides opportunities for students to attend university—breaking family poverty cycles and enhancing employment prospects. Tiny Toones offers a creative community for children most vulnerable to impoverishment and continues to expand with donations, sponsorship and popularity. 

2. Chab Dai

With a focus on anti-slavery, the Cambodian charity, Chab Dai, operates on various levels to empower individuals to demand their human rights. About 58% of Cambodians are vulnerable to modern slavery and 83,000 people are currently victims of these conditions. Taking a collaborative approach, this organization covers educating and resource sharing, supporting community development, counseling, legal guidance and assisting local and national authorities with policy making. Chab Dai founded the Global Learning Community in 2012, an anti-trafficking movement that connects grassroots organizations through interactive conversation and comprehensive research. The 2022 Impact Report commemorated the participation of 43 countries in their network, as well as specific milestones in Cambodia. About 69 police officers completed training to respond to trafficking cases and 172 counselling sessions occurred. Chab Dai elevates voices and pools together resources for a future far removed from modern slavery. 

3. New Hope Cambodia

Beginning as a grassroots Cambodian charity and growing into an internationally recognized NGO, New Hope Cambodia has three main objectives including education, health care and community and crisis care support. The Cambodian government’s Identification of Poor Households Programme (IDPoor) recognizes households that require targeted services. New Hope Cambodia provides 600 children from such households with free schooling, breaking the poverty cycle by enhancing the futures of the children they care for and allowing parents the time to seek employment of their own. In July 2010, the New Hope Cambodia restaurant opened, teaching Khmers skills that would lead to more prosperous lives beyond the program. 

4. Globalteer’s Helping Hands School

More than 300 students are enrolled at Globalteer’s Helping Hands School in the rural village of Prasat Char. This organization supplements the existing education system in Cambodia; while a half day at school is free to those with uniform and stationary, many do not meet these requirements. Helping Hands offers supplies and funds the other half of the day to offer its students a complete learning experience. The ‘Helping Hands Champions’ charity, a collection of individuals and social enterprises who donate their time and money to expand the school and its wider community, mitigate costs. Help did by no means come to a halt with the COVID-19 pandemic, as Helping Hands delivered 1,440 food packs in 2021 while schools were closed, and continued to provide uniforms when they reopened. It is this optimistic outlook that is guaranteeing a brighter future for rural Cambodia. 

5. Daughters of Cambodia

Poverty and sex work often have close links, especially in developing countries like Cambodia. Growing up in poverty often means a lack of basic education, which subsequently leads to very few job prospects. The desperate need to support their families, or even to fend for themselves, can often lead young girls into the commercial sex industry, selling their bodies to stay alive. Daughters of Cambodia offers these girls a way out, providing jobs and recovery programs to support them in building new lives free from exploitation. In this case, girls initially receive training to sew and craft jewelry, with their products being sold in the Daughters of Cambodia store located in Phnom Penh. While not a shelter, this social enterprise operates to provide a safe space for these young girls to improve their quality of life, working through psychological trauma and reducing the risk of re-trafficking. 

Looking Ahead

Cambodia’s aim of becoming an upper-middle income economy by 2030 remains attainable, and it is organizations like these charities operating in Cambodia that create the backbone of a society capable of such progress. Those who these organizations help are the very individuals who will fuel the future economic landscape. Therefore, maintaining and expanding their success is vital for the country’s growth out of poverty.

– Connie Champain
Photo: Flickr