The visit to Cambodia allowed him to assess whether the money which had sent over there since the inception of the CFF was being spent correctly and wisely, and he was pleased to find that everything was as it should be. The children are happy and healthy, and the centre has seen some recent improvements.
Neth realised that the older children need a little more privacy, and as such he decided to have lofts installed in both the boys’ and girls’ dormitories, each with their own bathrooms. This has had the additional beneficial effect of ‘relieving’ (quite literally) the problems of queues at the existing three bathrooms.
Additionally, the classroom on the top floor of the building was often very hot, as there was only a tin roof to protect the children from the sun. New ceiling fans have now been installed to make the learning environment a little more conducive. This classroom is used for English lessons additional to the lessons the children have at Cambodian school.
Having seen these improvements, and having heard from Neth that they were still a little short of money to fund the changes, the CFF sent £1000 to the NCCLA bank account to cover the outstanding debt when Alan got back to England. This was the second £1000 donation to have been transferred to Cambodia since the CFF was created, and was extremely gratefully received.
Further news is that two new children have recently been taken in by the orphanage. Both are boys, one being in his early teens and the other being much younger, around 4 or 5. This is a photo of the younger boy, whose name is as yet unknown to us…Neth will be contacted soon and asked to send biographies of each child, and these will be posted on the website as soon as they are received. The older boy was a glue-sniffer on the streets of Phnom Penh (an all too familiar sight I’m afraid to say) until he was taken in, and he seems to be settling in fine. We are greatly encouraged by these additions, as it shows Neth’s commitment to keep the good work the NCCLA does going.
And finally, here is a recent photo of all the children at the centre with Neth and Thavy, taken on the riverside very near the orphanage. As you’ll be able to see, all the children are looking happy and healthy!
