Extending Bridges of Hope in Cambodia


Dear supporters

Thank you so much for partnering with us in Cambodia and particularly in the Bridge of Hope programme. After a period of transition in several ways, the Bridge of Hope is now moving towards a new venture…

GOAL:

Our desire is, as previously, to continue to reach out to children at risk. We believe that in order to see long-lasting change, we need to target families and communities rather than work exclusively with children. Our aim is to see long-term transformation, hope and a better future for them.

LOCATION:

The situation of slums in Phnom Penh (the current project’s location) is quite unpredictable as they are being relocated by the government to various places. Furthermore, the NGO coverage of the needs of the poor communities in town seems to be adequate. Being aware of this, we have been looking into the possibilities of  a new location for the project for several months.

A network of organizations specialized in fighting child sexual exploitation and human trafficking drew our attention to the provincial town of Siem Reap, where issues such as domestic violence, abuse and exploitation are seriously affecting  children and their families.  After much consideration and reflection, we decided to move in this direction. By the end of this year, we will be relocating the “Bridge of Hope” project to Siem Reap.

The children and families who have been in our program up till now will be taken care of by organizations  working in Phnom Penh and we are so grateful that solutions have been found for all of them before we leave the city.

STRATEGY:

As mentioned above, we want to target families and communities. Hence, we are thinking of  having a community centre right in the heart of a small, poor community in Siem Reap -  right where the people are. Activities will be designed according to the felt needs of the people and the community so we plan to have programs for adults as well as children. Community health education and one-on-one training for children are approaches that we are considering using.

Obviously, we will be working more in the area of prevention, only intervening when necessary. We believe there is a need to work at the root of what causes so many to end up on the streets or in exploitative situations of all sorts. We also believe that real transformation starts in the heart and mind and that only Love can make it happen.

At a later stage, we are also thinking of working in more remote villages where there are major needs for education and healthcare.

PERSONNEL:

Mr Tim Paton (France) stepped down from the Bridge’s management last year and is now concentrating on mobilizing the local people to reach their own communities.  Ms Valeria Peres (Brazil) is the new project manager with16 years of experience in Cambodia working with children at risk and traumatized children.  Dr Christine Lindenmayer (France) is working alongside Valeria Peres, bringing both field and professional experience to the project. Hopefully more foreigners will  be joining the team in the future along with the Cambodian personnel we recruit in Siem Reap.

Once again, thank you for your very much appreciated support.   

Valéria Pires - Project Manager - Phnom Penh, October 2009.