For over a decade, DARA Europe has been dedicated to creating a bright future for children in Cambodia. Read the stories about the team in Andong and the children and families they support.
Transforming the lives of children in Cambodia
DARA Europe facilitates community development activities in the most deprived neighborhoods in Andong. Our work builds on a 2009 initiative to provide shelter for children and orphans living on the unsafe and unhygienic streets of Andong. The former child center has developed into a leading facility for education, family-based care and community support. Several educational programs are underway—for young children, teenagers, and young adults—with over a hundred participants each week.
DARA Europe collaborates with the local NGO Stellar Child Care Organization (SCCO) to provide education, family support and community empowerment for inhabitants of the four most vulnerable Andong neighborhoods. Since 2012, our foundation provides structural support to improve the well-being, safety and resilience of the Andong community.
Our mission to support children in Cambodia with opportunities for a bright future stems from the children’s center that was established in 2012 to provide a temporary, loving, caring shelter for children who are vulnerable. The goal was to guide them towards a safe home, in their own families, if possible, or with foster parents. Since 2013, SCCO has expanded its scope and focuses on supporting children and their families with a range of made to measure programmes, covering education, wellbeing, safety, income generation, and more.
In 2022, the Cambodian government’s Department of Social Affairs and a number of NGO representatives visited Andong to learn about the long-term community empowerment approach that SCCO has developed. The government stimulates NGO’s in Cambodia to adopt our family-based care model as a best practice.
Giving children opportunities for a bright future
DARA Europe is still closely involved with a group of children that were cared for in SCCO’s child center. We find sponsors in the Netherlands to support the children and their families, catering for their specific needs and personal ambitions.
Through the numerous activities in Andong, we have connected with an increasing number of children, young adults, and parents whom we are eager to support in realizing their dreams. We do so by offering supplementary school programmes for young children, scholarships for adolescents, coaching for adults, and whatever else is necessary to enhance their well-being, resilience, and independence.
Making a difference for families in Cambodia
DARA Europe is on a mission to support the most vulnerable households in Andong, a poverty-stricken neighborhood in the Phnom Penh region to build a better life. Our aim is to enable parents to support their own families.
With a varied set of educational programmes and family support activities, DARA Europe provides the building blocks for a resilient community. Our long-term collaboration with the local NGO Stellar Child Care Organization (SCCO) focuses on creating safe and stable living conditions, enabling the children to grow up in a supportive environment. Coaching, scholarships, micro credits and work facilities for parents further contribute to community empowerment.
Micro credits
With micro credits we stimulate parents to start or grow their own businesses and generate a sufficient income to support their families. A micro credit or start-up loan enables entrepreneurs to purchase, for instance, a van, or production materials.
Learn and work
DARA Europe is dedicated to providing a safe place for women to learn and work. We collaborate with local workshops and social enterprises to create vocational training and skilled employment opportunities for mothers in Andong. Our local partners employ and train mothers in textile production work, enabling them to earn a living for their families while their children attend school. DARA Europe sells the sewing center’s textile products, such as shopping bags, in the Netherlands, and proceeds are reinvested in income generating projects in Andong.
Working for and with the community
The team of SCCO in Andong consists of teachers, social workers and other professionals coming from the community and region. We are convinced that the approach makes for a win-win situation. The professionals are well-informed about the local situation, and we support local talents with solid income and career opportunities.