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Helping Little Lin and Her Friends in Cambodia

Wednesday, 23 February 2011 18:55

Written by The Prem Rawat Foundation

When the Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF) medical staff first met Lin in 2009, she showed signs of malnutrition. She was 2 years old, about 2 1/2 feet tall and weighed only 15 pounds (very underweight for her size).

Lin was one of many impoverished children living at a toxic landfill site on the outskirts of the city of Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia.

Her parents could not supply her with enough nutrition for her growing body. Both parents were scavengers, supporting their three children by collecting and selling garbage, and earning only 9,500 riels per day or $0.47 per family member. This left the family lacking their most basic needs — adequate food, shelter, and health care.

Lin’s case was critical and, with the help of a grant from TPRF, the third since 2008, CCF was able to accept her into its nursery program.  Now, each day, Lin and her older sister receive fortified milk, vitamins, and three nutritious meals. Her parents — both hard workers — also receive $1.50 per day to help make ends meet.

These small interventions have made a dramatic impact on the health and wellbeing of this family. At age three, Lin has many friends, is good at sharing, and is as shy as she is curious. Lin’s parents now rent a small hut in nearby Russey Village that provides a stable home for the family. In addition, Lin’s parents are earning nearly 15,000 riels per day.

An estimated 1,200 families live and work at the 100-acre toxic Stung Meanchey landfill, scavenging through garbage for scraps of plastic and metal to sell to nearby recycling centers. Children often work at night and are under constant threat from roving gangs and child traffickers. Domestic violence and child abuse are widely reported, as are manifest health problems resulting from malnutrition and environmental hazards.

For six years, the non-profit organization Cambodian Children’s Fund, in partnership with funding organizations such as TPRF, has worked to provide nutritious meals, medical attention, and education to destitute families in communities like this. 

Photos courtesy of Cambodian Children's Fund.

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