Full Of Happiness: Chantha’s Story

Last year, we announced our expansion into our second location in Southeast Asia - Battambang, Cambodia. Since then, you’ve been helping children get out of orphanages and back into their loving families.

You see, there are approximately 17,000 children living in orphanages in Cambodia…but many of those children don’t fit the traditional definition of an orphan. The primary reasons for family separation in Cambodia are 1) poverty, and 2) a prevailing view that orphanages provide an opportunity for advancement for children.

Studies show that three out of four children in Cambodian orphanages have at least one living parent or close family member who could care for them. But often, those families are struggling with poverty and send their kids to orphanages thinking they will have safe shelter, nutritious food, and access to quality education. Sadly, many parents are unaware of the dangers and long-term damaging effects of institutional care.

That’s why we’re working with our experienced partner, Cambodian Children’s Trust, to focus on reintegration (getting children out of orphanages and back into their families) and prevention (keeping more children with their families in the first place). We have seen so many families reunited because of your support.

Thanks to you, more children like Chantha are growing up in their loving families…where they belong.

Chantha’s Story

Chantha, a young girl from Cambodia, grew up in the jungle living with her mother, father, and two younger siblings. Her father, Sinat, worked as a laborer in different provinces across Cambodia, making approximately $5 a day.

“I didn’t earn enough to cover my children’s education,” said Sinat. “So, I decided to place my daughter (Chantha) in an orphanage so she could go to school.”

Chantha went to live in the orphanage in Battambang in 2016. Her parents thought they were giving her a chance to have a better future, but they soon learned that was not the case.

Her father would make the 7-hour journey from his home to Battambang to visit Chantha in the orphanage whenever he had the money. After Chantha had been living at the orphanage for five years, Sinat found out that she had not been attending school.

“The orphanage wasn’t what I expected,” said Sinat. “I was told my daughter wasn’t happy and wasn’t doing well in school. I worried a lot and wanted her to come home.”

Reuniting a family

Our partner organization, Cambodian Children’s Trust, first met Chantha several years ago. Sinat had already made the decision that he wanted to bring Chantha home, so after meeting our partners, the reintegration process began.

Our team met with Chantha’s family several times leading to the reintegration, ensuring they had the necessary support and services so child-family separation would not occur again.

Before Chantha returned home, Sinat expressed that he would like to have his own small business, which would mean he could be home with Chantha and not have to travel for work. Our partners’ family finance officers worked with Sinat, training him in financial literacy skills like saving, budgeting, and paying off debt. They then helped Sinat acquire the physical materials needed to build a chicken coop and a vegetable farm so he could start his own agriculture business.

Once the family was stable and had a solid plan for the future, social workers picked up Chantha from the orphanage in Battambang and made the journey home with her. On the day that she returned home, emotions were high for everyone.

Sinat said, “I’m just feeling so excited, I’ve waited for this day, the day they bring my child home. I’ve felt like I lost her for these five years. I have no words to say how excited I am that she’s home.”

Full of Happiness

Chantha, now a teenager, was home at last. However, there was more to be done to help Chantha and her family.

When Chantha returned home, her family realized how much school and social development she had missed while at the orphanage. Chantha’s younger sister began tutoring her, helping her to catch up to her peers. Our partners provided Chantha and her two younger siblings with everything they needed for public school, including school books, uniforms, shoes, backpacks, and bicycles to travel to and from school.

In addition, the family’s house was very small, consisting of one small room with one bed and no door. There was not enough room for the family to sleep, and the walls and roof were full of holes. During the rainy season, the house flooded. To ensure Chantha was returning to a safe home environment, our partners built the family a new house, which would keep the family safe.

“Before, when I lived in my old house, it was leaking when it rained,” said Chantha. “The new house is not leaking anymore, so I can have a nice sleep. And I have my own bedroom, furniture, and I can sleep with my sister.”

Since Chantha’s reintegration, the family has continued to grow stronger. Sinat’s business has become very successful, and he no longer requires support to send his children to school. Chantha has been attending school every day, and the family has noted how much her confidence has grown and how her studies have improved.

“I’m really happy that I am back living with my family,” Chantha said. “I can go to school with my siblings and hang out with them, and my family is full of happiness.”

Thank you for making this possible! Every child deserves a family, and because of you, Chantha is thriving with her loving family. Thank you for being Chantha’s hero and changing her life forever.