Care for Children initiated a strategic partnership with the Cambodian government in 2021, having initially conducted a piece of research on its child welfare system in 2017.

Why we work in Cambodia

In the last two decades, Cambodia has experienced a concerning rise in the number of residential care facilities operating. The country hosts an estimated 1,658 Residential Care Institutions (RCIs), or orphanages, where nearly 50,000 children reside. Many of these are privately run and, along with several NGO run family placement programmes, are unregulated and unaccountable. In response, the Cambodian government requested Care for Children to support the development of its own family care system.

What we do

Care for Children is working in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation during an initial pilot project stage. As part of this pilot stage, Care for Children's team in Cambodia is supporting two RCIs to develop family placement programmes, located in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap where nearly half of all Cambodian RCIs are located. Through specialised training and support, this project is equipping all relevant personnel with the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and manage a community-based family placement programme.

What we've achieved: