'OUR VILLAGE'

Overview
Opened in late 2006, ‘Our ‘Village’ is an 18 acre property located in Kampong Speu province that provides a full range of housing, nutritional, health and educational needs to orphaned and abandoned children infected with HIV/AIDS.

Our Village’ currently cares for 228 children between the age of 2 and 18 who have no other housing alternative; most of these children were orphaned when their parents died of AIDS, and others come from families who no longer have the capability or financial resources to care for them. The children are referred to NHCC by hospitals, INGOs and NGOs, at an average rate of five per month. Most orphanages in Cambodia will not accept children with HIV, thus the children are referred to NHCC...

‘Our Village’ currently comprises of 24 houses, in which up to ten children live with a care-giving couple. Houses are constructed in groups of three, sharing a common kitchen and eating area in the center, in order to encourage an extended-family atmosphere.

The children receive ARV medication from a local clinic supported by NHCC. The Village has an on-site medical center, which employs a doctor and full-time nurse, allows for the on-site treatment of opportunistic infections, as well as a range of other medical and dental-related ailments.

Fourteen dedicated classrooms, a computer lab and a preschool and a nursery school provide for the educational and vocational needs of the children. Extra classes are offered each afternoon in Math, English and the Cambodian language (Khmer).Thanks to the generosity of our volunteers, NHCC has one of the first children’s Libraries in Cambodia.

Sporting facilities include a basketball court, volleyball and badminton nets, and recreational areas which are used for free-time activities. Additionally, each school-age child is provided with their own bicycle for use within the village and local community.

 

Supplemental Educational Program
On a daily basis, the village provides the children with a high-quality educational program to supplement their public school studies. The educational program currently includes:

• Supplemental education: Instruction in English and Mathematics and Khmer, as well as education in music and dance provides the students with a strong educational foundation, as well as a platform for pursuing their artistic or creative interests.
• Tutoring: Children attending the local public high school have access to tutors that provide extra subject assistance to the students, to improve performance on the national exams, and ensure that all students pass the 9th and 12th grade exams.
• Literacy: The children have access to a wide and expanding array of educational and fictional books in both Khmer and English.
• Vocational Agriculture classes are offered to all interested children.
• Multi-media education projects: Under the Village’s expanding Information Technology program, the children have access to computer resources and daily computer classes, which not only provide valuable vocational skills, but also an opportunity for the children to incorporate technology into their basic/informal education.

The overall goal of ‘Our Village’s educational program is for the children to equip themselves with the skills required to re-integrate into Cambodian society and live out their lives as self-sufficient, productive, healthy and happy adults.

Sustainability Initiative
‘Our Village’ is currently home to approximately 300 people, all of whom require three nutritious meals per day. As such, the greatest expense that NHCC faces in running and sustaining activities at ‘Our Village’ is food.

The Village cultivates a wide array of fruit and vegetables, including mango, banana and, papaya and sweet potato. What food cannot be produced onsite is purchased from the local market, which consequentially allows ‘Our Village’ to support the agricultural and commercial ventures of its neighbors.”Our Village “also has large gardens to provide fresh vegetables to the children and staff.

‘Our Village’s animal husbandry project began in 2008 with a pig-breeding program, which currently encompasses 350 pigs, the sale of which has shown to generate enough income to covers up to fifteen percent of ‘Our Village’s Operational Budget.

Following the success of the pig-breeding program, a two-stage chicken-breeding project commenced in early 2009, and currently supports approximately11,000 chickens in a modern, large-scale chicken coop. The chicken meat and eggs provide a vital protein source required to maintain the nutritional health of over 200 residents on a daily basis. Utilizing local expertise, NHCC employs community members to oversee the care of these chickens. The sale of chickens and eggs are also helping to support the children.

Pig manure is used to fuel NHCC’s onsite bio-gas digester, which provides most of the cooking gas for the village’s eight kitchens, and therefore allows ‘Our Village’ partial self-sustainability in its fuel sourcing. Furthermore, chicken and pig manure are utilized as fertilizer for the village’s gardens.