New Hope for Cambodian Children (NHCC)

'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 currently infected with HIV/AIDS.

‘Our Village’ currently cares for 186 children between the ages of 1 and 18 who have no other housing alternative; many are orphaned by the virus, 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 government-run hospitals, INGOs and NGOs, at an average rate of five per month.

‘Our Village’ currently comprises of 24 houses, in which up to eight 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.

Whilst the children receive ARV medication from a local clinic supported by NHCC, 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.

Four dedicated classrooms, a computer lab and a preschool provide for the educational and vocational needs of the children. 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. Whilst still in its preliminary phase, the educational program currently includes:

Informal supplemental education: Instruction in English and Mathematics, as well as education in music, dance and art, 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.
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.

NHCC’s education program is designed to empower the children at ‘Our Village’, whilst providing them with a basis from which to shape their vocational paths. Whilst NHCC’s students perform well at the local public school, 'Our Village’s supplementary education program, which provides training and non-formal education options, is essential as many students have fallen behind in school due to prolonged illness. Additionally, the absence of extended family support, which forms a vital part of Cambodian society, means that ‘Our Village’s children must be provided with an extended education in order to enhance their future employability.

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 adults.

Sustainability Initiative

‘Our Village’ is currently home to approximately 210 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 Sustainability Initiative, introduced in 2008, is designed to promote self-reliance and sustainability of food production within ‘Our Village’ in order to decrease expenditure on food, and increase the long-term sustainability of the project. The Sustainability Initiative currently encompasses three projects – agricultural production, animal husbandry, and sustainable fuel sources. The former two projects aim to decrease the amount of essential fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and poultry that ‘Our Village’ staff are required to purchase, and as such protect the project from fluctuations in market prices and seasonal variation.

The Village cultivates a wide array of fruit and vegetables, including mango, banana, 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’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 approximately 2100 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 250 residents on a daily basis. Utilizing local expertise, NHCC employs community members to oversee the breeding of these chickens.

The benefits of chicken-raising within ‘Our Village’ does not only result from the chicken’s meat. Pig manure is used to fuel NHCC’s onsite bio-gas digester, which provides some of the cooking gas for the village’s eight kitchens, and therefore allows ‘Our Village’ partial self-sustainability in its fuel sourcing. Furthermore, chicken manure is utilized as fertilizer for the village’s gardens, which cultivate a wide array of fruit and vegetables, including mango, banana, papaya and sweet potato.

In developing the capacity to produce a large percentage of ‘Our Village’s food requirements onsite, as well as utilizing a bio-digester for cooking fuel, and solar power for electricity, NHCC enhances the sustainability and self-reliance of this valuable project, thus ensuring that ‘Our Village’ will continue to provide care the orphaned and particular vulnerable HIV-positive children well into the future.