J515N Awareness Cambodia

The Situation

 Awareness Cambodia is an Australian-headquartered not-for-profit humanitarian aid organisation with in-country teams in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh and in one of the nation’s poorest provinces, Kampong Speu.

 In 1995 Dr Gary Hewett OAM established Awareness Cambodia to provide practical support for the children left abandoned and orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

 Starting out providing a place of shelter, care and support, Awareness Cambodia expanded the child development program with a focus on child empowerment through education. These programs are officially registered and recognised by the Cambodian Government and provide a seamless pathway for Cambodia’s most vulnerable from primary school education through to tertiary graduation.

 Believing education is vital in helping the young people of Cambodia to take their places in society and help deliver a better future for their nation, Awareness Cambodia introduced an education stream to provide a supportive and nurturing environment to enable the children in Kampong Speu to embark on their education journey.

 Support for the provincial community has also been provided through the medical program – Operation Nightingale.

 These programs were among the first of their kind in Cambodia, having created hope and support for impoverished children and vulnerable members of the provincial community.

 The Objectives

 Child Development Program

 ·        Sunshine House, located in Kampong Speu, has provided shelter, care and support for orphaned and abandoned children (infants to primary school-age) from the province, providing a place of safety, security and education

·        House of Progress, where students transition from the province to Phnom Penh, provides accommodation and mentoring for children in Awareness Cambodia’s care who have co