> Why the programs for children?
> The purposes
> The Centres And their activities
> Value education
> Other activites
> The results
> The challenges
> Are you willing to join us?
> Are you willing to bring Jesus» love to them?
> Contact Catholic Church in siem Reap

There are so many children in Cambodia. Most of the children in the parish are very poor. They can be helped in various ways. Because the present children will be very important in the future, ministry for children is one of the priorities of the Catholic Church of Siem Reap. Besides that children are in the formation stage of their life. Hopefully they can learn from the presence, the love and the teachings of pastors. Most of the children do not have a good education in their families and in their schools. The education that is offered in the church is very important for their development.

The purposes of the centers vary from place to place but the general purposes of the centers are similar.

1. The first aim is to help the children develop their self-confidence by giving them some skills to acquire, like dances, the Khmer language, and the English language.
2. To help the children to be proud and pappy of being Khmer and being in Cambodia is a very important aim.
3. It is necessary to help the children to rediscover the lost Khmer values, customs and traditions.
4. Children must be helped to prepare their future.
5. They need to be encouraged and supported to study in and out of school. By providing children with positive activities (dance practice, values’ education etc.) they can be protected from the influence of bad and useless activities.
6. Through communication with children from the same center and among children from different centers they build friendship.

There are four centers and each center has a variety of activities to answer to the needs of the children.

No	Centers	Started in	Programs
1	Chong Khnies	November 2001	Khmer language course for Vietnamese children (80). Nutrition program, Value education (75), Catechism (15)
2	Phnom Kraom	June 2001	Pre-school (113), Dance practice (102), English (76), Basic Hygiene (100), Nutrition program (150), Value education (115), Pre catechism (10)
3	Siem Reap	October 2003	Dance practice (120), Value education (85), Pre-catechism (20)
4	Ta Om	January 2004	English course (30), Mathematics (30), Pre-catechism (25), Pre-school (30)

- The number between ( ) indicate the number of children enrolled in each program.

In October 2004, a learning center was opened in Ta Om. Another learning center will open in K´na T´may Village in September 2005. To help with the catechism program, two new catechists have joined the staff of the Church of Siem Reap.

As more is known about the children, on realizes that most children seem not to have enough attention and education in their families and in schools. The children are often seen fighting each other. When they get upset, they tend to shout and beat others. Sometimes they get very wild.

Value education is very important for them. With the children FIVE PRINCIPLES were developed as a framework to give value education to the children. These Five Principles include:

In various ways, using different kinds of methods, examples and stories, the Five Principles above are repeated as simple framework for value education to the children.

Children gatherings four times a year help to promote friendship and solidarity among children of the different centers. These children gatherings are held in Khmer New Year. International children’s Day, Pchum Ben and Christmas.

A concert of Christmas carols and dances in some hotels in December 2003-2004.

On Sunday, some children visit the Provincial Hospitals with some members of the staff. They also bring some food to the patients.

Children from the Siem Reap Catholic Church join with the children of Pee.ut Sanaing Village to play games, to bathe, to study to pray under the guidance of some members of the Saint Vincent de Paul society.

Every week, some members of the church council visit Botrong to bathe and play with the children.

1. The most visible result is that the children look healthier, cleaner and happier.
2. Many children can perform several dances now. This increases their self-confidence and self-respect.
3. There is a visible change of attitude and behavior in the children towards their parents. Their elders and their friends. They are more attentive and more respectful for others. In this way, they bring happiness to their parents, their teachers and their friends.
4. Many children had the chance to perform some dances in the Centers in Phnom Kraom, in Siem Reap and in Chong Khnies and in several hotels in Siem Reap. Some children have performed their dancing abilities in their schools. This improves their self-confidence and their self-respect.
5. Many dance costumes and several musical instruments were bought with the money earned in the hotels and with donations. This helps to encourage the children to practice more diligently.
6. The Vietnamese children who joined the Khmer language course now can communicate in Khmer with Khmer children.
7. Some children have joined professional dance groups and danced in restaurants several times a week. In this way, they earned some money for their school fees.
8. Help children find foster parents. There are fourteen children being supported by foster parents from other countries.
9. Some children have joined schools for tourism and hotels.

It is difficult to find different kinds of formative activities for our children.

Some older children were involved in "gangs" before joining the church activities. They have to resist the temptation of returning to the former "gang".

The groups are open groups, without age limit, without formal enrolment, without any fees, this makes it difficult to keep the children committed to the activities.

The Foster Parent program (long distance adoption) requires a lot of time for visitation to the children, reports to the foster parents, letter writing and so on. Volunteer or staff is necessary to develop this program.

So many poor children in Cambodia need help and love. The programs that have been organized try to answer to the needs of the children.
For us, all the programs are only a means to help the children experience the love of Jesus that gives meaning to their lives, their suffering and their struggle.

You might think, "what I have is only very little".
Does it have any meaning, compared to the problem that they have?

It is said, "Love is like five loaves of bread and two fish, always too little until you start giving it away."
Your love, your prayers and your support means a lot for the pastoral team workers and for the children.

Address: Riverside Rd. Slorgram Village, Group 1, No 027, Slorgram Commune, Siem Reap
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 93 036 Siem Reap, Cambodia
Contact person: Fr. Heri Bratasudarma, SJ
Telephone: (+855) 12-661 747
Click here to contact by email.
Click here to see the map of the church in Siem Reap