Child Sponsorship Background from Phnom Penh, Cambodia

SOS Children's Village Phnom Penh

SOS Children's Village Phnom Penh is situated on the outskirts of the old city in an area called New Phnom Penh, which is quite close to the airport. The land is all flat and very dry during most of the year.

There is a SOS School opposite the SOS Children's Village. The vegetable market is close by, and the mothers can go there on bicycle.

In Phnom Penh it is hot during the summer months (i.e. from February to June), with temperatures of 33 to 36 degrees Celsius. The monsoon period is from July to September. From October to December, temperatures are rather low (about four to six degrees Celsius).

SOS Children's Village Phnom Penh consists of fourteen family houses, a community house, an office building, the village director's house and some additional buildings. Many children suffer from vitamin deficiency and various diseases of the skin when they come to the SOS Children's Village. They are treated and vaccinated and usually they soon get better. The SOS Children's Village staff organize special sports and arts programmes for the children during their free time.

Other SOS Projects in Phnom Penh

Next to the SOS Children's Village, there is an SOS Nursery and an SOS Youth Home.

The SOS Nursery with its six classrooms and playground is also open to around 200 children from the neighbourhood. For working mothers from the neighbourhood, it is very important to have a place where they can leave their children during the day.

The SOS Youth Home can accommodate many young adults. As well as bedrooms, the house also has a communal living room and kitchen. Older boys from the SOS Children's Village normally move to the SOS Youth Facility when they start a vocational training course or go on to higher education. With the support of qualified youth workers, they develop realistic perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibility and increasingly make their own decisions.

An SOS School (primary school) was finished in January 2008. The school consists of twelve classrooms, laboratories, a library, an assembly hall and a canteen. Up to 450 children can be taught there. The school is now run by the local authorities.

In April 2008, construction of a second SOS School - a secondary school this time - began. This school will include classrooms, laboratories, a library and an assembly hall.

Background to Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's centre of economic activities. Phnom Penh has grown to become the industrial, commercial, cultural, tourist  and historical centre of Cambodia.