ORPHANAGE CENTER
Objective #2: To save needy orphans and indigent children who have been living through hardships and poverty regardless of their color and race, and offer them education as a key to their further development in a loving environment with a safe and secure future
2.1. Orphan and Indigent Children Supports
Years of subjection to the Khmer Rouge left Mr. Sedtha with one goal: “After the Pol Pot Regime destroyed Cambodian society, I only wanted to help build a new community and to improve the quality of life for Cambodians,” he reflects. His decision was not limited to his work, it embraced his life. As he fled from the Khmer Rouge, Sedtha came across many children whose parents had been killed by the Khmer Rouge. “I found around twenty children who were orphaned so I took them with me. I did not want to leave them to die,” he adds. He took the children under his care and, as refugees settled along the border, sought families who would raise them. Those who remained, he adopted. Since Mr. Sedtha has established the Build Your Future Today Centre (BFT), he and his wife, Mrs. Sam Sek have very generously adopted more children. At the present they are raising 17 indigent children and orphans whose parents died because of sickness, family crisis and poverty. BFT has been providing full support for these children covering a; aspects of their daily life, including food, clothing, shelter, training courses at BFT and attendance at the public school. BFT has also been working with some other children who are separated from their family or community, as well as those who are at risk of separation. We protect these children above all others and give them the chance to grow up in loving families with a safe and secure future.
2.2. Building Hope and a Better Future for the Children:
The BFT Centre has come up with appropriate strategies and plans for helping to build a better future for orphans and indigent children. This enables them to achieve adequate intellectual and economic tools required to attain self-sufficiency. It is done through providing them with public education and life skills training. BFT is also going to help them integrate into the society and thus gain recognition and dignity among other citizens. Linking, meeting and providing advice and other keys in order to develop their family businesses will help achieve this. Over 20 years there have been more than 30 former orphans and poor children supported by Sedtha’s family have grown up well, and they have been able to become self-supporting and happy. Most of those have married and become parents with good jobs. Some of them have returned to help teach and provide support to the orphans and indigent children at the BFT.
2.3. Every Child Deserves Life with Loving Care:
Entertainment is a very common need for all human beings to help stay relaxed, fresh in their mind and as a socializing activity. BFT has been trying to create a variety of activities to foster the children’s to exposure to learning about and experiencing their own culture. This includes visits to heritage sites such as the Angkor temples, the seas, forests, visiting markets, participating in wedding ceremonies, boat racing, an international half marathon, other sports and exposure to a variety of communication with many people including Khmer and foreigners.