Riverkids Weekly Meeting Report: 16 August 2008

On 16 August, Riverkids staff gathered for our usual weekly meeting. Py Sophon, Khin Pheakdey, Yim Sophal, Som Ritthy and Un Sopheak met to talk about the Get Ready Girls, Raffles Junior College’s offer to organize two events for Riverkids, the Chap Dai family forum, our football programme and a few other issues.

Concerning the Get Ready Girls, Sophon enquired about how many girls from the programme would get further training at PSE, how many girls would find employment and how many would be reintegrated into the state school system. According to Ritthy, PSE has interviewed 11 girls from Get Ready, of which 5 will be enrolled for training, 3 will be given jobs as housekeepers and 1 reintegrated into state school. The other two girls are waiting to hear back from PSE. New girls also want to join Get Ready, and Sophon asked the social workers to complete the registration forms of these candidates so the Riverkids committee can decide who qualifies for the programme.

Raffles Junior College has offered to organize a fun fair and family day for Riverkids on 3 December, which Riverkids is able to accommodate but would like to have earlier, if possible. Mr Sophon is coordinating with RJC.

Sophon and Som Ann attended a family forum in Chap Dai on 12 August. Sophon presented a paper game that had been created by Riverkids staff, much to the forum’s participants’ interest. The game was so successful that Helen suggested that it be used with parents during their meetings with Riverkids. Som Ann was assigned the responsibility of implementing the use of this game at Riverkids, starting by introducing it to the staff who will then take it to the parents. We are looking at getting this off the ground in September 2008. Riverkids will attend the next Chap Dai forum, on 8 October.

Sewing training has outgrown its premises at Family House, and so will be moved to Blum where there is more room. Pheakdey and Sinoy are responsible for the move and setting up the new sewing training centre on 18 August.

A football “World Cup” for street children is being held in Australia, and two boys and a girl from Riverkids have so far been selected to go. Their passports are being applied for. Pheakdey, who is in charge of this, has been asked by Sophon to check that the children who have signed up for this project are showing up for its Saturday sessions by making a list and taking attendance.

—Yim Sophal, Administrative Officer

Riverkids Weekly Meeting Report: 9 August

At our weekly meeting on 9 August, Riverkids staff gathered to discuss issues relating to the children, families and staff of Riverkids. At the meeting were Phy Sophon, Khin Pheakdey, Yim Sophal, Som Ritthy, Un Sopheak, Lim Theany and Tep Sothearith.

Over at Churten House, there were a number of incidences involving children’s health. One boy had been ill for a week, and was taken to the hospital by social workers. Another boy had gone to his home town for a visit and contracted a fever while he was there. Because of that, he returned to Riverkids. Yet another boy is living with HIV. His mother, naturally worried about his health, wanted him to have time off school in the afternoons so he could rest, and switched his school hours to the morning but neglected to inform his teacher. Nevertheless Riverkids accepted the switch—he now attends school in the mornings only, and, as a result of this change in schedule, will spend each month with a different teacher.

A couple of other issues relating to children at Churten House were addressed. A student had been away from school for a week, and social workers will visit him at home to hopefully take him back. And it was reported that another student, who had been sent by his father to live with his stepmother, has been enrolled at state school by his stepmother.

At Steven House three issues were dealt with. A girl had missed school for a week, and Riverkids heard that she had been assaulted by her brother. Social workers will be in touch with her and her parents to try and resolve this. Another student, a boy, was also away from school for a week. In his case, it was due to a suspected mental illness, and Riverkids has been trying to contact organizations that assist people with mental illness to help him. Lastly for Steven House, Riverkids are drawing up a holiday schedule for the upcoming state school three-month break. This schedule will allow Riverkids children who are at state school to attend Riverkids during the school break while also leaving them time to help their families.

Blum House has had problems with three children not attending school. One, a girl, has told her teacher that she no longer wants to go to school, and spends most of her time playing; and the others, two siblings, have been told by their mother to stop coming to school. In the girl’s case, Theany will be working closely with her and her parents to keep her in school, and for the siblings social workers are hoping to persuade their parents to allow them to return to school.

Good news in the Get Ready Girls’ programme. Six children have been sponsored by the programme to study English in a centre outside of Riverkids.

Riverkids is continuing to help the families that it works with. We gave a mother with a newborn milk for her baby and a place to live to help her escape the violence that often erupts in her family. And we are seeking help from other NGOs for these two families: a boy from the old Riverkids project who was hit severely on the head by his mother when he didn’t come to school, and a mother with five children who wants help for her 15-year old son. Two of her children are already studying at Riverkids. We also managed to assist two Muslim families at Chrouy Chang Va who approached Riverkids for help with their four children—we will register the children at the state school of their district in the next academic year. Our social workers also paid a visit to another Riverkids family as the mother had a fever, as part of Riverkids’ ongoing effort to stay in touch with the families in its community. And Riverkids is encouraging three children to join its football programme, and is offering to provide uniforms and shoes.

Some updates on Riverkids staff. Ritthy is preparing the paperwork necessary to enroll children into state school, while two teaching teams have been created: Hang Sokenthea, from Get Ready Girls and the kindergarten, will work with teacher Kunthea, while Sopharith will pair up with teacher Thida. Lastly, Ritthy and Kunthea will be attending a workshop on childcare at Chap Dai on 12 and 13 August.

—Yim Sophal, Administrative Officer

Weekly meeting 26 July 2008

Date: 26 July, 2008


At the kindergarten, we have two children who are missing class for health issues. We're working with the families to get them treated and well enough for school again.

Another little one has moved with his family away from our community, so we are tracking them down to confirm he's alright.

We've had a group of grade schoolers acting up a lot during class at Steven House, but this week the teachers reported that the kids had settled down, except for one pair who are going again for counseling. They're bright little girls, but very disruptive!

The recent elections in Cambodia meant a lot of kids, especially older ones, missed school. Very happily, there were no riots or violent outbreaks during the election polls, although the ongoing Thai-Cambodia tensions are worrying.

Two children who had been enrolled in Riverkids then moved away for a long time are back in contact. Our social workers visited them and we're trying to find an NGO much closer to where they now live to help them get back into school.

Still having issues with domestic violence between several couples. Sometimes counseling seems to work, but sometimes we just have to "mop up the pieces" and protect the children.

We're taking in a few more children from a family where the dad has just deserted five kids and one child has already dropped out of school to work and is at high risk where she's working. We also have two migratory Cham children joining our program. The Cham minority in Cambodia are a very interesting culture - a long indigenous muslim history, recently much marginalised - and we've been discussing how to integrate them, respecting their religious customs as well. So far, all's well!

Two truant grade schoolers are promising to come back to class, we hope. The tactic now is to get their parents behind them, but we'll have a couple more visits probably!

Early August news

We're moving from the house on Street 330 to the building and field where we held the funfair. It's a great space and much closer to the actual slum.

We've got one child in crisis now who we believe has been trafficked by family. It's incredibly tough on the staff who are caught between what is legally possible, not alienating the family and community and putting the child at more risk. It'll take another week or two until there's some news either way.

In Singapore, there are a lot of fundraising leads and donations, and over in Cambodia, a lot of training which is going really well and most of the kids are doing really well. One kid missed school for a week because she was forced to work, and lost her food box supply and has come back, so that program seems to be curbing truancy.

A much more detailed report from Jolene to go up soon!