In 2007 Lidia Linde Ginesta came to Cambodia as a tourist and fell in love with the country and its people. She returned many times as a volunteer, working in 3 orphanages and in November 2010 when a previous orphanage was forced to close its doors, Together for Cambodia was formed and the Children’s House with over 40 children was opened. With Kmer staff trained to Government legislative guidelin
es and a group of foreign advisors, the project has flourished under her leadership. The Kingdom of Cambodia is among the poorest countries in Asia, although it has experienced positive economic growth between 1999 and 2009. Hard years of war, conflict and widespread violence between 1970 and 1989 destroyed the infrastructure of the society and the progress of a nation that was known as the France of Southeast Asia. In Cambodia schooling is not compulsory, children work in rice fields, picking up rubbish, selling post cards, with little reward ... The gap between a minority that monopolizes the country's wealth and a dispossessed majority, is growing, especially in rural areas. Marginalization, lack of resources for education and health, make children, young people and women especially vulnerable. There by subjected to situations of injustice, hunger, homelessness, child abuse, prostitution, disease and sexually transmitted diseases. Malaria, AIDS, land mines maiming a population with an average age of 29 years. In the cities there are communities with no electricity or running water, lack of hygiene, chickens, pigs, rice and individuals overlap in a beautiful and frightening image. Cambodia has lost a generation of trained adults, destroyed by a regime of terror. Our headquarters is in Siem Reap, surrounded by the magnificent ancient temples, tourists of all nationalities and young orphans, destitute families, the poor.
