Songkimthmey, Siem Reap, Cambodia

This organisation is based in Siem Reap, with two of its three locations within the Angkor Archeological Park. It assists HIV positive mothers and their children. It builds basic houses and provides education to assist the children. It has three locations, and assists about 20 mothers and some 35 children.

MAD provides teacher training for their English teacher and laptop PCs and educational and English language training software as well as English language books. Volunteers also teach, mostly English and computer literacy, but also social skills.

Laugh Café, Hoi An

With KOTO's endorsement and encouragement, MAD has started a (very small) vocational training restaurant in HoiAn, called Laugh Café. There are three young people there now.  Why? When children have finished school they are required to leave the childrens centre and go to University (if possible and if the have the desire and aptitude), or find work. Hoi An is a World Heritage site (the whole of the old town) and a tourist attraction. There are many jobs in the hotels and restaurants but no-one to train youths for such positions. Laugh Cafe needs to rent larger premises, outfit a kitchen, acquire tables, chairs, crockery, cutlery, feed the students, make sure that they have some money to live, set up training rooms, …..the list goes on –we have not touched on other needs -- uniforms, upgraded toilet facilities for the restaurant, more training staff….

KOTO, Hanoi

KOTO stands for Know One, Teach One. It is a hospitality-industry training centre, and excellent restaurant, providing vocational and life-skills training for disadvantaged youths in HaNoi. MAD (Peter) works there as the technology “expert”. KOTO has about 100 students at a time, in classes of about 25. KOTO are up to Class 13. It was started by Jimmy Pham, an Australian Vietnamese. He began teaching youths by opening a small sandwich shop. KOTO is now looking at duplicating its operation on Ho Chi Minh City.

Angkor Hospital for Children, Siem Reap, Cambodia

AHC is a paediatric teaching and training hospital in Siem Reap (which is the town near to the Angkor Archaeological Park, of which Angkor Wat is the famous centrepiece). Many of AHC’s patients are from poor rural families. The hospital runs an education development program for these children which is supported by MAD. We provide writing and drawing materials - many children have never had a piece of paper that they were allowed to dfraw or scribble on. We also teach them how to play with toys. These families cannot typically afford toys for childen and as part of their social development we see it as important. All the toys we send are small. These children and their families live in very small homes. Since it started in 1999 AHC has treated more than 540,000 Cambodian children. The patient count for the first 4 months of 2008 was 32,946.  Many of AHC’s patients are from poor rural families.  AHC treats between 350 and 500 out-patients a day.