FDCC History
While a visiting lecturer at MVU University at Prey Veng, a rural province of Cambodia, Ms Di Willis identified a need to help poor and orphaned girls in this region.
Homeless and orphaned boys in Prey Veng are often able to live in the pagodas (temples) with Buddhist monks, who channel community support to these children. There are four pagodas in the town of Prey Veng and each can provide a home to 100 boys. For cultural reasons, orphaned or homeless girls are unable to live in the pagodas with the monks.
Consequently, orphaned girls are particularly at risk in Cambodia, with prostitution often the only option in an environment where there is a severe lack of social infrastructure to care for them.
Preah Tepmoly So Pheap Hiek, Chief Monk in Prey Veng province, heads a locally registered NGO, ‘Association of Buddhists for the Environment’ (ABE) under which he operates a local primary school and provides care for homeless boys. He expressed concern to Ms Willis about the monks’ inability to provide safe shelter to girls. He has supported the establishment of the girls’ home, called Mekhala House, working collaboratively with Ms Willis and by accepting the position of patron.
A Project Agreement was signed in late 2005 by FDCC and the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, Kingdom of Cambodia (The Ministry) that governs the operation of Mekhala House. This initial agreement operates for three years and provides guidelines for cooperation between The Ministry and FDCC and defines the services that FDCC will provide.
During the first year of operation FDCC concentrated on the following issues:
- Establishing legal and policy requirements;
- Addressing governance issues;
- Establishing standards for ‘quality care’;
- Developing funding channels;
- Establishing partnerships with Cambodian government and local NGO’s;
- Addressing the complex issue of HIV policy; and
- Developing capacity of local Cambodian staff.