Children in FamiliesOut of Orphanages and Into Families: Meet Dy Noeut
Here at the CIF main office in Phnom Penh, the communications team recently welcomed the Outreach team into our shared space. Now that we’re in close proximity to each other, we’ve had more opportunities to hear about the work Dy Noeut and his team are doing. A couple of weeks ago, Dy Neout and I…
CiFChildren in Families·2019-04-05·5 min read
Emergency CareEmergency Care: Meeting Chenda’s Needs In the Unknown
Courtney Smith is an Occupational Therapist and a technical advisor to the ABLE Project at Children in Families. She shared with us her experience interacting with the Emergency Care project and why it is a crucial first step in helping children develop healthy attachments. I recently worked with a child called Chenda in our Emergency…
CiFChildren in Families·2018-07-16·7 min read
Children at RiskInfant Mental Health: An Interview With Mother’s Heart Organization
Vital Infant Years The early years of infants are vital to mental health throughout a lifetime. Studies are showing how impactful even the first few months of growth is in babies. Those months shape how their brain forms connections and develops. This is why nations are beginning to recognize mental health for infants through initiatives…
CiFChildren in Families·2018-06-16·8 min read
Foster CareChild Protection as a driving value: A Chat with CIF’s Program Director and Kinship Care Manager
Child Protection is at the heart of everything CIF does. Earlier this month we sat down with Naomy, our Programs Director and Menghong, the Kinship Care Project Manager, to discuss the importance of child protection in our Kinship Care and Foster Care projects. We invite you today to be part of this conversation. The Importance…
CiFChildren in Families·2018-06-06·6 min read
Foster CareLucky to be fostering: One family’s journey to becoming CIF Foster parents
Maly and Nhean are like many Cambodian rural couples. They are well established members of their community, known and respected by their neighbors and involved in community life. They are subsistence farmers who supplement their income during the year with extra jobs. Nhean works as motodop – a motorbike taxi ferrying neighbors and visitors to…
CiFChildren in Families·2018-05-17·3 min read
OSCaRCompassion and Capacity Building: Sam Ol’s Journey to CIF
Across the Border Either coated in dust or rutted in mud, the refugee camp Sigh II – situated in the mountains of Thailand – was the birthplace of Sam Ol. His very poor and humble beginning set a stirring in his heart to fight for justice causes in society. It would become a foundation for…
CiFChildren in Families·2018-02-13·3 min read
ABLEA chat with Courtney: How Occupational Therapy in making a difference in ABLE
“So why did you end up volunteering for our ABLE program?” Courtney, the newest member of the ABLE team, pauses for a brief moment before she answers: “What impressed me most about the ABLE program was not only the excellence of the work they are doing, but their dedication to contextualize therapy and treatments for…
CiFChildren in Families·2017-09-06·4 min read
Foster CareCelebrating ‘Anne with an E’ Part 2: Resilience and Reintegration
Myth #1: Orphans are inherently resilient and institutionalised children can easily reintegrate into society. Last post we introduced the idea that orphans are a central part of Western popular culture. If you missed it, you can find it here. We talked about how the words often used to talk about orphans evoke a strong sense…
CiFChildren in Families·2017-07-05·8 min read
Rok KernCelebrating ‘Anne with an E’: Orphans in Popular Culture
Part One: An Introduction to Orphans in Popular Culture Ludwig Wittgenstein once said “The limits of my language are the limits of my world.” Our language shapes our perceptions of what life is like, what our values are and the way we understand the world. The language we use matters. The way we tell stories…
CiFChildren in Families·2017-06-30·5 min read
OSCaRA Case Management System – What’s That?
The Case Management System Last week we linked to a post from M’lop Tapang about a trip some of our staff made to Sihanoukville. Our CMS team went to deliver six laptop computers, and begin the process of helping the M’lop Tapang Social Workers migrate their work flow to the CIF Case Management System. Back…
CiFChildren in Families·2017-06-02·7 min read
Foster CareChildren in Families is a Stars Impact Award Winner for 2016!
Super Exciting! We are super, super excited to be able to make this announcement: Children in Families has been named as a winner of the Stars Impact Awards for 2016! Any award is great news, of course. But this one is something special. The Stars Impact Awards are given each year to “strong, grassroots organisations…
CiFChildren in Families·2017-01-13·2 min read
Foster CareChanging a Nation: One Child at a Time
Meet Naomy. With a gorgeous singing voice and bright smile, this intelligent, talented mother of two children – teenagers – has been our Program Director for almost three years now. She joined us from the collaborative organization, Chab Dai, where she spent four years serving as their Project Manager. Naomy is the oversight for Foster…
CiFChildren in Families·2016-08-16·2 min read
Community Based CareEmpowering Sustainable Families
As an organization, we want to work ourselves out of a job; at the very least, evolve with our approach. The needs of communities will change as Cambodia becomes more developed and families gain empowerment. To have true success, holistic needs must be met, both sustainable and long-term. If over 80% of children in orphanages…
CiFChildren in Families·2016-07-22·3 min read
Kinship CareSom At Video: Kinship
Soon after her husband died of AIDS and their possessions were sold off, a desperate Som At felt there was no choice but to take her young children to an orphanage. It ripped her heart out to “trade” her children for $30 and a bag of rice. Thankfully at the last minute she changed her…
CiFChildren in Families·2016-06-21·1 min read
Rok KernMedia: The Power of Dignity or Shame
A recent media campaign by a Cambodian NGO, portraying children in rags and labelling them as “a sex worker” or “a street kid” has kicked off a storm of discussion. How do we as NGOs portray or represent the people we are trying to help? While many children and families do live in poverty, we need to…
CiFChildren in Families·2016-06-13·3 min read
Children at RiskTrafficking Children Part II: Solutions
In our last piece, we addressed the problem of child trafficking, and the forms it takes around the world. This time, we’re looking at the hope. We’re going to walk through recognizing the systematic issues behind trafficking and the practical steps all of us can take to help solve the issue. After all, every child deserves a chance to…
CiFChildren in Families·2016-05-17·12 min read
Foster CareFoster Care: Sreynear’s New Beginning
Meet Sreynear, one of our beautiful foster children who went from a place of pain – a sad child who acted out in anger – to a place of life and of thriving. We are so proud of her Foster Care family for their incredible love and endurance through the difficult times. Even more, we…
CiFChildren in Families·2016-04-23·2 min read
Children at RiskTrauma and Health: Address One, Help the Other
It is so damaging it can trim 20 years off of life expectancy. It disrupts brain development, immunity, hormones, and even DNA transcription. It is childhood trauma. In the linked TEDTalk, Dr. Nadine Burke, who serves in a community with low income children and families, addresses a study by Dr.s Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda…
CiFChildren in Families·2016-04-14·5 min read
Humans of CIFMedia & Communications
Do you love writing & networking on social media? Children In Families (CIF) is looking for a full or part-time volunteer who enjoys meeting adorable kids and awesome families to share their stories. You will have the opportunity to travel into the province with social workers; do photography; write compelling research pieces, stories, and share…
CiFChildren in Families·2016-04-11·1 min read
Children at RiskWhat’s in an Orphan Photo?
THE ORPHAN PHOTO Iranian photographer and artist, Bahareh Bisheh, took this captivating image of his little cousin after she had fallen asleep on the pavement outside their home. The photograph took the social media world by storm, the story of this “orphan photo” evolving into an orphan missing her mother. REMINDER AND RESPONSE The incredibly…
CiFChildren in Families·2016-02-26·2 min read
Children at RiskHow do CIF, David Beckham, and Child Abuse Prevention go together?
When it comes to child abuse prevention…what do CIF and David Beckham Have In Common? Hint: It has nothing to do with exceptional soccer skills. While David Beckham may be best known for his career as a renowned English soccer player, he has recently been getting attention for something else – the launching of 7: The…
CiFChildren in Families·2015-10-26·5 min read
Children at RiskWho Knew? Saving the Poor is also Saving the World. No, Really!
Can saving the world happen by saving the poor? It’s a simple enough principle, to say we should help people, and you may not think it’s such a controversial one. But sometimes you do have to ask, what will helping this person cost me? And in the case of helping children in poverty in the developing…
CiFChildren in Families·2015-08-17·2 min read
