PROJECTS | Cambodia | ECP

Street children in Sihanoukville suffer discrimination on a daily basis and are denied access to basic services such as healthcare, education and protection.  ECP aims to guarantee these children safer, happier childhoods and better livelihood options by moblising all sectors of the local community to participate in protecting and advocating their rights.

Following a number of important initiatives, which M’Lop Tapang has established as part of this project, more than 25,000 members of the community are now aware of M’Lop Tapang and the work it does to help street children.  Regular street shows allow street children to develop their creative talents and their confidence while educating the wider community, including local businesses, tourists, and their peers, about M’Lop Tapang’s work.  Approximately 20,000 people each week tune into M’Lop Tapang’s daily radio show, which provides a platform for addressing pressing social issues, offering health and safety advice to vulnerable families and promoting the ChildSafe hotline – a free 24-hour support service for children.

ChildSafe is a pioneering initiative, which aims to build a network of key community members, such as taxi drivers, guest houses and internet cafes, who are trained to recognise and report child abuse.  This ensures that there is a 24-hour presence of well informed, trained and caring community members looking out for the safety and protection of children in Sihanoukville.  There are now over 100 members of ChildSafe in Sihanoukville who are highly recognisable by their ChildSafe logos and ID cards.  With increasing numbers of businesses joining up to the scheme and more and more tourists preferring to use ChildSafe certified businesses, child protection is now being recognised as a positive thing by the whole community.

M’Lop Tapang has also set up a number of volunteer networks, who are trained to report suspicious behaviour, help create awareness among their peer groups, and give something back to the community.  A team of former street children, for example, act as peer mentors to younger children and help families in Sihanoukville’s slums by repairing homes, distributing food and clothing, and building shelters.  They wear bright yellow t-shirts and are easily recognisable within the community.  Their regular presence in the slums is helping to change negative attitudes towards street children.