Riverkids Project

Our educational, psychological, and health programs reach approximately 150 children at any one time at each site.

These programs:

• improve health and decrease the episodes of illnesses
• increase parental interaction with their children
• train parent-volunteers in childcare skills
• keep school-age children enrolled and regularly attending school
• place students in vocational training and apprenticeships
• visit families daily to monthly depending on their risk
• assist small business development

Active programs:

Kindergarten

• Serves at-risk children aged four to seven years old.
• Each class has one kindergarten teacher and up to two kindergarten assistants
• Consists of two half-day kindergarten classes from Monday to Friday, with an additional Saturday volunteer-led art and crafts class.
• A curriculum based on thematic units is currently being developed by our kindergarten coordinator and children are encouraged to develop social skills and family interaction.
• Children bathe and receive nutritious snacks.

Grade School

• Serves at-risk children between the ages of seven and 15.
• Each class has one teacher and a housemother assisting.
• Consists of two half-day Grade 1 classes from Monday to Friday with an additional Saturday volunteer-led art and crafts class.
• The children began with one half-day session of tuition in basic Khmer literacy and numeracy, and are now also enrolled in the nearby state school. They study at school in the morning or afternoon, then return for tuition with Riverkids on the other half of the day.
• The children receive snacks during class, and are supplied with stationary, schoolbags, school uniforms and where needed, shoes and lunch money.
• The children√¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s daily √¢‚ǨÀústate school fee√¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ is paid as a lower lump sum by Riverkids each month. The teacher works at the state school, so children are closely monitored academically and behaviourally.

Weekly Boarding

• Children experiencing severe abuse at home or a family crisis where their home-care is compromised and no relatives are able to help.
• One day and one night housemother supervise up to 15 children.
• The children arrive at the centre on Monday morning and stay there until Friday evening, spending Saturday and Sunday with their families or a foster family.
• During their time at the centre, they have meals, shower, homework and playtime. They sleep at the centre. Teenagers share a room, divided by gender, while younger children share a single room.
• The centre is within the children√¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s community and close to their families, so there is little disruption in the children√¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s lives when they are in care.
• Short-term crisis care prevents children being relinquished or trafficked from an otherwise healthy family.
• For abused children, legal removal is difficult in Cambodia without extreme documented violence or the family√¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s agreement. Temporary weekly care offers some protection and reduces family stress, both financial and emotional, that can escalate abuse.

Microfinance

• At-risk families and individuals already participating in another Riverkids program.
• Operated by the Microfinance program coordinator
• Serves Families and students who have graduated from the Get Ready program (detailed below)
• Their vocational skills are evaluated and then they are assisted in preparing a business plan suitable to their skills and interests.
• Riverkids arranges funding for up to US$100, repaid weekly. For larger amounts, Riverkids will use a microfinance lending institute.
• Riverkids then monitors the new business, supporting with skills and business training where needed.
• Riverkids also provides short-term loans for families in a financial crisis as an alternative to moneylenders. These loans are limited to US$100, and can be repaid through in-kind labour. Loans are only given with all senior staff agreement.

Family Counselling

• A-risk families and individuals already participating in another Riverkids program.
• Minimum of two social workers and a counsellor for each site, targeting four social workers and one counsellor
• Social workers visit every registered family at least once a month. For families in crisis, visits are made more frequently.
• Where action can be taken, the social worker discusses with the counsellor and arranges medical or social care. When counselling is needed, the family is invited to the Riverkids counselling office for a discussion. If unwilling, the counsellor will visit them.
• Teachers also identify children in crisis through the social workers, and those children attend individual counselling at the Riverkids counselling office.

Get Ready

This program is especially important because the participants are at the greatest risk for trafficking into sex work and exploitative labour.

• At-risk teenagers aged 11 to 21 years old
• One teacher is responsible for a single group, with additional teaching by a literacy teacher, sewing teacher and crafts teacher
• Consists of a full-day six-month vocational training program that prepares at-risk teenagers for further training and work.
• A group of single-gender teenagers are interviewed, placed as a class of 12-15, and trained in life skills and work skills.
• The syllabus is individualized literacy and basic numeracy classes, followed by life and work skills, and vocational training. The training is intended to help the students learn how to be trained, rather than a skill in itself.
• The Life Skills curriculum is delivered in Khmer and English with intensive counselling and vocational training in embroidery, sewing and crochet that develop work skills such as projects, discipline and quality.
• The students are evaluated and upon graduation, either repeat the course, go for further specific vocational training or begin apprenticeships.
• These transitions are sponsored by Riverkids. During this transition time, they attend weekly gatherings for peer support.
• To cut down on exploitative child labour, Riverkids provides a US$10/week of nutritious foods and toiletries to replace lost child labour income.