Blum

Blum house officially opened its doors in March 2008, but got under way a few months earlier. The house, a simple two-story home a few minutes walk from the railway track slum community it serves, was named after Blum Jensen, the much-loved grandmother of Teena Ingram and her family in Australia.

The railway track that runs through Phnom Penh forms a long narrow slum. Building immediately next to the track is illegal and dangerous so only the very poor will. Near Blum House, there is a community of several hundred families. Some work at nearby factories, others less fortunate at the shabby brothels along the railway track. The area is considered dangerous by local standards after dark, and is known for teenage and adult male sex work as well.

Railway slum Riverkids identified families with children at risk for exploitation and trafficking. We invited them to visit our Alexandra site, and some of the parents agreed to enroll their children at Blum House. While the house was getting ready for the first class – repairing the bathroom, a fresh coat of paint, desks and chairs – the Riverkids social workers visited many families living along the railway track.

Now, Blum has a morning and afternoon grade school program serving more than 50 children on the first floor. The children have daily snacks and help with their homework. The other half of the day, they are enrolled at the local state school, with Riverkids’ support for school fees, uniforms, books and more.

Upstairs, our Get Ready for Boys program reaches out to at-risk teenagers. The social worker who visits the Blum families has a small office on the second floor where he talks to families and children to find solutions.

Thanks to generous support, one side of the building has been extended to create an outdoor classroom perfect for kindergarten. Currently, the grade school children play and read there, using the donated library and toys.

In the near future, we hope to add a kindergarten and start weekly boarding for children at extreme risk for domestic abuse.

Blum has become a community center, welcoming and safe for vulnerable children.

Blum