How
did
you
get
involved?
Dale and Jimmy Edmonds-Yap adopted four siblings from
Cambodia. Our adoptions were complicated by illegal
trafficking, documentation fraud and other events. More
about adoption trafficking can be found at
Cambodia Adoption Issues. As we
untangled what had happened, we were fortunate to
build ties with our children’s community and learn how
we could best help.
Who
works
on
River
Kids?
There are three trustees, Jimmy Yap, Diana Saw and Lucy
Edmonds. Dale Edmonds and Therese Chan volunteer for
fundraising in Singapore, and in Cambodia, Phy Sophon works
as the Project Manager.
Where
are
you?
We used to be at a small terrace house that an Assembly of
God church rented and lent us a room free, then later when
they moved out, the landlord rented us extra rooms for
$160, but it was very, very crowded. Our next house had two
classrooms and enough space - just! - for the weekly
boarders at night. It has a huge courtyard which is great
for the kids to play in, and the rent is $650. That house
was handed over to a faith-based group under Sok Lyna's
supervision.
Riverkids Project now has two small houses, a Children's
House ($60 a month) and a Family House ($175 a month). The
Children's House is right in the middle of one high-risk
slum, and the Family House is nearer the Russian market.
Afterschool tuition, weekly boarding and other grade-school
and kindergarten activities are at the Children's House,
while vocational training and adult workshops are at the
Family House.
Please
email us to make an appointment if
you'd like to visit them!
What
do
you
supply
the
children
with?
Three sets of school uniforms, a schoolbag
and stationary. We top up stationary as needed through out
the year. The children also have a toothbrush and mug, but
books and toys are shared among them all. Sometimes, we
need to get shoes or pyjamas for the weekly boarders. We
make sure the kids have access to clean water and basic
toiletries at the house. We're aiming for what a local
working-class family that's doing well would be able to
provide for their children.
What’s
the
Cambodian
school
system?
The school terms are similar to the UK system, beginning in
Sept-Oct. There are no Christmas holidays, and school is on
Saturdays as well. Children attend grades. School buildings
are usually easy to recognize in Phnom Penh, as they’re
often painted a gorgeous saffron yellow colour.
A child who enrolls in the project first gets official
paperwork, usually a birth certificate from the nearby
police station. Cambodia uses a family book system, and
most ethnic Vietnamese don’t have one, so most don’t bother
with official paperwork. However, they need it for school
enrollment! School enrollment should be free, but
‘paperwork’ fees apply.
Teachers make very little and there’s widespread
corruption, so it’s common practice for students to pay
their teacher every day. This is usually a couple of
hundred riel, and adds up to US$5 a month per child. We ask
that the parents pay this, and almost all of them do.
Why
isn’t
everything
registered
properly?
We're getting there! When we started, we were so shoestring
that it didn't make any sense. Now being officially
registered means we can apply for more grants and wpork
officially with the government and police. We have a
non-profit trust in Singapore, and a local NGO in Cambodia.
Why
are
all
the
financials
online?
As part of our history in Cambodian adoptions, we've dealt
with people claiming that donations are for the children,
where the money vanishes into their own pockets. We’ve seen
first hand the damage money given with good intentions but
not enough local knowledge and commitment can do. Families
become dependent and false obligations are set up.
It's very important to us that all our finances be
transparent and available. We ask that the parents pay
their children’s school fees, while we provide transport,
meals, stationary, uniforms, and tuition. When parents are
involved, they are more likely to support their children’s
schoolwork.
We make absolutely nothing from RiverKids and donate time
and money to the project.