Short description of situation of children and the project purpose / goal

In the Child Care Center, there have been some most important infrastructures such as 2 learning buildings used as classrooms, a library, a health care room, a computer class, an office and a staff homestay, 1 child care building used as classrooms and a kitchen, 2 kitchens, 6 water containers, 1 storehouse, 1 vehicle garage, 1 playground shelter and 4 vehicles. However, the Center really needs a protective fence surrounding it to keep its assets safe from thievery, to prevent the poisonous snakes and ferocious animals from getting into it and especially to safeguard the children. Last year, the dogs from the neighboring villages entered the Center premise and bit children playing in it, and one of children was bitten by a poisonous snake. In addition, recently during the COVID 19, the Center was closed and most of the staff left for their home villages to keep it very quiet that offered a chance to the thieves to come in and steal the staff’s money and some of KAD assets. So in order to prevent all these problems from happening again and again, KAD has received invaluable funds from Mirja Sachs Foundation and Schmitz Foundation to construct metal fences around it. The KAD Child Care Center works in Samraong Tong district covering 7 communes and 127 villages benefiting several thousands of population and there is only such Center set up in this district by local NGO, so on this occasion, on behalf of the communities, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Mirja Sachs Foundation and Schmitz Foundation for financial support so that we were able to implement the project effectively and successfully.

Completed activities up to the reporting time

• To discuss with construction material supplier on goods supply and with a group of construction workers on the process of construction activities:

KAD set up the project management team of which four members were selected to monitor the process of the project implementation, to sign a contract to buy construction materials and equipment, to supervise the activities of construction workers and to transport materials and equipment to the project site. A group of five local construction workers were hired to construct the fences and local construction materials and equipment were purchased. The construction work was scheduled to start in late January 2021 and completed in early June 2021. Four about four months, 34,000m² fences made from metal and concrete surrounding the whole Center to maintain its assets safely and to keep the children safe from various problems, especially the bites of vicious animals and poisonous snakes, and it will be easy to put the children inside with safety.

 Outcomes of the project:

• The constructed fences was an obstacle to the thieves in entering the Center to steal something and to the animals to bite the children.
• The child caregivers as well as the communities were not concerned about the children’s safety and security any longer.
• Expenditure on lost belongings didn’t happen, and KAD staff could sleep well at night time.
• The Child Care Center’s beauty seemed improved.

Effects of the project on the beneficiaries and communities:

The communities and beneficiaries had confidence in the Child Care Center of the Khmer Association for Development (KAD). They felt that their children would be really safe and strongly supported all activities or projects as well as the organization through their participation and contribution to keep it sustainable. They prefer putting their children in the Centre to sending them to the public schools.