Relevance

The health care system and the social services structure in Cambodia remain to be insufficient to respond to the need of Cambodian people in a foreseeable future. People living with HIV/Aids cannot rely on institutional care alone. Family and community will need to care for people with HIV/Aids, as institutional care may not be an affordable choice. All segments of a community should be made aware of the impact of HIV/Aids at community level and be mobilised to respond by accepting people who already are infected, support families who lose their relatives and help care for those being sick and care for orphans and elderly left behind. In order to help the community cope with these challenges, JBCF foresees opportunities.

JBCF's projects try to mobilise untapped community resources in order to provide adequate services at the community level; de-stigmatise HIV/Aids, facilitate integration of persons with HIV/Aids into the community and thus increase the participation of persons with HIV/Aids in the day-to-day activities of the community as productive members. Persons with HIV/Aids do not need to be institutionalised or abandoned.

To support families or care takers of vulnerable children, JBCF tries to create a working environment which provides them with a proper income. JBCF also stimulate integration of persons with HIV/Aids into the community, by providing work and training. A recently opened Sewing Centre offers both the opportunity to generate income and share the profits with JBCF, thereby supporting others in the community. More information about the sewing studio can be found here.

JBCF started with 14 children under their care in 2007 and at this moment (May, 2009) the number of children has increased to 34 children and their care takers. Currently there are many requests of vulnerable children and their families for financial support.

The financial support will mainly be used to continue education and hopefully preventing child trafficking, drugs abuse and child sexual abuse. Besides that funds will be used to improve the family situation. A broader description of this project can be found here.

To be able to fulfill these requests and continue long term support to the children and their community, additional funds are necessary. At this moment, JBCF has not yet sufficient funds to increase the number of supported children. In order to meet these requirements JBCF wishes to establish long term relationships with prospective and current donors.

If you wish to contribute to the future of these children and their community, please contact Mr. Billy Barnaart.

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Sewing Studio

JBCF set up a sewing training centre with the purpose to increase the income of the families and also to contribute to the running costs of JBCF itself. In a year and with the profits made families could increase their monthly income with 100 to 200%.

Currently the sewing centre has seven employees, of who two are teachers. Some of these women are HIV positive. After six months of business the sewing studio has a steady flow of orders and provides an income for seven families who are caretakers for orphans and vulnerable children.

The future is looking well, as several potential buyers have shown keen interest in the products and some orders have been placed with the guarantee that if the quality is good, the orders will be on a regular basis. The sewing centre is now providing baby clothes for new baby shop. Besides baby clothes, they are also providing uniforms for a local company in Phnom Penh.


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Financial Family Support

JBCF established a special fund, for orphans or children whose father or mother already died of Aids. From this fund the children receive financial support in order to continue their education. The purpose is to facilitate a foster family programme to care for the predicted boom in children orphaned by Aids.
Via counselling of the families, opportunities will be looked for how to increase the income of the family where possible in order to find ways to become more independent.

For the already HIV infected children JBCF, together with Maryknoll's Children's Homes, created a safe home where children infected by HIV receive care, education and medication from the staff. The estimated costs for this medical treatment will be around US $550, - per year per child. The anti-retroviral therapy medication will be received from the Ministry of Health.

As part of this project JBCF is providing the following supports;

1. Financial family support
Each family under the care of JBCF receives financial support depending on the number of children within a family. The funds are used for education and healthcare for the children, but also for the family. For example, with the provided funds a family can buy a juice machine to set up a small community business to generate income, to in the end being able to support the family and become a productive member within the community.

2.  Support in kind
Each family also receives support in kind depending on available funding. These donations in kind can vary from medicines, food to toiletries and educational materials.

3. Extra donation in kind for the child individual
Upon funding children can earn a bicycle, e.g. in case of good performance or progress at school. At the moment 8 children are in need of a bicycle to travel to school. Costs 80$ per cycle.

4. Support for special medical costs and articles
Medicines are also on the list of the needs of children. For example when a child has a traffic accident, these special medical costs are paid by JBCF upon funding.

5. Social support
To obtain their funds families will gather once every month. In addition to the financial support this moment serves to socialize and interact with each other, to learn from each other and to inform other families about all kind of issues.

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The story of Sovanna

Sovanna is a young adult studying Accounting in Phnom Penh. She works part-time at a sewing studio. This sounds like a normal girl going to school and living in a big city. However this was not always the case, Sovanna grew up in a single-mom family with three younger sisters. Her father died of Aids and her mother is HIV positive. Having no income, the family struggled to get food; there was no money for education. Besides that Sovanna is disabled, she is only able to walk with crutches. In Cambodia this means no chance of a future if you grow up in a poor family.

Then the family received support from JBCF, with the money they received from the organisation all girls are able to go to school. Sovanna: “With the money from JBCF I have a future; my sisters and I can now go to school and get a good job. So we can support my mother...Even though I am disabled I have potential...otherwise we would have ended up on the street”

She works hard and does very well in school. With the money Sovanna earns at the sewing studio, she is able to rent a house and become an independent woman. She also volunteers at JBCF, visiting all the other families receiving support from JBCF. Sovanna: “I am very happy I got this chance”.

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Current Output

The current output of the support by JBCF:

  • At the moment 34 children are under the direct care of JBCF, receiving financial support in order to continue schooling, to receive housing, food and health services.

  • All children are going to school and therefore are protected from trafficking and other dangers.

  • One girl is going for a second year to the Norton University (Faculty of Business and Accounting) with a scholarship from an Australian University. Another girl is also going to University with the possible option to receive a scholarship.

  • One boy is doing his final exams in High School in June 2009. A scholarship has been requested for University.

  • All children are going to English classes.

  • Two boy orphans are playing football in a local (expatriate) team.

  • One girl is receiving computer training.

  • The university student is working part-time as an home visitor after intensive training, visiting all children two times a month.

  • With the help of our sponsors, JBCF was able to renovate a mini-van, which is now used by JBCF and his partner organisation HPHAO to transport children.


  • A new motorbike, financed by Foundation Watercarriers, will be used for home visits.

 

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Situation

A short recap of Billy's work (in Dutch):

 

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