The Rok Kern project of Children in Families, offers an ethical alternative to visiting orphanages and equips school students and church members with the knowledge they need to become family-based care advocates.
Recent studies have shown that up to 17,000 Cambodian children are growing up in over 400 orphanages. These orphanages are funded through the generosity of people in the West who seek to care for orphans and vulnerable children. Increasingly, these people are also looking to visit projects on short-term trips. However, research shows that short-term trips to orphanages increase the vulnerability of children in their care.
At Children in Families we believe that God calls us to care for orphans and widows. We believe that Western students, churches and the wider community have a crucial role to play in caring for orphans. We also believe that short-term trips can be an important part of a young (and not-so young) person’s journey to discover how they can best live out their desire to make a difference.
Most importantly, we believe that short-term trips do not have to be part of the problem of orphan care in Cambodia but can be a catalyst for change.
What are the benefits of the Rok Kern proJECT?
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Rok Kern provides support with everything that your group needs to prepare for, attend and process a learning trip to Cambodia. -
Participants are challenged to think about their beliefs surrounding aid, development and mission, and their role in helping to care for Cambodian orphans. -
Participants come and learn from Cambodian people, history and culture. -
Participants spend 12 days in Cambodia learning about family-based care from some of Cambodia’s leading family-based care NGOs. -
Participants come away equipped to be advocates for family-based care in the future.
Information Pack for Teachers and Schools
Children in Families is a member of ReThink Orphanages: Better Solutions for Children, a cross sector network that aims to prevent the unnecessary institutionalisation of children by shifting the way Australia engages with overseas aid and development.
