Our journey
We’re often asked how the idea for the Taksenkangbloung Community Centre was born. There is no simple answer. Our centre has grown and taken shape over several years in step with the changing needs of the local community. We’ve learned a lot along the way. Our Australian co-founders first visited Taksenkangbloung village in 2010. It is located opposite the UNESCO world heritage site of Angkor Wat. The day had been spent visiting the temples. On the way home, long time friend, tuk-tuk driver and eventual co-founder Botra dropped by the the village to introduce his family.
It became obvious very quickly that the village was experiencing deep disadvantage. Many were begging at the nearby temples to help their families survive. There was illness everywhere and no running water. School was at the back of most people’s minds with mere survival being hard enough. Most of the village was living in poverty.
The most heartbreaking case was a family of 12 people. The family unit was complex, with three generations living in one tiny raised hut under a makeshift palm leaf roof. The roof was falling off, the floor had holes in it, and the hut could obviously provide very little protection against the unforgiving monsoons. The family often went hungry, with the adults suffering from alcohol addiction. They were sleeping wherever they could find a place; the tiny children often curled up on the side of the dirt track.
Like so many, the adults had lived through the Khmer Rouge’s devastating genocide of the 1970s and had succumbed to alcoholism to address the trauma and poverty they faced. The young children in this family started their day at 5am, begging at the Angkor temples as the tourists arrived for sunrise. They provided the family’s income, supplying their parents with the small amount of money required each day to buy inexpensive, locally-brewed rice wine to satisfy their addiction. The children would then spend the rest of the day playing around the temples and in the village, scavenging for food but often going without. They happily cared for each other and battled through the harsh realities of their situation, usually without the support or care of their parents.
Initially, our co-founders assisted this family by providing food packages, and then by funding the rebuilding of the family’s small hut.
The four youngest children in that family were inaugural participants in the community centre’s pilot program, and were the inspiration behind the centre. Sadly, they dropped out of school and ceased attending the centre some years ago after their mother lost her battle with addiction and succumbed to a liver disease at home. Despite concerted efforts to re-engage them, they have been lost to us. We hope that they gained some lasting benefits from their three years spent at the centre and that they carry great memories in their hearts. We hope we meet again.
This picture was taken just after the centre opened in 2013. The young lady in the centre, Ngek, is the mother of the baby and the young boy. The other children are her siblings. The community centre was originally founded with the help of our friend Botra. His efforts and insight were invaluable. While he has since moved on and passed the local directorship to Sothea, his input and early influence remain invaluable.
It became obvious very quickly that the village was experiencing deep disadvantage. Many were begging at the nearby temples to help their families survive. There was illness everywhere and no running water. School was at the back of most people’s minds with mere survival being hard enough. Most of the village was living in poverty.
The most heartbreaking case was a family of 12 people. The family unit was complex, with three generations living in one tiny raised hut under a makeshift palm leaf roof. The roof was falling off, the floor had holes in it, and the hut could obviously provide very little protection against the unforgiving monsoons. The family often went hungry, with the adults suffering from alcohol addiction. They were sleeping wherever they could find a place; the tiny children often curled up on the side of the dirt track.
Like so many, the adults had lived through the Khmer Rouge’s devastating genocide of the 1970s and had succumbed to alcoholism to address the trauma and poverty they faced. The young children in this family started their day at 5am, begging at the Angkor temples as the tourists arrived for sunrise. They provided the family’s income, supplying their parents with the small amount of money required each day to buy inexpensive, locally-brewed rice wine to satisfy their addiction. The children would then spend the rest of the day playing around the temples and in the village, scavenging for food but often going without. They happily cared for each other and battled through the harsh realities of their situation, usually without the support or care of their parents.
Initially, our co-founders assisted this family by providing food packages, and then by funding the rebuilding of the family’s small hut.
The four youngest children in that family were inaugural participants in the community centre’s pilot program, and were the inspiration behind the centre. Sadly, they dropped out of school and ceased attending the centre some years ago after their mother lost her battle with addiction and succumbed to a liver disease at home. Despite concerted efforts to re-engage them, they have been lost to us. We hope that they gained some lasting benefits from their three years spent at the centre and that they carry great memories in their hearts. We hope we meet again.
This picture was taken just after the centre opened in 2013. The young lady in the centre, Ngek, is the mother of the baby and the young boy. The other children are her siblings. The community centre was originally founded with the help of our friend Botra. His efforts and insight were invaluable. While he has since moved on and passed the local directorship to Sothea, his input and early influence remain invaluable.
