Phsar Leu

The Phsar Leu home is located in the city of Kratie in the province of the same name.The city of Kratie is one of the most picturesque in Cambodia, being located on a high bluff overlooking the Mekong River with stately French colonial buildings along the water front. Kratie is the major city in the province and has a population of about 80,000 which makes up about 30 percent of the population.Within the province there is about a 60% literacy rate and only 9% of the population has attended secondary school. Almost 41% of the population is under 14 and 35 % of the women over 40 are widows. Only 14% of the homes have toilets which is just one of the reasons for the poor state of health care in the region. Most of the population is involved in subsistence agricultural production of upland rice and vegetables with livestock production consisting of a few chickens, a couple of pigs and possibly a cow or team of oxen.Death due to childbirth, landmines, violence, and diseases such as malaria, dysentery, dengue fever, and AIDS are the main contributors to an overwhelming orphan population. With the highest HIV infection rate in Asia, death due to A.I.D.S is becoming the number one cause of orphaned children in Cambodia.

A typical day begins as the children awake. Before eating breakfast, the orphans participate in devotions. The school age children either attend classes in the morning or in the late afternoon. After lunch, most of the orphans take naps, play, study, and take classes in the home. Later, they eat dinner, take care of the homes’ garden and plants, and attend an English class in the home. The Phsar Leu family orphans finish each day gathering for church devotions, before setting up their mosquito nets and going to sleep.