these are some of the kids' homes

this is where they work

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Sareka: Cambodian Children's Arts is a registered Cambodian charitable organisation. Founded by Director Sokha Peng, Sareka's aim is to improve the lives of some of Cambodia's most disadvantaged people - the children of the Sihanouk Ville dumpsite and their families.

In December, 2007 Sokha set up a children's painting studio at the dumpsite where the children live and work. For the first time in their lives they were given the opportunity to earn a living creatively - and they love it!

In August, 2008, the Sareka Paper Project was begun. The goal of the paper project was to provide a means of income for the larger dumpsite community with an aim towards enabling them to move back to the village of Battrang without having to rely entirely on charity. The 2008 Christmas card drive was the first Paper Project venture. While it was not a huge financial success, it did help raise awareness of the community's plight and helped keep Sareka's dream alive.

In January of 2009, one of Sareka's earliest supporters, Jean-Michel, made his first visit to the dumpsite. He was so moved by what he saw that he called all his family and friends in Holland and raised enough money to begin Sareka House. Within a week, the 15 neediest children, those who were orphans or otherwise without parental supervision, were living in Sareka House. A cook prepares them nourishing meals every day, they are going to school every day and, most importantly, they now have a brighter future to look forward to.

But their brighter future is not yet guaranteed. Sareka is a small organization that relies primarily on donations from concerned individuals from around the world. While Jean-Michel was able to raise enough money to keep Sareka House afloat for six months and has returned to the Netherlands to set up a foundation there with his friend Martijn, it is going to take the efforts of many to ensure that these children do not have to return to the misery of the dumpsite. For more information about how you can help maintain Sareka House, please click here.