ALTERNATIVE CARE PROJECT: HELP FOR THE SURVIVORS OF KOH PICH

Under its Alternative Care Project (which ensures that at-risk children remain with their families or within a family environment), Friends-International and its partners are intensely involved in identifying children separated from their families and children orphaned during the tragic stampede on Koh Pich bridge that claimed the lives of 347 people, mostly women (221), and seriously injured another 395.
This terrible incident cost the lives of 9 children and young people Friends was working with. We now also fear that many children may have lost one or more parents and care-takers and are left without support. We must ensure that these children receive the emotional support they need and that they find a family that can take care of them in these difficult times and for the future.
Friends-International and its partners under the Alternative Care Project, Mith Samlanh, SKO, Krousar Yoeung, Mango Tree Garden and Enfants et Developpement are now working in their target areas to identify children and families in need of such support. Their work extends to hospitals in Phnom Penh and other areas of the country to identify the level of need and design the individual support needed by all affected children.
With the support of the French Government, the Alternative Care Project is clearly an essential tool to deal with the immediate aftermath and long term consequences of a tragedy such as this.