Strengthening Family-Based Care in Battambang to Prevent Unnecessary Separation
MJF Global, part of the Martin James Foundation, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Children’s Future International in Cambodia. This collaboration comes at a critical time to address the rising risks of family separation and ensure vulnerable children remain safely within their families and communities.
About Children’s Future
Children’s Future International (CFI) was founded in 2008 in Battambang Province, Cambodia, with a mission to serve vulnerable, marginalised, and at-risk children by promoting child rights, ensuring access to education, improving health and wellness, and supporting family-based care. CFI’s social work team provides case management, counselling, emergency food, housing, and livelihood support, and works to prevent children from being sent to residential care institutions so that they can grow up in family-based care.
The organisation has played an important role in family strengthening efforts, particularly through its involvement in the Family Care First coalition, to which MJF Global provided emergency funding earlier this year to sustain vital social work services and material support to families facing crisis situations following the sudden closure of USAID.
Context
Cambodia continues to face systemic issues such as poverty, limited access to social services, and persistent institutional care models, such as orphanages or residential care facilities (RCFs). In early 2024, the sudden closure of 32 residential care facilities resulted in the displacement of hundreds of children, creating an urgent need for family reintegration services. The withdrawal of funding in Cambodia has left a gap responding to child separation.
In response, CFI has provided direct support to children and families: between February and April 2025, 10 children received targeted assistance, and outreach extended to nearly 250 children through counselling and follow-ups, leading to safe case closures for 19 children. This partnership will help ensure that CFI is able to support the rest of the children who have not yet had a safe case closure.
About the Partnership
Our new collaboration with CFI provides funding, which will secure a dedicated social work team and essential logistics so that the organisation can continue to support families in Battambang when they need support the most. Funding will allow CFI to deliver intensive case management for children at risk of separation, guide the safe closure or transfer of open cases to local authorities, and roll out family-strengthening activities. The partnership also amplifies the organisation’s community-awareness campaigns on children’s rights and the dangers of institutional care.
We’re honoured to stand alongside Children’s Future International. They, like any organisation, cannot do this vital work alone. We invite you to join them by following their journey, supporting their efforts, and helping ensure every child in Cambodia grows up in a safe, supported family. Visit www.childrensfuture.org to learn more and get involved.
Quotes:
“We are delighted to partner with CFI at a moment when family strengthening services are urgently needed in Battambang. Their consistent approach and thoughtful leadership have already served children, families, and communities so well, and we look forward to their continued impact and growth.”
From the Partner:
“The initial partnership with MJF came at a pivotal moment when we were uncertain of how to keep children safe in light of the loss of funding from Family Care First. This new partnership with MJF will take the work begun under emergency circumstances and ensure that all families are given the time needed to become self-reliant. As the child protection risks continue to increase in Cambodia, this partnership will create a real opportunity for us to find the most effective ways of ensuring children can safely grow up in their community.”
