A New Partnership to Address the Challenges of Family Reintegration in Cambodia
Martin James Foundation (MJF) is pleased to announce a new partnership with This Life Cambodia, a community development organisation dedicated to empowering communities and addressing complex social challenges. This collaboration will provide essential support to children and families in Cambodia, particularly those affected by the sudden closure of residential care facilities (RCFs) and the subsequent reintegration of children back into their families and communities.
Founded in 2007, This Life Cambodia is an award-winning organisation with a strong reputation for empowering communities to tackle complex social challenges. Operating across eight provinces—Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Thom, Takéo, Pursat, Oddar Meanchey, Mondulkiri, and Ratanakiri provinces—This Life works directly with children, women, families, and communities, providing vital resources and support to help them overcome challenges such as poverty, limited access to education and healthcare, domestic violence, and substance abuse. Guided by a mission to listen, engage with, and advocate for communities, This Life empowers them to define and implement their own solutions, aiming for sustainable, community-driven change from within.
Cambodia faces significant socio-economic challenges, with many children living in orphanages due to factors such as poverty, the pursuit of better education, parental incarceration, or disability. Many of these children are not orphans and do have family but are placed in care due to circumstances beyond their control. In August 2023, the sudden closure of 34 RCFs across Cambodia left hundreds of children without support, threatening their safe and sustainable reintegration back into family life.
This Life Cambodia has identified 267 children who were suddenly sent back to their homes, many facing critical challenges such as food insecurity, inadequate shelter, lack of education, and protection issues. Of the 135 children currently enrolled in This Life’s support programme, 46% are at high risk, 46% at medium risk, and 8% at low risk. These figures underscore the urgent need for comprehensive intervention to support these children and their families during this transitional period.
Through this partnership, This Life Cambodia will implement a holistic, child-centred approach to support the children who have been abruptly returned to their family. The initial phase will focus on identifying and assessing the needs of 150 children, ensuring they are placed in safe, nurturing family-based care. Emergency support will be provided to stabilise families, addressing immediate material needs such as food, healthcare, and psychosocial services.
A core element of the project will be the provision of holistic case management. This will involve creating tailored care plans for each child and family, connecting them to local community resources, and offering ongoing counselling and progress monitoring to ensure long-term stability and well-being. In addition, over 750 social workers will be trained on best practices for reintegration, case management, and child protection, building capacity at the local level to sustain these efforts.
The project will also focus on strengthening Cambodia’s child protection systems, developing frameworks and guidelines that support family-based care and prevent the need for institutionalisation. Finally, community engagement will play a key role in raising awareness about the harms of institutional care and the benefits of family-based care, helping to shift societal attitudes and support sustainable change.
This partnership represents a powerful collaboration between MJF and This Life Cambodia, working alongside local authorities and communities to address the pressing needs of children and families in Cambodia. Through this project, we aim to contribute to lasting change by ensuring children are supported within their families and communities, rather than institutional care.
“What we’ve learned is that many families placed their children in residential care hoping it would provide better education and break cycles of poverty – but this hasn’t been the case. These children should have remained with their families from the start, with proper support provided directly to families themselves. While the abrupt closure of residential facilities has created immediate challenges, our partnership with the Martin James Foundation allows us to provide what should have been there all along: direct support to families so they can care for their children in their own communities. Together, we’re committed to turning this moment into lasting change that strengthens families rather than separates them.”
“We are delighted to partner with This Life Cambodia, whose child-centred approach and dedication to meeting the unique needs of families and communities make them an ideal organisation to support the safe reintegration of children back into family care and community. We are grateful to contribute to their efforts, with a shared commitment to ensuring every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe and loving family.”
