Our Children's Sanctuary is a traditional Cambodian house located in Siem Reap town alongside the Siem Reap River, and is 500 metres from Pokambor Avenue, the main road leading to Angkor Wat. We welcome visitors daily, between the hours of 0900H - 1100H and 1400H - 1600H. For visits outside of these hours, appointments may be made by contacting our manager at manager@thechildrenssanctuary.comMost children coming to the Sanctuary are orphans or have been abandoned by their families. Many originate from impoverished rural villages where their families live in conditions of extreme deprivation. Most of these children are malnourished (many severely), and a significant proportion have other illnesses, most commonly infectious diseases.
Upon taking a child into our care, our immediate objective is to address any health issues, which sometimes requires admission to hospital. In these cases, Sanctuary nannies provide additional comfort and care for the child around the clock until recovery and discharge.
The ratio of children to nannies at The Children's Sanctuary depends upon the age of the child: infants aged two years and under share a nanny between 2, whilst for those aged between two to four years, the ratio is 1 nanny for every 3 children. Most nannies live within the Sanctuary building and sleep with the children, to allow continuity of care and to ensure constant, high quality attention day and night.
All Sanctuary nannies are provided with education, and training in first-aid and health care with a special emphasis upon hygiene and appropriate techniques of discipline. In addition, detailed training in evidence based health care for children with HIV and chronic illnesses is mandatory for all staff.
A doctor and nurse visit the children on a regular basis to check on the children's health and progress if they are on treatment. Full dental care is also provided for all children. The children are supplied with clean filtered water, a specifically tailored and nutritionally balanced diet, and daily physical exercise and educational activities.
We believe the positive emotional development of each child as a unique individual is paramount, and strive to foster such development by providing permanent, loving role models. In this way we aim show the children how to love, care for and respect all forms of life, by direct example.