Background and History

The full name of the “Khmer Foundation” (KF) is the “Khmer Foundation for Justice, Peace and Development”. True to its name, its main goal is to help create a generation of young people with the right standards of integrity and compassion, with respect for others, and for their own abilities and responsibilities.

The Foundation was founded by former Statesman and Cambodian Prime Minister, SON Sann (in power from 1967-1968) and his son Dr SON Soubert, currently a High Privy Counselor to the King of Cambodia, His Royal Majesty, Norodom Sihamoni. At the time, they both felt that it was their duty as citizens to help the future Cambodian generations who were left vulnerable and fragile after decades of war. Being fortunate enough to survive the war and conflict and with the strong purpose to help Cambodia’s vulnerable children,

Previous UNICEF Director, Mrs. Anne Bruzelius, witnessed the desperate situation of the orphans and street children following two decades of warfare and the disruption of their family unit. With her support, KF became registered as a non-profit and non-political organization in August 1993 and has since received much needed support from international and Cambodians donors.

The Khmer Foundation was the first to setup children’s homes for refugees returning back from the Thai border after the 1991 Paris Peace Accords. These Homes were initially financed out of their personal work salaries. It was of particular importance to HE Son Sann, who was the founder and the leader of the

Over the next 10 years, the two founding members were giving the children’s homes land use rights at both sites, and a number of facilities for the children were financed by international donors.

Before then there were only French led private organization such as KrousarThmei of Benoit Duchateau‐Arminjon, who started the Khmer Refugee Camp of site 2 with Enfants du Mekong, and Friends/MithSamlanh of Sebastien Marot in the aftermath of the Khmer rouge regime.

During that time the KF has its chief mandate to respond to the grave situation of the Cambodian children, especially street and orphaned children caused by decades of warfare, as well as the children who are victims of child trafficking, orphans whose parents died caused by HIV/AIDS and the abandoned children.

Today the KF is overseen by a mix of Cambodian and international professionals acting within a Board of Directors, and is managed by a Cambodian professional team who takes care of the development of two residential facilities for deprived Cambodian children.

The KF is extending its support to deserving orphan children and extremely poor children finishing their secondary education to advance their higher education.

Children – orphaned, abused, impoverished – continue to be a huge concern in modern day Cambodia, a country subjected in recent history to mass genocide, decades of warfare and the invasion and consequent devastation of HIV/AIDS. Children are often the main and primary victims of violence and poverty. Only care and education of children can break the cycle of poverty. The Khmer Foundation (KF) has been set up and running by Cambodians since 1994, working as a non-profit organization to improve the lives and prospects for poor and orphaned children.