Hope for Cambodian Children

Hope for Cambodian Children Foundation (HOPE) is an Australian and Cambodian charity that supports poor children and their families in Battambang Province, Cambodia. It began as a residential center for children and is now a community-based care organization. It works with the Cambodian government and with non-government agencies.

Organization details
Legal name	Hope for Cambodian Children Foundation
Type	Cambodia aid
Focus areas	Hope for Cambodian Children Foundation assists poor and underprivileged children and their families to create better living conditions through health, social welfare and education.
Country	United States
Headquarters country	United States
Website	Website
Operating status	active

History

In 2005 a group of private citizens researched and visited projects in several countries. They chose a small project in Battambang, where they believed they could make a difference. Private donations paid for land and for buildings to house about 100 children. The foundation says these were children who had lost their family support, most often through HIV/AIDS. In March 2026 HOPE formally recognized Jenny McAuley as a founder, alongside the co-founder John Kinsella. By then the work had grown over more than 20 years from an orphanage center into programs for the wider community. Puth Try, chairman of its Cambodian Advisory Committee, said the foundation had moved from its original residential center to community-based care.

Programs

HOPE helps families keep their children healthy and together, and works with each family through health, social welfare and education toward what it calls a Pathway to Independence. Its programs are Community Child Education Development, Family Preservation, Community Sport, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, Community Education, Early Learning Childcare and Education, University Scholarships, Skill-Based Training, Community Assistance and Small Business Start Ups.

The HOPE preschool teaches 78 children aged three to five. They learn social skills, art, Khmer, English and basic mathematics, and each child receives breakfast every day. A computer training room at the center was set up with used laptops sent to Cambodia by BT. Through the mother-to-child transmission program, parents collect milk formula each month. In July 2026 the program gave milk and health and well-being sessions to 18 families. The small business program has helped people start a motorcycle repair service and a sewing business.

Students are supported through university, with home visits and a Student Support Group that meets every three months to review their studies, well-being and plans. In September 2026 the foundation formed an alumni group for former university scholarship students. In June 2026 HOPE's under-14 football team represented Battambang Province and won the final of the AIA-ISF Grand Championship in Phnom Penh. The community center also celebrates Khmer New Year with Khmer dances and traditional games.

Organization

HOPE is incorporated in Australia and registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. It is recognized as an international non-government organization and has memoranda of understanding with Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and its Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation. A board of directors in Australia governs it, advised by a Cambodian Advisory Committee of five Khmer community leaders. Of its 35 staff in Cambodia, all but one are Khmer. It is not tied to any religious denomination and respects Buddhism as Cambodia's official religion. The foundation relies on private donations and sponsorships, and the Hope Indochina Ride Organisation (HIRO), a charity ride, was set up to raise funds for it. Its community center is in Balat Village, Norea Commune, Sangker District, Battambang.

See also

• All organizations

References