Organization

M'Lop Tapang


M'Lop Tapang is a nonprofit in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, that has worked with vulnerable children, youth and their families since 2003.[1] In Khmer, m'lop means shade or protection, and the Tapang tree, also called the umbrella tree, gives shelter from the weather.[1] The organization states that it works with more than 5,000 children, youth and families in the Sihanoukville area.[2]

History

A small group of foreigners and Cambodians founded M'Lop Tapang in 2003. It began by feeding and protecting six children who slept every night under a large Tapang tree on the beach, where they were at great risk of exploitation. That first effort grew into a wider program.[1][2] The organization is registered with Cambodia's Ministry of Interior under number 856.[1] In 2023 its work reached more than 6,000 children and youth, and its community services supported more than 4,000 families.[3] The M'Lop Tapang Impact Fund, which supports the organization's yearly operating costs, launched on July 26, 2024.[3] Firetree Philanthropy has given it multi-year unrestricted funding for more than ten years.[3]

Programs

Child safety has been the organization's first concern since it began. Its child protection work covers community education, rescues carried out with local authorities, medical and legal support, safe shelter, emotional support, family reintegration and advocacy for children's rights.[4] It is the implementing partner for the ChildSafe program in the Sihanoukville area and runs a confidential 24-hour hotline for reports of children in danger or in need of help.[4][1] Specialized teams work together to assess each child's situation and respond to the needs of each family.[4] All staff take yearly training and testing on its 2024 Child Protection Policy.[2]

Outreach social workers support families with training, help starting small businesses, house repairs, emergency food, counseling, parenting lessons and help with alcohol and drugs. Reintegration staff work on the causes of family separation, reunite children with their families and follow up afterward. Children stay at the Transitional Home while reintegration is completed, and foster care is arranged for those who cannot return to their immediate families.[4]

Non-formal education serves children who have never been to school or have been out of school for a long time, and prepares them to enter public school at the right grade for their age. The Back to School Program helps families return children to public school and finish their studies. Youth aged 15 and older can train in motorbike and bicycle repair, electrical work, cooking and hospitality, with job placement and follow-up. The Futures program gives young adults and caretakers job-skills training and links to safe work or small business.[4] Each year students elect four youth representatives to a Child and Youth Development Committee, which meets with senior program managers and brings its concerns to the Board of Directors twice a year.[4]

At its Medical Clinic, Cambodian nurses and doctors give medical and dental care, and the medical team makes scheduled visits to poor neighborhoods.[4] The Babies and Toddlers Care Program gives daily care to 15 to 22 children under five who have been abandoned, neglected or severely malnourished. A medical team and three nannies provide treatment, food and emotional care, and the children do not stay overnight. In 2025 the Women's International Group Community Fund gave a grant to strengthen the program.[5][4] The organization also runs community drug and alcohol harm reduction and Pteah Romchang, a medically supported detoxification and rehabilitation center.[4] It trains tuk-tuk drivers and advocates for male survivors of abuse.[5]

Community

About 200 people work for M'Lop Tapang, 98 percent of them Cambodian, and more than half of its staff are women.[2] It works with local and provincial authorities, commune and village chiefs, police and the ministries of Education; Health; Labour and Vocational Training; and Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation.[2] It is a partner in the UNICEF-funded Partnership Program for the Protection of Children (3PC), part of the GHR Foundation's partner network in Cambodia and the ChildSafe Alliance Network, and a member of Family Care First.[2][6] International medical and dental groups volunteer with its Cambodian teams through the year, and it has a memorandum of understanding with the School of Health and Society at the University of Salford in the United Kingdom.[2] Ride Expeditions, a motorcycle tour company, lists it among the charities it supports.[7]

Leadership (2026)

Management team and board as listed on the organization's website.[2]

Management
  • Maggie Eno, co-founder and co-director
  • Roth Chanphalkun, co-director
  • Iv Sok, administration manager
  • Lao Bunnary, senior financial officer
  • Dom Sinat, monitoring and evaluation officer
  • Chey Ratanakbopha, human resources manager
Board
  • Johnny, co-founder, adviser on finance and donor relations
  • Chetra, former coordinator of the 3PC project
  • Professor Rowland, medical team
  • Sovann
  • Sophea
  • Chou

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 M'Lop Tapang Organization, home page
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 M'Lop Tapang Organization, Who we are
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Asia CF, M'Lop Tapang Impact Fund factsheet
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 M'Lop Tapang Organization, What we do
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Women's International Group Cambodia, M'Lop Tapang (September 2025)
  6. ↑ Better Care Network, M'Lop Tapang
  7. ↑ Ride Expeditions, partners: M'Lop Tapang (2021)

Sources

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This page was last edited on 27 September 2026, at 00:32.