Cambodia

Baby in a crèche in Cambodia

Early Childhood Development  2020-2026

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Daycare centers in villages for early childhood in Cambodia 

In Cambodia, where more and more women are working in factories, the need for childcare for young children is great. Many families entrust their toddlers to grandparents who are overwhelmed by the notions of stimulation of the young child.

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The context

Nearly 700,000 people work in the garment industry in Cambodia. 90% of these are women

While the law, with a view to developing early childhood services, requires companies with more than 100 employees to offer childcare services, it is little respected.

A study on the landscape of company crèches in Cambodia, carried out by Planète Enfants & Développement on behalf of the World Bank in September 2019, showed that only 13 of the 700 factories in the country that year complied with the law.

Often, companies prefer to offer compensation to their employees.

Public daycare centers are mostly in big cities and private structures are too expensive for working women. They cost on average 100$ per month while the average wage for a female textile worker is 180$ per month.

The needs in the early childhood sector in Cambodia are enormous, especially for children under 3, and the public administration does not yet have the means to meet them fully.

How is your donation used?

For every €100 raised by Planète Enfants & Développement, €84.4 goes to our social mission.

Our projects are evaluated by independent firms. And our accounts are audited and certified each year by KPMG.  

nurseries

children by 2026

aware parents

The project

Launched in 2020 based on the lessons of the Social services in factories" project,Over 3 years, the project has enabled the construction of 13 new crèches in villages in the provinces of Kampong Spau, Kampong Cham and Kampot, as well as the training of the early childhood assistants who work there.

It has also involved and committed the public authorities in strengthening the Early Childhood sector in Cambodia (steering committee headed by the Secretary of State, validation of a training curriculum, civil servants trained).

Our objectives for 2023 - 2026:

  • crèches must be operational and become self-sufficient
  • accompanied parents become aware of the importance of the first 3,000 days
  • Cambodian public authorities structure the early childhood sector.

Our 2023-2026 activities:

  • 3 new crèches are to be built and fully equipped with games, toys and teaching aids.
  • All childcare assistants are to receive training: initial training for employees at the new crèches and ongoing training for the 52 employees at the first 13 crèches. They will include a specific module on gender equality.
  • All children in the 13 crèches receive a monthly health check-up. 
  • Professionals at 11 health centers in the communes where the crèches are located are to be trained and coached to support parents in their role.
  • A campaign to raise awareness of the uses and risks of screens needs to be rolled out.
  • The 11 supervisory councils responsible for managing the crèches and their staff in the communes need to be supported in acquiring technical and financial autonomy, involving the municipalities, the parents, the garment factories employing the parents and the brands that are customers of these factories.
  • Planète Enfants & Développement is to work with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports to complete the training program for early childhood professionals and open an application crèche.
  • The association will also be working alongside the government on a new directive defining employers' obligations to support childcare for their employees.

Many activities are carried out in partnership with theCambodian NGO RACHAspecializing in maternal and child health.

"We want to drive a new model of daycare that involves the employers of the factories in the funding, which involves parents but also the communal councils."

Nathalie Dupont, Director of PE&D Cambodia in 2020

Our partners in the field

NGO RACHA (Reproductive And Child Health Alliance)

Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports Cambodia

Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training of Cambodia

Cambodian Ministry of Women's Affairs and Ministry of Health

Provincial districts and municipalities

Plants

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