Emergency Fund Active — Cambodia 2026

130 children lost
their sponsors.
You can change that.

In 2024, every foreign donor funding education, meals, and healthcare for 130+ children in Kakot village, Cambodia withdrew — without warning, without a plan. CHEA Institute exists to close that gap. Right now.

Give Now — Every Dollar Reaches a Child Read Their Story

130+Children at risk

$0Foreign funds since 2024

100%Goes to the field

Our mission: No child loses access to education, safety, or dignity because of forces beyond their control.

Since 2017 CCLF has served children in Kakot — the same children CHEA now fights to keep in school

What Happened

A promise built over years.
Broken in a single year.

In Kakot — one of the poorest villages in Kratie Province, northeast Cambodia — the Cambodian ChildLife Foundation (CCLF) built a program that worked. Foreign donors funded meals, school supplies, English lessons, and healthcare for over 130 children from kindergarten through primary school.

In 2024, those donors withdrew. No transition plan. No warning. Just silence — and 130 children left without the support their families had structured their lives around.

CHEA Institute was founded in Phoenix, Arizona to fill exactly this kind of gap. We are precise, accountable, and deeply connected to the communities we serve.

Restore a Child’s Year

Cambodia in 2026

The need has never been greater.
The gap has never been wider.

As of January 2026, 409,000 people remain displaced from the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict — including tens of thousands of children with disrupted schooling and no stable access to food or healthcare.

International donor fatigue is real. Funding that once reached Cambodia’s rural provinces is redirected to conflict zones. Communities like Kakot — not in a conflict zone, not generating headlines — are falling through every crack.

CHEA Institute is built precisely for this moment. Small, targeted, accountable, and connected to the field.

Education disruption

164,900+ children needed emergency inclusive education support in Cambodia in 2025 alone. Kakot’s children are part of this invisible majority.

Child malnutrition

41,800+ children under five required nutrition services in 2025. In rural Kratie Province, food insecurity remains chronically underfunded.

→

Donor withdrawal

Foreign funding to Cambodia’s community NGOs dropped significantly in 2024 as donor attention shifted to border conflict response globally.

The Timeline

From hope — to crisis — to action

Understanding what happened is the first step to fixing it.

2017

The Cambodian ChildLife Foundation (CCLF) is established in Kakot, Kratie Province — providing education and healthcare for children in one of Cambodia’s poorest villages.

2019

The Kakot Community Development Committee is formed. International donors begin sponsoring 130+ children — covering education, meals, shelter, and healthcare.

2020–2023

At peak operation: English lessons, computer access, sports, library, daily meals, and medical care. Families in Kakot build their lives around this stability.

2024 — The Crisis

All foreign funding stops without warning. Sponsoring organizations withdraw. 130+ children face abrupt cut-off with no safety net and no transition plan.

2025–2026 — The Response

CHEA Institute incorporates in Arizona (ACC No. 23827809, June 2025) and launches the First Fund campaign — $25,000 to restore one full year of support. This is where you come in.

Our Programs

Where your donation goes

Three areas where underfunding causes irreversible harm — and where each dollar has the clearest, most documented impact.

📚

Education Access

School supplies, teacher support, English instruction, and safe learning spaces for 130+ children in Kakot. Education is the only investment that compounds without depreciation.

Kakot VillageK–Primary130+ children

🍳

Child Nutrition

Daily meals for children who would otherwise attend school hungry. Malnourished children learn 30% less. Feeding a child is an education intervention — full stop.

Daily MealsHealthFamilies

🤝

Community Resilience

Supporting the Kakot Community Development Committee — building systems that outlast any single donor cycle. Sustainability over dependency, always.

Village LeadersParentsLong-term

130+

Children served in Kakot village

Foreign sponsorship since 2024

$25K

First Fund target — one full year

100%

Of donations reach field programs

From The Field

Kakot Village, Cambodia

Our Team

People who chose to show up

CHEA Institute spans two continents, five dedicated people, and one shared conviction: that the smallest organizations, done right, create the most accountable impact.

Phoenix, AZ · USA

Phoenix Chea

Co-Founder & Executive Director
Strategy · Partnerships · Operations

CHEA Institute

Phoenix, AZ · USA

Dr. Piseth Sim

Co-Founder & Strategic Advisor
Healthcare & Community Development

pisethsim.com
EB-1A Recognized

Glendale, AZ · USA

Munica PisethKun

Youth Initiative Lead
Stanford Pre-Collegiate 2026 · GPA 4.0

Youth Initiative →
Stanford Pre-Collegiate 2026

Kratie Province · Cambodia

Karona Kong

Founder & Country Director
Cambodian ChildLife Foundation (CCLF)
Local Implementation Partner

CCLF · Cambodia

Phnom Penh · Cambodia

Sopheak Hun

Operations & Compliance Advisor
20+ years public sector oversight
Financial accountability & governance

Operations · Cambodia

Global Youth Impact Initiative

A structured youth-led program under CHEA Institute where student leaders design, lead, and execute real humanitarian campaigns for Cambodia. Each campaign has a specific goal, a documented budget, and a public outcome report.

◆ Student-designed campaigns

◆ Real fundraising goals

◆ Public impact reports

◆ School club network

Visit Youth Initiative →

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