Our immediate needs

Improving employment opportunities for youth

Quality skills training opens many doors for young people. Enhanced knowledge and skills coupled with economic security inspires confidence in youth and enables them to prosper.

Friends-International offers marginalized youth access to professional market linked vocational training in Cambodia and Lao PDR.

Friends-International works with each student to assistant them to locate decent employment at the completion of their studies and prepares young people for their transition into the workplace.

Professional training areas include (but are not limited to) hospitality, hairdressing, sewing/tailoring, and mechanics training.

Ensuring students receive the highest standards of practical training in a real work environment, Friends-International has created a range of social enterprises including, Friends the Restaurant and Romdeng (in Cambodia), and Makphet Restaurant (in Lao PDR). Part social project, part business ventures, the restaurants expose students to the world of hospitality, at the same time as generating an income for the organizations projects. Over the years, hundreds of young people have been equipped with the skills, knowledge and confidence to succeed in the competitive hospitality industry. Donate now

Access to education

Driving Friends-International is the knowledge that an education has the power to transform lives. Friends-International provides access to education to marginalized children who are denied their fundamental right to attend school. As many vulnerable children experience an interrupted education, or in some cases no access to education at all, Friends-International offers bridging courses and other preparatory support, so they may resume (or begin) their education with confidence through the public school system.

The organization believes strongly in the need to improve public education institutions rather than establish parallel systems in the countries in which it operates. Once reintegrated in to public school, Friends-International provides on-going academic support to help students cope with the demands of school life, and minimize the risk of potential drop outs.

Uncompromising in its mission of providing access to education for all children in the countries in which it works, the organization adopts creative strategies to reach the most vulnerable children. For example, in Lao PDR, the organization has a mobile school which travels to remote areas to ensure children in these areas don’t miss out on an opportunity to access an education.

Over the years, Friends-International has assisted thousands of vulnerable children to access an education in Lao PDR, Cambodia and Thailand. Donate now

Reaching out to children on the streets

Friends-International and its partners deliver day and night outreach services to children and youth living and working on the streets in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Indonesia. The outreach teams play an important role in making initial contact with young people and presenting them with options so they may move away from street life. The outreach teams provide health care; drug vulnerability and risk reduction (through education, materials and provision of direct and indirect services to drug users); education activities and information on issues such as HIV/AIDS, substance abuse and child rights.

Street living and working children are vulnerable to a number of factors that can affect their physical and emotional development, including inability to access an education, lack of access to physical activities and inadequate time to rest and play. Outreach services provide perhaps the only opportunity for vulnerable children, particularly out of school children, to access basic health care and engage in education and recreational activities, essential to their well being.

Each day, Friends-International reaches thousands of children and youth, building trusting relationships with young people and offering options so they may move away from living and working on the streets and access education and further training opportunities. Donate now

Creating ChildSafe Communities

Protecting the rights of children knows no boundaries. – it requires commitment and diligence from all members of the community. When young people have the opportunity to flourish, communities also thrive.

Friends-International works to develop a community wide child protection network (the ChildSafe Network) which fosters a protective environment for children/ youth and promotes community responsibility towards protecting young people.

The ChildSafe Network encourages key businesses and individuals (moto taxi/taxi drivers, hotels, guesthouses) who are in regular contact with young people to play an important role in safeguarding the rights of children and youth. Specifically members are trained to recognize children in dangerous situations and to take appropriate action, such as referring young people to Friends-International services (including 24 hour emergency services through the organizations ChildSafe Hotline). Making it easy for young people to identify a ChildSafe member who they can approach for help, all businesses display the ChildSafe symbol prominently on their premises and individual members wear ChildSafe t-shirts.

Friends-International implements this initiative in Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia and Lao PDR, adapting the project to meet the differing social, political and economic contexts. Donate now

Increasing employment options for mothers

Promoting the financial security of families dramatically minimises the risk of child labour and ensures children’s long term well being. Families with economic security are better able to support their children’s education, giving young people the chance to benefit from the skills, knowledge and opportunities of a quality education.

Friends-International creates opportunities for parents to earn a sustainable source of income through the Home Based Production initiative. This project provides skills training to parents (mostly women) so they may produce commercially viable products (in a short period of time to ensure participants generate an income as soon as possible), for sale through profitable retail outlets managed by Friends-International. Products are also sold through international sales markets in France Germany, USA, Switzerland Australia and Norway. Business training is provided to participants encouraging entrepreneurship. Individuals with a sound business idea are supported to establish their own business.