Here's the story: Phnom Penh has a dump. It's not like an American dump. Because Cambodia is a poor country, people already sort their trash and refrain from throwing away anything that could be of value. Anything recyclable (e.g., cardboard or plastics) has been sold to wholesale recyclables vendors (I'm not sure exactly how this works, but when the recyclables cart comes around my town with its squeaky horn, people rush out to buy or sell the scraps they have or need). A quick aside: most towns don't have any trash collection, so people who don't live in cities just burn their trash. At any rate, some families living near the Phnom Penh dump comb through the garbage to get at any neglected recyclables. The kids in these families don't usually get a chance to go to school, as they are helping their parents at the dump. PSE works with these families, giving younger children a meal every day.
This is the kitchen: below are the hand-washing stations.
Teenagers get an opportunity to go to school and get vocational training. The kids below are learning about hairstyling and makeup.
Where possible, the parents get involved as well: they are hired for jobs at the school, such as painting or making traditional crafts which are sold to support the organization. These activities give the parents a marketable skill that will hopefully allow them to provide for their families, which in theory means that the children should be able to go to a public school.
There are also a small functioning hotel and restaurant here for students to learn about working in the tourist industry. If you're ever in Phnom Penh and want to see an awesome NGO in action, consider staying for a night or two.
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