Category: Projects We Support

February 2026) The Magic Ears Project: Giving Children the Chance to Hear, Learn and Belong
W.I.G. Communities Funding (WCF) was deeply honored to support the Magic Ears Project in partnership with All Ears Cambodia (AEC), an organization that has dedicated more than twenty years to restoring hearing and hope to Cambodian babies and children from underprivileged background.
For a child born with congenital hearing loss, the inability to hear often means far more than silence. It can lead to isolation, difficulties at school, limited communication with family and friends, and fewer opportunities to reach their full potential. WCF was profoundly touched by the life-changing difference this project brings to these children and their families.
The Magic Ears Project provides specialised hearing solutions for children born with missing or malformed ears and ear canals—children for whom conventional hearing aids simply cannot help. Through innovative bone-conduction hearing devices and individually tailored hearing solutions, many experience the joy of hearing voices, laughter and the world around them for the very first time.

The programme gives priority to children from disadvantaged families and reaches communities through clinics in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambang and Kratie. By supporting this remarkable initiative, WCF hopes not only to restore hearing, but also to open the door to education, confidence, inclusion and a future filled with possibilities for some of Cambodia’s most vulnerable children.

(May 2026)Founded in Phnom Penh in 1998 by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jim Gollogly, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) is a registered humanitarian NGO dedicated to providing specialist surgical care to Cambodia’s most vulnerable populations. Originally established to care for victims of landmines and severe untreated disabilities, CSC has grown into one of Cambodia’s leading charitable surgical centres, offering orthopedic, ophthalmic, ENT, reconstructive and burn surgery, rehabilitation services, and medical training.

Despite its name, CSC provides specialist care to both children and adults. Every year, thousands of underprivileged patients from across Cambodia receive free or heavily subsidised treatment, restoring not only their health but often their independence and quality of life. Guided by compassion rather than a patient’s ability to pay, CSC has become a place of hope for many families who would otherwise have no access to specialist surgical care.

WCF is pleased to award USD 1,396 to Children’s Surgical Centre for the purchase of ophthalmic surgical and diagnostic equipment. This specialised equipment will strengthen the Centre’s capacity to diagnose and treat patients suffering from preventable and treatable eye conditions, helping restore sight, independence and hope to underprivileged Cambodians.

(May 2026) Enfants de Klang Leu(EKL) operates a community centre in the Klang Leu neighbourhood of Sihanoukville, supporting children and families living in extreme poverty. Many families live in small metal-sheet shelters with no insulation. Children often walk barefoot along unpaved roads, while the neighbourhood lacks a proper wastewater drainage system, exposing them to unsanitary conditions and a higher risk of injury and infection.

To help protect some of the community’s most vulnerable children, WCF awarded a grant of USD 1,226.55 to fund a catch-up Tdap vaccination programme for 13 children. The grant covers the full three-dose vaccination course against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough—three potentially life-threatening diseases that can have devastating consequences for unvaccinated children.

(May 2026) The Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB), located in Phnom Kulen National Park, Siem Reap Province, rescues and rehabilitates wildlife confiscated from illegal trade. It employs over 40 Cambodian staff and manages one of the largest ex-situ populations of Critically Endangered elongated tortoises in the world. The centre operates within the park under formal agreement with Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment, and works with international conservation partners including the Turtle Survival Alliance and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
ACCB’s ongoing work includes long-term captive breeding of elongated tortoises, structured release programmes at Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary, and post-release ecological monitoring. Local community members are employed as “Tortoise Guardians” as part of this work.
WCF granted USD 1637.50 to support two release programmes in 2026 and in 2027. The funding covers GPS and VHF tracking units to monitor released tortoises after release, collecting data on their dispersal, survival, and habitat use, along with the practical costs of release itself, including staff time, veterinary oversight, a temporary acclimatisation enclosure, and supplies during the 12-week acclimatisation period.

(July 2025 ) Beong Preah Primary School, a modest public school in rural Takeo, is home to 424 children from Grades 1–6. Though the school buildings are old and government support is limited, its heart beats strong thanks to extraordinary community unity. Parents from surrounding villages, the venerable monk of the local pagoda, and the NGO Samaki have joined hands to keep education alive — not with wealth or modern infrastructure, but with an unwavering belief in the children’s right to a better future.

After lessons, the most vulnerable students attend extra classes in small groups three times a week. They receive support in Khmer, mathematics, and logic-building games. A book-loan programme further nurtures a love for reading, with teachers carefully tracking progress.

The community’s commitment extends far beyond academics. When the Ministry of Education agreed to build three new classrooms and an office, they required the land to be raised with 100 truckloads of soil — an impossible cost for most schools. Yet over 200 families contributed what they could, while Samaki provided a zero-interest loan for the rest.

WCF’s grant targeted urgent needs: ✔ 3 months of extra classes, supporting 12 teachers ✔ Repair of 66 worn student tables ✔ Elevating the foundation for new classrooms.

We left deeply moved by the sacrifices of parents, the monk’s leadership, and the teachers’ dedication. Here, education is more than lessons; it is hope, dignity, and a shared mission.

(July 2025 ) In 2003, beneath the sheltering branches of a Tapang tree, six street-connected children found refuge. From that humble beginning, M’Lop Tapang has grown into a sanctuary of hope for more than 5,000 vulnerable children in Sihanoukville — a place where safety, opportunity, and dignity meet.

Its mission is deeply human: to provide education, child protection, medical care, family reintegration, vocational training, and creative expression under one compassionate roof. With a 98% Cambodian team — more than half of leadership roles held by women — M’Lop Tapang is deeply rooted in the community it serves. Guided by dignity, trust, and inclusivity, its trauma-informed, gender-sensitive approaches build lasting bonds with children who have endured hardship.

From harm reduction programs and male survivor advocacy to training tuk-tuk drivers and supporting small family businesses, M’Lop Tapang is far more than an NGO — it is a trusted partner in rebuilding lives.

WCF Grant – Supporting the Babies & Toddlers Care Program

In 2025, the WIG Community Fund (WCF) awarded a grant to strengthen M’Lop Tapang’s Babies & Toddlers Care Program, ensuring that the youngest and most fragile — often abandoned, neglected, or malnourished — begin life with dignity and hope.

Under the watch of a skilled medical team and three devoted nannies, 15–22 children under five receive daily care. Most arrive malnourished, sick, and withdrawn, nearly all below the 3rd percentile on WHO growth charts.

No overnight stays are permitted, as reintegration into safe families remains the goal. In the meantime, medical treatment, nutrition, and emotional care ensure every child has the chance to grow and thrive.

(July 2025) Keeping the Khmer Soul Alive: A Tribute to Cambodia’s Living Heritage

The Princess Buppha Devi Dance School, nestled in the heart of Phnom Penh, is more than a place of learning — it is a sanctuary where Khmer identity, grace, and dignity are lovingly preserved and passed down through generations. Founded in 2019 in memory of HRH Princess Norodom Buppha Devi, the school honours her extraordinary legacy and lifelong devotion to safeguarding Cambodia’s Royal Ballet — a cultural treasure that has survived wars, exile, and the darkest chapters of history.

A Sacred Mission

With deep reverence for tradition, the school is dedicated to protecting the spiritual heartbeat of Cambodia — the Royal Apsara Ballet. It offers free dance education to underprivileged youth while instilling values of humility, respect, and cultural pride. Here, dance is not just performance; it is prayer, history, and identity woven into every gesture.

A Legacy of Devotion

Each weekend, over 200 children gather to learn this sacred art, guided by master teachers and musicians who volunteer purely out of love for their culture. The school receives no government or royal funding; it survives on community passion, private donations, and modest event earnings. For many children, it is a sanctuary — a place where they belong, grow in confidence, and carry forward their ancestors’ legacy.

WCF Support for Royal Living Art

Through the WIG Community Fund, WCF supports dance uniforms and costume restoration — ensuring the Apsara continues to shine in the hearts and steps of the next generation.

(February 2025) In Phnom Penh, the Light of Mercy Home (LMH) serves as both a home and learning centre for children with disabilities, offering not only education but also the experience of living in a supportive community with peers facing similar challenges. LMH focuses especially on children who are poor and have never before attended school, ensuring they are not left behind.

The vision of LMH is clear: to enable children with disabilities to live with dignity and to be recognised as full participants in Cambodian society. The project emphasises independence, encouraging every child to embrace their disability as part of their identity while preparing for adulthood. In 2023, the Home provided full-time care and accommodation for 22 children and youth, aged 9 to 18, including 13 girls. Jesuit Mission works in partnership with Jesuit Service Cambodia to implement the project.

Daily life at LMH is centred on three key areas: care, education, and skills development. Children receive accommodation, meals, and healthcare to meet essential needs. Most attend nearby public schools with access to special education, while those unable to do so study within LMH. Beyond academics, students explore their talents through classes in computer skills, music, dance, gardening, crafts, English, and sign language.

Equally important, LMH teaches vital life skills, including hygiene and health awareness. These lessons build confidence and independence, helping children prepare for brighter, self-reliant futures.

(September 2025) It is a life-story of an exceptional and passionate couple from Japan, Akiko and Koji SASAKI who founded SIDE-by-SIDE International, dedicated to help Cambodians.

For nearly two decades, Side-by-Side International, by the duo Akiko and Koji Sasaki, has been a quiet but powerful force of good in Cambodia. Thanks to their unwavering compassion and dedication, they have donated ambulances to hospitals, trained hundreds of medical students in CPR and emergency care, and equipped healthcare providers with vital neonatal resuscitation skills— saving countless new-born lives. Akiko has never hesitated to stand by Cambodia’s most vulnerable.

Today, with deep gratitude and pride, we stand beside SIDE-BY-SIDE — thankful for the lives she and Koji continue to safeguard with such courage and compassion.