About Us
In 2006, multinational Jenny Ciucci and New Yorker Andrew Wolff began volunteering as English teachers at a small local Cambodian organization operating in a rural community in Northwest Cambodia. For two years, they immersed themselves in the community and began to learn not only the Cambodian language and culture, but also the disturbing realities facing impoverished children in a traumatized and underdeveloped country.
Jenny and Andrew were compelled to find a way of providing a safe and nurturing place where the siblings and hundreds of other children just like them could learn and grow as part of a safe, supportive and loving community.
Children’s Future International (CFI) was born out of the belief that every child has the right to live a life of dignity and opportunity, with their basic needs met, their human rights upheld, and with access to quality educational opportunities.
CFI opened its Learning Center in Ek Phnom District in 2010. Over time, CFI became a strong and trusted pillar in the community where children and their families turn to for support, empowerment and ultimately independence.
CFI is a non-religious, non-political NGO, that works solely in Battambang, Cambodia and is registered as a 501c3 in the United States of America and registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cambodia as well as the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. CFI is not a grant-giving organization.
ទស្សនវិស័យៈ
កុមារគ្រប់រូបនៅក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា គឺមានសុវត្តិភាព សុខភាពល្អ ទទួលបានការអប់រំ ការលូតលាស់ និងភាពសប្បាយរីករាយ។
Vision
CFI envisions a future where every child in Cambodia is safe, healthy, educated, thriving and happy.
បេសកកម្មៈ
ធ្វើឲ្យប្រសើរឡើងលើជីរភាពរស់នៅរបស់កុមាររងគ្រោះ, ងាយរងគ្រោះ និងកុមារមានហានិភ័យ នៅក្នុងខេត្តបាត់ដំបងតាមរយៈការផ្តល់លទ្ធភាពទទួល បានការអប់រំប្រកបដោយគុណភាព លើកកម្ពស់សិទ្ធិកុមារ ធានាសុវត្ថិភាពរាង្គកាយ, សុខភាពផ្លូវកាយ និងសុខុមាលភាពសង្គម, ជំរុញទឹកចិត្តកុមារ និងមនុស្សវ័យជំទង់ឲ្យដើរតួជាគម្រូវិជ្ជមាននៅក្នុងសហគមន៍របស់ពួកគេ, ជំរុញការពឹងផ្អែកលើខ្លួនឯង ក្នុងចំណោមគ្រួសារ និងសហគមន៍, ព្រមទាំងចែករំលែកភាពរីករាយជាមួយគ្នា។
Mission
CFI´s mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable, marginalized and at-risk children in Battambang province by providing access to quality education; promoting child rights; ensuring physical safety, health and wellness; inspiring children and young adults to act as positive role models within their communities; fostering self-reliance among families and communities while sharing joy together.
Social Work
Our trained social workers work to ensure that around 150 children suffering from or at-risk of extreme poverty, abuse, neglect, child labor, substance abuse, and other vulnerabilities are safe and supported. We provide case management, counseling, emergency food and material support, healthcare, cash, livelihood support, and housing support, aiming to empower families to learn to support themselves to reduce service dependency on CFI. We also train families on topics such as positive parenting, safe migration, and domestic violence prevention.
Preventing Family Separation
CFI is a proud member of the Family Care First network, the 3PC network’s Children are not Tourist Attractions campaign and supports the Global Charter for Children’s Care Reform aimed at preventing family separation.
Learning Center
CFI’s child-friendly techniques engage around 130 students in Ek Phnom district of rural Battambang every day in our learning center. Children attend public school so CFI’s supplementary classes in Khmer, Math, English and Computer Science reinforce key literacy and numeracy skills.
We create opportunities for students to learn beyond the classroom curriculum, whether it’s through our newly developed STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) curriculum, Physical Education, Fun Friday activities, or reading in the library.
Our competency-based learning curriculum encourages critical thinking and problem solving, creating the next generation of leaders able to thrive in tomorrow’s global society.
Education Advocacy
To keep kids in public school, our Education Advocacy team counsels over 250 students and their families, helping re-enroll students who had dropped out and connecting students with vocational training opportunities if traditional schooling isn’t for them.
The team brings together students during transition years (from primary to secondary school, and from secondary to high school), easing the challenges that students face and pushing for peer support for continued learning.
In the final year of high school, students go through our University Prep course, guiding and encouraging first-generation college students to pursue and excel in higher education. CFI supports about 10 university students with scholarships each year.
Internship
CFI’s internship program focuses on holistic personal and professional development, providing resources, mentorship, and confidence-building opportunities so that participants can realize their potential and become future leaders.
The first year of the program offers 10 high school graduates with a broad range of experience by holding a position in one of CFI’s departments, then rotating halfway through the year to practice handover and receive a more varied experience. They receive project management training, then practice what they learned by preparing CFI’s Khmer New Year and Graduation events, including preparing a play to showcase a commonly faced challenge. Finally, interns go through CFI’s Next Generation Initiative, which provides employment skills training including job search techniques, how to write a CV and cover letter, and mock interviews.
The second year fosters in-depth self-directed technical skill development. Interns choose their area of study, complete a needs assessment, and design a project that helps meet the needs of the organization.
The program uniquely prepares interns for a wide range of private and public sector work opportunities. Instead of assigning interns busy work, CFI supports growth through experiential learning and requires weekly group reflection and problem-solving.
Youth Empowerment
CFI provides a wide array of additional programs and workshops to help build leadership skills, develop life skills and employment skills, and to build the knowledge needed for their future. This includes some of the following:
Next Generation Initiative
This program was built for CFI to help younger students develop life skills which assists students in grade 8 to transition from primary to middle school. The objective is to reduce drop-out rates at this significant transition point and enhance future employment prospects. The employment skills program provides work-related soft skills training and activities for grade 12 students (including CFI interns) and some younger students at risk of dropping out of high school. Modules address confidence, mental health, assertiveness, job market research, job-seeking, career planning, CV preparation, interview techniques, employment rights law and transition to work among others.
Day for Girls
This workshop teaches young women about puberty, feminine hygiene, and girls health topics while providing reusable menstruation materials. This workshop is also being adjusted to support young men as well.
Future Goals
Developed in collaboration with Free To Shine, this workshop helps girls learn to set career goals by learning about the different opportunities that exist and building a plan to get there. This encourages girls to build their confidence, leadership and career aspirations.
Enabling Leadership
Delivered in collaboration with Enabling Leadership based in India, this 6 year program delivered through the public schools develops leadership skills through the mediums of football (soccer) and Lego.
Swimming
Supported by the Phillips Foundation, CFI’s swimming program develops life-saving skills and delivers anti-drowning messaging to those at risk.
Impact Stories
Meet Sophannak, a former student at CFI who is now a full-time Communication Officer at Children’s Future International.
Sophannak is the second child in the family whose mother died when he was 11. His father married into a new family and migrated to work in Thailand. Sophannak was left behind to live with his mom’s auntie with two of my aunties…
Meet Phalla, the Finance Officer at Children’s Future International (CFI). Phalla was a former CFI student. When she was younger, she received supplementary education support from CFI.
In 2017, she graduated high school and started her Accounting degree at the University of Vanda with a scholarship provided by CFI…
Meet Channith, a former student at CFI who is now a full-time computer teacher at the Learning Center.
Channith has three siblings, one girl and one boy. The family situation was so bad both of his parents were working as construction workers to support the family, and they struggled most to feed the family and paying for school mate…
Through the opportunity I was given, my life has changed. I graduated in 2017 majoring in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) with support from Children’s Future International (CFI). Currently, I am working for an NGO in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia.
Being the oldest of seven siblings, and with both of my parents not having regular job emplo…
Meet Vanna, a Social Worker at Children’s Future International (CFI). Vanna was a former CFI student. When she was younger, she received supplementary education support from CFI.
After graduating from high school in 2015, Vanna started her university degree as a Marketing major through a scholarship provided by CFI. At the same time, she also interned at CFI on the Social Work team…
My name is Chen Srey Sor; I’m 20 years old. I’m a second-year student majoring in Community Development at the National University of Battambang, and I work as a Data intern at Children’s Future International (CFI).
I have eight siblings, and I’m the third daughter of the family. When I was ten years old, my family’s situation was terrible. We didn’t have a good place to stay; we asked for our neighb…
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