Founder and Coordinator of Friends, Sébastien Marot, receives Order of Australia 'for services to humanity'
Mr Sébastien Marot has provided tireless and outstanding work in founding and directing Mith Samlanh (Friends), assisting homeless children in Cambodia. Mr Marot established the non-government organization in response to the overwhelming needs of Cambodian street children, including their families and their community. The aim of Friends is to help children reintegrate into their families, society, the public school system, the workplace and their culture. Friends received early and sustained funding from Australia through AusAID and Save the Children Australia. Since 1996, the Australian government has provided funds to help support the activities of Friends, assisting it to build up its transitional home for street children and various core training and vocational education programs.
Since 1994, Mr Marot has designed, developed and managed the comprehensive program of Friends. His commitment to helping homeless children was demonstrated when he initially founded the project using his own personal funds to rent properties and establish modest school facilities. The Friends project now has twelve inter-linked schemes and seven centers, including workshops, an educational and vocational training center, health care and HIV/AIDS services, and street and squatter based services that fulfill the needs of the homeless and vulnerable children and adolescents. From its inception, Friends has grown rapidly to become the foremost organization of its kind in Cambodia, now working with over 1,000 children every day.
Letter of Congratulation
Congratulations to Ly Sophat, Program Director of Mith Samlanh Friends, who was presented with a Certificate from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training and Youth Rehabilitation, for Friends' active and successful participation in the Poverty Reduction for the Camobidan People.
