Underprivileged Children Association
Empowering Underprivileged Children (EUC) is a non-profit Swiss association based in Zurich with a focus on supporting 'KKEV Cambodia' (Kinderhilfe Kambodscha) through various fundraising activities. Initiated by Claudia Süssmuth Dyckerhoff and her husband Stephan Dyckerhoff, it was founded in December 2022 together with three friends/board members: Nuria Barbey-Beceiro, Thierry Barbey and Andrea Hierholzer.
What does KKEV Cambodia stand for?
KKEV Cambodia is an international non-governmental organisation in Cambodia, which is primarily funded by the German-based association Kinderhilfe Kambodscha eV (KKeV) Aachen and managed with the help of a competent and experienced local staff team. Since 2004, KKEV Cambodia has been running a children’s village in Phnom Penh and a program for street children in the nearby Sen Sok community:
The children's village has capacity for max. 100 children aged between 2 and 20 years. Children from neglected backgrounds, orphans, half-orphans, without caring family structures live there in a safe and caring home until they have completed public school and an education and can stand on their own two feet.
The 'street children programme' for socially very vulnerable families has capacity for up to 120 school children from 1st grade onwards. Many of the people living in Sen Sok community depend on after-school care and educational support for their children and a hot meal a day to feed the family.
All children attend public school and receive additional support in subjects such as maths, Khmer and English so that they can graduate from school and complete an apprenticeship.
The aim of KKEV Cambodia is for the children who leave the children's village or the street children programme - usually as young adults - to be able to stand on their own two feet - financially and emotionally
How is KKEV Cambodia financed?
The upkeep of the children's village and the street children's programme is raised each year from membership fees, donations, sponsorships and public funding as well as through fundraising activities by EUC.
KKEV Cambodia's budget covers the children's schooling and the associated academic support, as well as the teaching of practical skills as part of various apprenticeship programmes. Apprenticeships of up to two years at Don Bosco or the Cambodia-Thai Skills Development Institute, for example, are subject to a fee. The costs of university studies for pupils who perform very well and have the ability to study cannot be covered by the budget and require separate funding.
Membership of the association
We welcome new members who would like to support the purpose of the EUC. Please send an informal application for membership to firstname.lastname@example.org, stating how you would like to support the organisation. As soon as the board has decided on membership, you will receive the relevant information.
Statutes of the association
Download here the articles of association of the “Empower Underprivileged Children Association” as a PDF document.
Not only is football played on the pitch, there are also numerous other sports and dance activities, which the children really enjoy.
Finally, after the lifting of the strict COVID restrictions and almost 2.5 years, visitors are allowed to come again in June 2022. The group photo shows the children's village residents together with Claudia Süssmuth Dyckerhoff, her husband Stephan Dyckerhoff and two of their children, Benjamin and Laura.
The children take it in turns to organise themselves in the morning, at lunchtime and in the evening to serve food in the sala at the KKEV Cambodia Children's Village.