The Green Gecko Project

---

The Green Gecko Project is a home, school and family for 70 children who previously lived and begged on the streets of Siem Reap, Cambodia. The Green Gecko Project is about empowering these children with skills, education, care and support to enable them to break the begging cycle and live to their highest potential. Green Gecko strives to break the begging cycle by supporting the children's families and the broader community through long term health, education and training initiatives.

Green Gecko provides security, education, love and opportunities to these children through their formative years and into their adult lives, empowering them to achieve their full potential. It also provides shelter, care and stability for those physically battered or psychologically in need.

The project has evolved into what it is today by responding to the needs of our children and families. This is believed that this important factor has been crucial in ensuring the success of the work that we do. Some of the projects and achievements of The Green Gecko project include:

• Monthly rental assistance with the aim of replacing this with income generation wherever possible 
• Weekly nutrition packs including rice and meat and vegetables
• Medical expenses covered at approved clinic for parents and siblings of Green Gecko kids 
• Drug and Alcohol counselling
• Health education sessions
• Vocational Training opportunities
• Parent Employment - Green Gecko also hires parents as employees of Green Gecko as much as possible. Our newest employee is a recent widow and mother of 10, who has 2 children in the Green Gecko program. She was unable to find work elsewhere and employing her at Green Gecko has meant she is no longer forced to beg for money with her younger children.
• Green Gecko now supports the education of 10 Green Gecko siblings.
• Adolescent sexuality and relationship education.
  
  

Although the Green Gecko project is still in early stages of development, they have been overwhelmed by the support and the results already received and achieved. In July 2007, the Green Gecko Project became a registered NGO in Cambodia and on the 16th August 2007, they signed a 15 year lease on 1¼ acres of land. So while they are very proud of how far the kids have come, they are even more excited about the potential of their future. With continued support – moral, physical and financial – they are very confident that the future for these children and their families looks promising.

For more information please visit their website at www.greengeckoproject.org/