Foster Children Program in Kratie (WFWP Cambodia)

Written by: WFWP Cambodia

We visited our foster children right before the Khmer New Year holiday. This time our objectives had two parts: one was to add more explanation to the composition that children wrote in January, and the second was to decorate a name panel that the foster children hold during photo time. We renew the name panel every year so that every new child can create their own panel.

First of all for writing, earlier in the year, children were instructed to explain their most impressive event from 2022 in as much detail as possible. However, after reading their papers, we felt they did not really understand how to write a detailed explanation. So, we helped the children brainstorm what they wanted to write and they were able to complete their final essays on their own.

For name panel decorations, we used watercolors. Most children here, in rural areas, have never used it, and we wanted to introduce our foster children to watercolor paint. The instructors shared the idea of stamping leaves. The children gathered various shapes of leaves and flowers by themselves outside and enjoyed the interesting patterns that were created. For some, it was a great discovery that colors can be mixed to create new colors. We hope this was a valuable experience.

Whether it's writing, drawing, or making crafts, they seem to voluntarily take time and try to create something they can be satisfied with. This time it took them until noon to complete their artwork. In the end, we prepared some bread for them for the occasion of the New Year and enjoyed it together.