Helping Children Recover from Orphanage Care

A story of twin brothers in Cambodia

Hong Bunly and Hong Bunleng are twin brothers who live in the Battambang Province of Cambodia. The twins grew up in a family plagued by poverty. When they were children, their parents opted to send them to an orphanage hoping the institution could offer the boys a better life than what their parents could give them.

Bunly and Bunleng lived in an orphanage for 5 years, until they were in their early teens, when they were forced to leave the orphanage after getting into some trouble. 

The twins were devastated. Not knowing what to do next, they returned to their family. However, without the correct discharge paperwork and education referral papers they weren’t able to attend the local school.

Having lived in the orphanage, the twins really struggled to adapt to life in their home community. The quality of their education and their communication skills were not up to scratch.   

In late 2019, Bunly and Bunleng met with Tearfund Ireland’s partner M’lup Russey, who helped them to get school materials, school uniforms, made ID cards for them, and renewed their birth certificates, as their old certs had the wrong dates. Bunly and Bunleng are now in grade 10 of high school, and are both working part-time as waiters at a soup restaurant.

This is a story of hope and practical help. Our partner in Cambodia, M’Lup Russey, was able to provide Bunly and Bunleng with advice and support, and set their lives on the right path. We believe children are better off in families, but families often need support. M’Lup Russey provide this support and work to re-integrate children into their families.