Background

Friends-International began supporting children and young people who were living and working on the streets of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, in August 1994. At first the program was known as ‘Little Friends’, then ‘Friends’, then ‘Mith Samlanh’, which is Khmer for ‘friends’. Friends-International supported the development of this program and its localization in 1999. Due to the success of Mith Samlanh, an increasing number of organizations and countries became interested in the work carried out by Friends-International. At the request of various international organizations (including UNICEF and the Inter-American Development Bank), Governments (Government of the Lao PDR) and local organizations, Friends-International expanded its work across South East Asia and beyond.

Mission

Children are never alone and it is essential to work with everyone close to the children: -their families and care-takers -their communities -wider society

Vision

Friends-International started working with street children in 1994. Since then we have expanded our services to support other groups of urban marginalized children and youth between 0 and 24 years of age. These include children and youth who are: -living and working on the streets -using drugs -affected by HIV -migrants or at risk of unsafe migration in prison and in conflict with the law -victims of abuse and domestic violence involved in the sex trade school drop-outs or unemployed or living in poverty or affected in any other way that prevents them from having their internationally recognized rights as children fulfilled