Overview

A New Day Cambodia is a non-profit organization providing shelter, food and education to Cambodia's garbage dump scavenger children.

Background

ANDC was founded in 2006 by Bill Smith, the team photographer for the Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls and United Center. During the sporting offseason, Smith and his wife Lauren would take annual trips to Southeast Asia to photograph the changing culture and landscape. In 2002, Smith was taken to the Stung Mean Chey garbage dump by his Cambodian driver, and was stunned to see the conditions that children were living in. Children were forced to live and work in the garbage dump in to provide for their families. The children, in addition to living and working in the squalor, were unable to attend school because their families needed the $10-12 a month that was provided by the children working in the dump. Smith began to support several children in the dump, enrolling the children in school and paying the families the lost monthly income, ensuring the children would never work another day in the dump. The Smiths told their stories to family and friends, who began giving money to Smith to support additional children. In 2006, a front page article ran in the Chicago Tribune about the Smiths' work in Cambodia. After an overwhelming response of donations, Bill Smith founded A New Day Cambodia. The charity now has two dormitories in Phnom Penh housing 99 children. The children attend English and Khmer language schooling in the day, and live at the center. All children attend private schools, with some of the most gifted students attending the most prestigious schools in Cambodia. The cost of education, activities, room and board is approximately $1800 per child each year. In 2010, Comcast SportsNet Chicago aired a 30-minute special on ANDC and the Smith's journey to found the centers. The entire show is available online.