The origins of this project date back to 2004/2005, when St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Work, under the leadership of Professor Vladimír Krčméry, Rector, and Dr. Juraj Benca, Vice-Rector, established a residential facility for HIV-positive orphaned children under the official project name House of Family.
During this period, Cambodia was facing serious health and social challenges caused by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This was one of the primary reasons that led St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Work to establish the project as a residential care facility providing healthcare and social support services to vulnerable children living with HIV/AIDS.
We provide a family-like environment for children living with HIV/AIDS who are growing up without parental care through our residential care facility. We support their biological, psychological, social, and spiritual development to the highest possible standard while maintaining a culturally sensitive approach.
The project also includes a new social entrepreneurship initiative – a bakery workshop that provides older children from the orphanage with opportunities to earn income through part-time work while gaining valuable practical skills and work experience.
25 children living in the orphanage (aged 5–19 years) with HIV/AIDS
Young adults aged 18 and above transition to a Halfway House, where they live independently. Currently, 13 young adults reside in four houses in Phnom Penh.
Some young adults continue their studies at universities or vocational training programmes outside the capital, often in regions where they have extended family members. Currently, 42 individuals receive this form of support.
According to their individual needs, House of Family continues to provide ongoing support and care.
The House of Family project, with its twenty-year history and the original health and social vision of its founders, continuously adapts to current development trends and innovations. Its goal is not to create dependency on aid, but rather to empower children and young adults to become independent through quality education, practical skills, and social development.
We provide children growing up without parental care with a family-like environment through our residential care facility and support their biological, psychological, social, and spiritual development using a culturally sensitive approach.
Operational costs are covered by St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Work, while individual educational expenses are financed through the Distance Adoption Programme managed by the Dvojfarebný svet Foundation.
Cambodian Red Cross
Embassy of the Czech Republic in Phnom Penh
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation
