Cambodia is home to over 100,000 AIDS orphans, and over 14,000 children who are themselves infected, mostly through mother-to-child transmissions.  Often these children suffer from secondary disease, particularly tuberculosis.  Countless other children are affected by the disease, through parental illness.  Many of these children are living in extreme poverty.  These children are typically victims of discrimination, unable to receive schooling because of their illness or because they are needed at home to care for ill parents, or to work to replace their parents' income in their homes.

 They may be victims of discrimination at school and in their communities, traumatized by their parents' death and living in conditions that severely limit their opportunities.

We work with sister organizations on the ground in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital city to distribute teddy bears and other plush toys to some of these unfortunate victims of poverty and disease.   Teddy bears are shipped to Cambodia primarily via travelers to the region.  For more information about our Cambodia program, please email: cambodia@bearswithoutborders.org

Photo Credit: Steven Victorson