A project of the Angkor Photography Festival Association

Anjali House is supported by the Angkor Photography Festival Association (APF). In 2005, a group of photographers got together to promote photography and highlight humanitarian issues in South East Asia. APF wanted to produce a regional photo festival but, in an area of so much deprivation, they also wanted to include and benefit some of the people who live in this remarkable and wonderful part of the world. Anjali began with a one-off dance troupe (lead by Sangeeta Isvaran) and photography workshop (with Antoine d'Agata). The children were encouraged away from the streets, and at the end of the week they performed their dance routine and exhibited their photographs to an international audience. With rapt applause they found a sense of empowerment, pride and personal achievement. In addition, the association runs free workshops for emerging Asian photographers, and plans to expand by creating a permanent school. The festival's support for those children continued after the first festival was long over. Galvanized by the difference that week made, APF was inspired to further extend its help, and pledged to provide education and practical support to Siem Reap's under-privileged street children. The children participate every year in the Angkor Photography Festival and have the opportunity to work with renowned photographers from around the world. Almost all the pictures on this website are the work of the children as a result of their photography workshops with APF. Around Anjali House you cannot take your camera out without dozens of children asking to take a picture. We decided to exhibit their pictures on this website to display the talent that they have acquired through the workshops, and to further encourage their artistic expression through photography .

The current situation: Some statistics

Nearly thirty years after the brutal Khmer Rouge regime plunged Cambodia into a state of terror, years of civil war and famine, the country is slowly returning to stability. But the devastating effect to Cambodian society, infrastructure and the economy is still being felt today. One of the greatest challenges facing the development of the country is access to education, skills training and healthcare. In Cambodia there are approximately 5.1 million children under 15 years of age. Despite government school building programs and a large amount of work by local and International NGO's, primary school education is only available to approximately 60% of the nation's children. One of the major factors impeding access to education opportunities is poverty; with over 20% of the population living on less than $1 per day it leaves little to pay for schooling and other educational opportunities. In busy tourist areas such as Siem Reap local people have become aware that tourist dollars can be obtained easy by selling low cost items such as jewelry, postcards, books, roses or by begging on the street. The majority of this is done by children as their smiles and energy wins the hearts of almost every visitor. Unfortunately this money often creates a negative effect by providing a disposable income to parents that ends up being spent on vices such as drinking, gambling and drug abuse. Children are also pressured to earn more and more money, often not allowed to return home until specific daily targets have been reached, leaving them roaming the streets for long periods of the day and night. This in turn puts them at high risk of being subjected to physical or mental abuse