Recent History
Cambodia’s recent past has been marked by tragedy. A civil war that began in the late 1960s culminated in the Khmer Rouge (KR) seizing Phnom Penh in April 1975. During their brutal regime, an estimated 1.7 to 3 million people were killed or died from starvation and disease. The KR were ousted in early 1979 after a Vietnamese invasion, but the aftermath left survivors grappling with massive loss, displacement, and severe shortages of food and resources.
Violence continued for nearly two more decades as KR forces retreated north and clashed with the Cambodian National Army. The final battles occurred in Cambodia’s northwest provinces. Pol Pot died in 1998, and the KR disbanded in 1999. These conflict-ravaged regions still bear the scars of war. Although Cambodia has achieved relative peace and progress, many—especially in rural areas—remain in extreme poverty.
Family Support Program
In 1997, the International Organization for Migration launched the Post-Conflict Family Support Program (FSP) in western Battambang province. Families faced poverty, unemployment, landlessness, homelessness, and the loss of parents. Children suffered trauma, missed school, and were vulnerable to violence and exploitation—especially girls and young women.
Aimed at helping children affected by the ongoing KR-government conflict, the program began as a pilot in Rattanak Mondul District, near the Thai border. The program director was Dr Samnang.
The FSP supported vulnerable families by collaborating with teachers and community members. Services included trauma counselling, small income-generating activities (like rice farming, chicken raising, and gardening), distribution of school supplies and clothing, and support for community projects such as water systems, mosquito nets, basic housing, and crop-growing.
For ten years, the FSP offered critical support to marginalized communities in Cambodia’s conflict-affected regions.
The Australian Connection
Dr Vincent and Helen Keane were posted in Cambodia from 2002 to 2006, concluding nearly 30 years of work in developing countries. Dr Keane, as head of IOM in Cambodia, collaborated closely with Dr. Eng Samnang, the FSP program director. The Keane’s retired and returned to Australia at the end of 2006.
In 2007, the FSP program’s four-year funding from the Japanese government ended, threatening its closure. After extensive discussions with Dr Samnang, the Keane’s decided to help secure new funding to keep the program running. The Rotary Club of Perth was instrumental in assisting these efforts.
As a result, CFS was officially registered with the Cambodian government in August 2008. Dr. Samnang continued as Program Director, while the Keanes took responsibility for fundraising and providing technical support.
*Dr. Vincent Keane is a graduate of the University of Western Australia and holds postgraduate qualifications in public health and tropical medicine. He worked in international health and development for 30 years in over 40 countries.
