A New Day Cambodia
Encyclopedia
A New Day Cambodia founded in the United States
in 2007, is an international relief
and development organization whose goal is to provide shelter, food, and education for impoverished children in Phnom Penh
, Cambodia. The board consists of four founding members, none of whom take a salary for their contributions.
, 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 Smiths' journey to found the centers. The entire show is available online.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2007, is an international relief
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
and development organization whose goal is to provide shelter, food, and education for impoverished children in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
, Cambodia. The board consists of four founding members, none of whom take a salary for their contributions.
History
ANDC was founded in 2006 by Bill Smith, the team photographer for the Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
, Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
and United Center
United Center
The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in Chicago. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...
. 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
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
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
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
housing 99 children. The children attend English and Khmer language
Khmer language
Khmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language , with speakers in the tens of millions. Khmer has been considerably influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious...
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 Smiths' journey to found the centers. The entire show is available online.
Further reading
- The big picture: No gift you could wish for could match what several Asian youngsters havefound in their U.S. benefactors, K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, December 2006
- Dreamcatchers: A New Day, new lives- Team photographer’s story of Cambodian kids in need makes huge difference for 47 students, K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, December 2007
- Chicago photographer becomes benefactor to Cambodia’s garbage dump children, Gina Bernacchi, CausePlanet.org, June 2007
- Sam Smith: Giving Cambodian children a new day Sam Smith, Bulls.com, January 2009
- We start a school in Cambodia, Nicholas D Kristof, New York Times, December 2008
- Bill Smith- Lasting Impressions
External links
- A New Day Cambodia Web site
- A New Day Cambodia, YouTube.
- Bill Smith- Lasting Impressions, Comcast SportsNet Chicago