Starvation in Siem Reap and Cambodia is rampant, and malnutrition remains a leading cause of perpetuated poverty in the region.

Globally, children are considered malnourished if they are stunted, wasted, or underweight. According to reports within the Cambodian Demographic and Health Survey by World Vision, 32% of young children in Cambodia are chronically malnourished (stunted), 24% are underweight and 10% are wasted.

Most children living in poverty are often without food and only surviving off watered-down rice porridge – lacking the nutrients needed to properly grow and develop both physically and mentally. Stunted children fail to develop at a normal pace, regularly suffer from chronic malnutrition and as a result, are susceptible to illness and disease-causing them to be absent from class often.

To combat this, REACH provides all primary-aged students with a daily nutritious meal; our meals are wholesome and vary from day to day. In conjunction with their daily meals, our kids also have access to clean drinking water and their drinking cups. Each day each child is given a multivitamin and is required to brush their teeth with toothpaste at our hygiene station.

To further promote good hygiene at home, every child is also given one bar of Eco Soap every month. In conjunction with these critical hygiene supplies, all REACH children and guardians are also provided bi-annual parasite treatments.