30 Family Village in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia
For thousands of families in Cambodia, the cycle of poverty begins with a lack of safe housing. Without a stable home, children are forced into dangerous conditions, scavenging in toxic dumps instead of attending school. World Housing is changing that by building communities that provide security, education, and opportunity—creating lasting, generational change.
Steung Meanchey: A Community in Crisis
Once one of Southeast Asia’s largest garbage dumps, Steung Meanchey was a dumping ground for hospitals, chemical companies, and industry, making it one of the most toxic environments in the world. Though it closed in 2009, it remains a last resort for destitute families who scavenge through waste to survive.
Living in absolute poverty, they face violence, exploitation, and disease, with children forced into labor instead of school. The ripple effect starts with a home. Safe housing provides protection, stability, and a path to education—breaking the cycle of poverty for generations to come.
Key reasons to donate
Give a Family a Safe Place to Call Home
For families living in extreme poverty, a lack of stable housing forces children into dangerous work instead of school. Your donation provides a secure home where families can rebuild their lives, and children can focus on their education and future.
Protect Children from Exploitation & Unsafe Conditions
Without housing, families in Cambodia are vulnerable to human trafficking, child labor, and disease. World Housing communities provide security, clean water, and access to healthcare, creating a safe environment for families to thrive.
Create a Lasting Impact
Your donation is more than just a home—it’s a foundation for generational change. By investing in safe housing, you’re giving families the opportunity to break free from poverty, access education, and build a future filled with dignity and opportunity.
Project Overview
In 2024, World Housing expanded its mission beyond single-family homes to create entire communities designed to break the cycle of poverty.
The World Housing Legacy Community in Cambodia is a transformative project that provides safe, permanent housing for families living in extreme conditions. By offering stability, access to education, clean water, and essential services, this initiative ensures that children can attend school instead of working to survive.
Built in partnership with the Cambodian Children's Fund, this community is designed to create generational change, proving that a home is more than just shelter—it’s the foundation for a better future.
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Your Donation
World Housing is raising $350,000 to build another legacy community in Cambodia, providing 30 safe homes, a sports and play area, a community center, and a library. This initiative will offer children and families a secure future, with access to the Neeson Cripps Academy and the opportunity to pursue higher education.
With any level of donation, you can support this transformative community project and help families escape extreme poverty and climate-related risks.
- $150,000 – Sponsor the entire community and have it named in your honor.
- $25,000 – Build a library, named in your honor.
- $20,000 – Build a community center, named in your honor.
- $20,000 – Build community gardens, named in your honor.
- $15,000 – Build a playground, named in your honor.
- $5,000 – Build a home for a family.
- Donations of any amount will be combined with others to help complete the community.
Your contribution is more than just a donation—it’s an investment in generational change, giving families stability, education, and opportunity for a brighter future.
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OUR WORK STARTED IN CAMBODIA.
In 2013 World Housing started by building its first community in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Since those first homes were built, our donor partners have funded the construction of over 650 homes providing safe and secure communities for over 3,000 people living in the community surrounding the former Steung Meanchey garbage dump.
As World Housing reflects on 10 years of impact, the focus remains on providing the critical foundation of safe housing to create generational change. With over a billion people still living without adequate shelter, the work is far from over. The organization’s innovative model ensures that 100% of public donations fund homes thanks to the support of benefactors. This approach amplifies the impact of every contribution.
10 YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES PROVES OUR STRATEGY
We first met Scott Neeson back in 2013 at a time when CCF was experiencing rapid growth in all areas of their programming. They began to shift focus from just providing healthcare, to providing an award-winning education program to create the future leaders of Cambodia. There was a critical factor missing at that time and it was housing. Without a safe home, children were forced to work in the dumps in order for them or their families to survive. World Housing was able to fill the one thing that was missing from Scott’s vision for the community. (CCF Housing Pyramid)
Working with Cambodian Children’s Fund, World Housing’s partnership addresses not only the immediate need for shelter but also integrates the key pillars that are proven to create sustainable change: housing, nutrition, safe water, health, and education. Through this holistic approach, children gain access to essential resources, unlocking pathways to break the cycle of poverty.
“The ripple effects we saw first-hand during our visit to the World Housing Villages are profound. In just a decade, young children who once scavenged in garbage dumps have been provided opportunities to thrive, with a 99% graduation rate from high school and 75% acceptance rate to university—a testament to the transformative power of housing and education.”
“The only way to provide lasting, generational change, is to ensure that whole families are lifted from poverty. This comes from the foundational stability of a home. World Housing and CCF provide not only for the health and wellbeing of children, but for their families and community.”
– Scott Neeson, Founder Cambodian Children’s Fund
MAKE PROVEN SOCIAL IMPACT BY INVESTING IN THE NEXT LEGACY COMMUNITY.
This village is specifically designed for families — providing a safe place to live so that their children can attend school instead of being forced to pick garbage to survive. This village will house 30 of the most vulnerable families currently living in Steung Meanchey.
World Housing Villages stand as a symbol of what is possible when compassion and action converge. It is a reminder that housing is more than just a basic need—it is the foundation for a future filled with dignity, opportunity, and hope. As families settle into their new lives, the ripple effects of each project will continue to inspire, proving that change is not only possible but achievable, one home at a time.
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT – THE HISTORY OF STEUNG MEANCHEY.
The Steung Meanchey district of Phnom Penh was once one of the largest garbage dumps in Southeast Asia. Serving as the disposal site for hospitals, chemical companies and heavy industry, Steung Meanchey was classified as one of the most toxic and dangerous environments in the world. Despite closing in 2009, Steung Meanchey continues to serve as an entry-point in Phnom Penh for destitute families who have no option but to try and make a living by scavenging and collecting recyclables from the garbage dump. Living in absolute poverty in survival mode they are under constant threat of violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and disease.
World Housing communities are built to address the unimaginable conditions which thousands of people are living in. Providing homes is giving families and their children the opportunity for a new life.
The ripple effect starts with a home.