In fact, however, it’s actually doing more harm and creating a long term social problem by giving them an incentive to stay on the streets. With the number of tourists to Cambodia growing rapidly each year, so is the potential for the negative impacts of tourism to affect children. There are a number of good organisations that provide direct support to children living and working on the streets.

The Cambodian NGO Mith Samlanh works with around 2,000 street children each day, providing education, training, food, shelter and medical care. With services for street children in Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, Sihanoukville and Battambang, they have over 200 staff providing direct support and making a difference to the lives of street children. In 2007, they helped over 800 children return to school and another 199 students to complete vocational training and find employment. But what can you do as a traveller to help children? Friends International, through its ChildSafe campaign, offers the following advice:

1) Don’t give money to children begging or buy things from children selling on the streets. This encourages them to stay on the streets, where they can end up in dangerous and abusive situations. It also makes it difficult for social workers from organisations like Mith Samlanh to help them.

2) Visit a ChildSafe Traveller centre, either by the lake or opposite Friends the Restaurant. These centres employ trained staff who can provide information about how you can be a responsible traveller and help street children at the same time. You can also learn about the dangers of orphanage tourism, a growing trend placing children at risk.

With many local and international businesses now part of the ChildSafe network helping to protect children, it’s easy to travel in Cambodia and know that you are making a positive and lasting difference to the lives of street children.

To find out more visit: www.streetfriends.org, www.friends-international.org or

www.childsafe-cambodia.org