About Us
Founded in 2005 as a small shelter in Phnom Penh, COLT provided temporary and long-term care for children that could no longer live at home. Within three years, COLT opened a school and started providing community children English and computer classes. In 2015, COLT opened the gates of its community centre. Realizing this centre enabled us to broaden our services. Simultaneously, we became aware of the importance of community-based care instead of shelter care, which brought us to the point in 2023 to completely close our shelter.
After serving the community for many years, our impact increased and the organization matured. This brought us to a crossroads: do we simply want to continue to grow with things we did for years, or do we want to revise the way we are making a positive impact on communities in Cambodia. We did the latter.
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In 2025, COLT transformed into an organization that provides both financial and advisory support to other organizations, instead of direct support to families. With our success and experience in running an NGO, along with the assets we’ve built—expertise, land, and skilled staff—we’ve chosen to support other organizations. This shift allows us to indirectly reach tens of thousands of Cambodian families, rather than providing direct support to just 100 families.
COLT Cambodia supports families and children in need.
Our
Mission
COLT pursues the goal to empower parents and families to such an extent that they ultimately are able to provide their child a safe and stimulating environment, allowing their child to really be a child.
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This will permit children to develop their confidence, independence and their opportunities in the future.
We provide support to underprivileged children, their parents, and other families members in need; with monetary support, source expertise, and operational guidance to organizations, institutions, agencies and individuals that share the same or similar vision;
We believe that in order to change Cambodia, COLT needs to be completely let by Cambodians.
Our Expertise
Family-based
Care
We truly believe that the best place for a kid to grow up, is in its own family or community. This is an opposite approach compared to a more traditional institutional shelter care support.
Community Empowerment
Rooted deeply within the community, we have spent years fostering meaningful connections and empowering local voices, like district nd pagoda leaders and community chiefs.
Transitioning to Community Center
We transitioned several times, initially from shelter care to home-based care, and later from offering permanent residency to a community center. We see an important role in leading by example, and inspiring others.​
Local network
We believe that the synergy in the network of mission-aligned ​Cambodian organizations is crucial.
Our board and staff have plenty of experience in the field, and
we believe that real change
can be made together.
Local decision-making
Led by a 100% Cambodian board, we are guided by those who truly understand local needs and cultural context. This leadership ensures our efforts are thoughtfully tailored, relevant, and impactful, creating lasting change from within the community.
Trusted and reliable
With over 20 years of trusted expertise, our track record speaks to our commitment to excellence and reliability. We've built enduring relationships by consistently delivering quality and integrity, making us a trusted
partner for all.
Our
History
Get to know our rich history
If you are interested to read more about our periode 2005-2024, please read the following pages:
- Reports
- Newsletters
- Our old/previous website