Organization Profile - M'lup Russey
🇺🇸 English 🇰🇭 ភាសាខ្មែរ

M'lup Russey Organization Profile

Building safe, stable, and sustainable Cambodian communities through family strengthening, child protection, and community empowerment since 2012.

Our Mission Our Programs
Our Vision

Creating Hope & Sustainability

Safe, stable and sustainable Cambodian communities, with hope changing lives.

Our Mission

Partnering for Change

We are a partnering organization dedicated to:

  • Supporting, nurturing and strengthening families and communities to care for their members
  • Providing appropriate services to young people for independent, harm-free living
  • Promoting best practice in all types of alternative care
Strategy Summary

Our Approach to Child & Family Welfare

M'lup Russey (MRO) is a Local NGO and Civil Society Actor in the Child and Family Welfare domain in Cambodia, supporting and strengthening families and communities, providing reintegration, family reunification, foster care, kinship care, child protection, family strengthening and community development services, promoting best practice in the alternative care of children, and advocating for every child's right to grow up in a family since 2012.

MRO works very closely with the National and Sub-National Level Authorities to draft and implement the policies, minimum standards, guidelines and action plans on alternative care, child protection, reintegration, foster care, kinship care, domestic adoption, emergency closure of residential care institutions, violence against women and children, positive parenting, strengthening families and family welfare.

Our Strategies

Core Programmatic Strategies

1

Kinship Care

For children who have resided in prison with their mothers, MRO facilitates reintegration and reunification, offering tailored support to ensure safety, developmental continuity, and community care solutions

2

Family Strengthening

Through emergency support, livelihood assistance, parenting education, and resource mobilization, MRO helps vulnerable families remain intact, preventing unnecessary separation and ensuring children’s well-being within their own homes.

3

Youth Club

Children currently residing in RCIs are supported through Youth Clubs, which build emotional resilience, life skills, vocational competencies, and social support networks—preparing them for successful reintegration into family and community life.

4

Care Leavers Support

MRO assists young people exiting RCIs or other forms of alternative care with post-care support to ensure their transition into independent, stable, and safe living conditions in the community.

5

Emergency Foster Care

MRO provides short-term, emergency placements for children undergoing crisis or transitioning from alternative care settings. These temporary safe environments support reintegration or reunification efforts.

6

Children with Incarcerated Mothers

For children who have resided in prison with their mothers, MRO facilitates reintegration and reunification, offering tailored support to ensure safety, developmental continuity, and community care solutions

7

Domestic Adoption Facilitation

MRO promotes safe and sustainable domestic adoption by connecting prospective families to the official adoption framework and supporting them with policy guidance, procedural coaching, and pre- and post-adoption strengthening.

Our Expertise

Core Expertise & Specializations

A Christian, faith-based local NGO with nearly 20 years of experience in child protection

Case Management

for reintegration and reunification of children.

Foster Care

for temporary and emergency placement of orphans and vulnerable children from various alternative care settings.

Family Strengthening

to prevent unnecessary family separation and ensure children grow up in a safe and loving environment.

Livelihood Improvement

for families of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs).

Promoting community participation

and utilizing existing resources to enhance child protection and well-being.

Empowering children, youth, and communities

to actively engage in their own protection and development.

Disaster Management

with a focus on child protection.

Promoting ethical domestic adoption

to ensure the best interest of children.

RCIs

Supporting and assisting Residential Care Institutions (RCIs) in transitioning and closure, while helping them meet care standards that prioritize the best interests of OVCs.

Church engagement

to strengthen child protection within faith communities.

Advocacy

with a focus on child protection.

Government Partnership & Technical Assistance

Beyond these core areas, we work closely with national authorities, particularly the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSVY), providing technical assistance in:

  • Policy development, review, and editing for child protection.
  • Promoting best practices in policy implementation.
  • Supporting legal and moral duty bearers in enforcing relevant regulations at the sub-national level.
Our commitment is to ensure every child grows up in a safe, nurturing, and family-based environment while collaborating with government institutions, communities, and faith-based organizations.
Our Journey

Historical Timeline & Evolution

From HOSEA to Mlup Russey: Two decades of commitment to child protection in Cambodia

Key Lessons Learned

There are not orphanages in Cambodia because there are orphans, there are orphans in Cambodia because there are orphanages.

Children are placed into orphanages because they are seen as being vulnerable. But the orphanages do not remove the vulnerability, they just delay it until the children leave the orphanage, or even increase it.

2001

HOSEA Launched

Helping Orphanages by Support, Education and Advice (HOSEA) established to support orphanages across Cambodia.

2002

First Research & Training Initiatives

Research: "Level and Quality of Care in Child Care Organisations in Phnom Penh and Kandal Province"

Training Programs: Parenting Skills, HIV/AIDS Care, Disabilities Care, Drugs Misuse, Psychological Support for caregivers (including monks from 2005, kinship carers from 2006)

Health Education Karaoke CDs Child Abuse Prevention Videos Community Groups
2005-2006

Research & Policy Engagement

Research Studies:

  • The Level and Quality of Child Care in Temples in Phnom Penh and Kandal
  • The Level and Quality of Child Care in Kinship Care in Kandal

Government Collaboration: Active participation in CCC Child Welfare Group, Alternative Care Advisory Committee (MoSVY), Minimum Standards Technical Working Group (MoSVY), Orphans and Vulnerable Children TaskForce (MoSVY)

2007

Project SKY Launched

Project for Building Up the Lives of Young Adults living in Orphanages (YAO)

Pilot research conducted with RCI Directors on young people aged 15+ in residential care, followed by 15 creative research workshops with 514 young people from 35 different RCIs in Phnom Penh.

2013

Localized as Mlup Russey

Transformation into local NGO with expanded programs based on community needs:

  • Case Management & Reintegration
  • Emergency Foster/Kinship Care
  • Care Leaver Support
  • Youth Club
  • Self Help Group
  • Disaster Management
  • Children in Prison Support
  • Domestic Adoption
  • Family Strengthening
  • RCI Transitioning & Closure
  • Technical Assistance
  • Livelihood Improvement
MRO Present

At present, MRO continues to pursue its mission and vision as a local organization working for child protection in the field of alternative care. It promotes family-based care for children and works to prevent unnecessary family separation. In addition, MRO continues to support orphaned children and youth living in different forms of alternative care services to ensure proper reintegration and family reunification.Capacity building for partners on policies and the implementation of professional social work ethics is also a core area of expertise for MRO. The organization continues to support partners in applying best practices to ensure the best interests of children, especially those who are vulnerable and at risk.

Acknowledgements

We extend our thanks to International Cooperation Cambodia - Project SKY and its manager, Sarah Chhin, for allowing the integration into this study of their own baseline research. This included invaluable support from the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and other donors and partners. We also thank the local community for their participation and support.

Ministry of Health UNICEF International Cooperation Cambodia

Our Commitment to Children & Families

We are dedicated to ensuring every child grows up in a safe, nurturing, and family-based environment through collaborative action with government institutions, communities, and faith-based organizations.

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M'lup Russey Organization - Footer

About Us

Strengthening communities through sustainable development and social work initiatives since 2012. MRO is committed to creating positive change through the sectors of education, healthcare, and community development.

Quick Links

Contact Information

info@mluprussey.org
(+855) 78 222 660
(+855) 78 222 663
Phnom Penh Office:
#1278, PLov Lom, Prek Toal Village Road 1,
Stung Meanchey Sangkat 2, Meanchey District,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Battambang Office:
#367, Street 203, Group 06,
Romchek 4 Village, Sangkat Rattanak,
Battambang Municipality, Cambodia

© 2025 M'lup Russey Organization. All rights reserved.

Registered Non-Profit Organization in Cambodia.

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