 We receive more and more visitors here in Cambodia, people who are touched by our work and want to see it with their own eyes. We take the visitors with us to see the schools and meet the children and the families in the villages. We’ve had visitors representing other NGOs, often big NGOs with large budgets that we can only dream about. We are happy not to be alone in our struggle against the trafficking in children, and we like to be able to share our experiences and to have the opportunity to confront our approaches to the problems which we have in common.
 We also receive donors, and sometimes tourists who want to see how we work and understand the sad realities of people who living a life where survival is the prime concern. The visits are always charged with emotions for the visitors who are not used to the harsh realities in the field. The children bring light and energy, but there is also the tough situation in which they live… it is a mix of beautiful, sad and hope which can be hard to digest and which never leaves anyone indifferent.
 Visiting us is an enriching experience for the visitor, but we have to set certain limits. As an example, we systematically refuse to receive tourists coming spontaneously to take photos of the villages and the misery that some people live in there.
 People can come and look, but they also feel the urge to act, and to make themselves useful in the struggle against trafficking in children. This way, we have met people who want to organise a concert in favour of the children, or to create an AVEC association in their country. Small and big steps can be taken to change the situation for “our” children. You can make a suggestion any time. Our web site is meant to be our platform for communication with you, and you are welcome to use it.
 For example, from the visitors (priority is given to our donors, to international funds and of course to the AVEC volunteers) coming to see us in Cambodia, we will ask for a contribution of 500 kg of rice. This way, each visitor will contribute to our schooling efforts (rice is the main arm in our war against the ruling circumstances), with an amount corresponding to 200 US dollars. This idea has been adopted unanimously by the steering committee, after it was presented to us by a visitor in December 2006.
Each 500 kg of rice will then allow us to extend our work to cover more children and more families.
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A big workload lies ahead for our Khmer volunteers handling the two new schools with which we work. The volunteers will start with setting up a list of the poorest families in the neighbourhood, families of which the children tend not to attend school. They will also search out orphans and those children who come to school dressed in rags. This means visiting at least around 70 families in very rural areas, and analysing the life conditions of each family. During these visits, they will also locate the children who do not go to school at all, and create a file for each family.