Biography

Mech Sokha knows how it feels to be an orphan. He was the sole survivor in his family of the Khmer Rouge genocide of 1975 to 1979. Today however, despite many intense challenges, he is saving the lives of hundreds of orphans—children who were living and working as garbage pickers on the Steung Meanchey landfill in Cambodia.The road to opening this center was long and arduous. During the time of the Khmer Rouge, Mech was stripped of his chance to get an education. After the overthrow of the regime, he worked various jobs and studied at night to educate himself. By the early 90s, he was working as a driver for a small, Japanese NGO based in Phnom Penh when a client, a Japanese woman, Ms. Osanai Mieko, befriended him. He shared with her his plans and aspirations, and she eventually sponsored his education in the Philippines where he studied child development and NGO management. In the meantime, Ms. Mieko organized financial support in Japan to help make Mech’s dream of opening an orphanage for children who called the Steung Meanchey landfill home (nicknamed “Smoky Mountain” for the toxic smoke it gives off) come to fruition.

The life-saving orphanage Mech founded in 2002 provides a nurturing home, education and vocational training to 170 children annually. CCH provides them with good nutrition, secure living facilities, education, loving support, and encouragement to dream of a better future. Each child that passes through the doors of CCH is transformed forever – from sifting through the discards of the dump, to being well educated and ready to live a life of hope and prosperity.