Who We Are
Ptea Teuk Dong is known throughout Battambang by the acronym PTD. The Khmer words Ptea Teuk Dong actually translate to ‘House Water Coconut‘ in English. PTD was named for the healing properties of coconut water which have long been revered by the Cambodian people.
Our History
PTD is located in Chamkar Samrong I Village, Chamkar Samrong Commune, Battambang Municipality, Battambang Province, Cambodia. We are about three kilometers from the center of Battambang.
PTD is a local non-profit and Cambodian NGO formed in June 1994 working to provide quality education, community empowerment, and sustainability to children and youth in Battambang, Cambodia. PTD was officially registered with the Ministry of Interior on August 28th, 1996, and is committed to being non-religious and apolitical.
PTD consists a the Board of Directors, Senior Management Committee, and staff. The Board of Directors is the highest decision-making body and guides the strategic direction of the organization. The Board of Directors meets 2-3 times per year to make decisions related to governance and strategic issues. Our teams work in partnership with beneficiaries and project partners.
PTD started as Street Families Centre. The program began with a small group of street families who returned to Battambang after the civil war. These families came from refugee camps in Thailand to discover that they were without land, without a home, and without work. Many children in these families spent their days begging in the streets to provide an income for their families.
The main purpose of Street Families Centre was to provide a safe environment where the vulnerable children of street families could grow, while providing training for the adults with the expectation of reintegrating these families back into the community. The program provided shelter for all the members of the street families for a period of one year. During this time period, families received vocational skills training, primary health care, safe accommodation, essential life skills, food, and education for their children.
In 2001 other NGOs did not have the capacity to help the survivors of rape. At the request of UN Women and The Battambang Child Rights Protection Committee, PTD began providing services to young women who had experienced trafficking, abuse, and domestic violence.
After the vocational training initiatives were completed, PTD determined whether the families were at an adequate level to be reintegrated into the community. If they were ready to be reintegrated, PTD provided them with a plot of land, a house, household materials, two animals, and other equipment needed for them to restart their lives. It was believed that once a family had an appropriate home, skills, and knowledge they would be able to make their own living and improve their family’s economic circumstances. In turn, this also assisted in poverty reduction and allowed for greater participation within the society.
The program enabled the families to return to their community’s happier, healthier, and with start-up materials to use their new skills for their own businesses. The program was successful and happily ended at the end of 2007 with the total of 366 families from Street Families Project and 166 young women from Girls Development Project were reintegrated into the communities in Battambang.
In 2002, PTD built 7 dormitories, 2 school buildings. This was development into the PTD office and Learning Centre. The Learning Centre provides education and trainings support through its programs including general education, special needs education, English, nutrition and health education, and other vocational trainings. in the dorms, we support disadvantaged youth from rural areas that are passionate to access additional education in town.
We believe that education is critical to a child’s emotional, social, and physical development. Education builds self-esteem and encourages our community members to succeed and hope for a better future. PTD is constantly evolving to provide the best support and resources to its community members. In 2015, we restructured our strategic plan to focus on providing programs dedicated to quality education.
In 2017, PTD started AGS Community Centre (about 25 kilometers from Battambang Central Town) where many former street families have been reintegrated. AGS community Centre provides supplementary education to children and youth including English lessons, Maths, Khmer, nutrition, and health education. We also provide crucial water and sanitation as well as hygiene support to villagers around the center.
Our Guiding Principles
Our Vision
To be an integral part of our local community in Battambang Cambodia. A community that is educated, healthy, and prosperous and where disadvantaged members are protected cared for and empowered.
Our Mission
To use our skills, knowledge, human, and physical resources to work with local our community, partners, and donors to deliver high quality services and support to help local people of all ages to become better educated, healthier, and more prosperous.
Our Goal
To ensure PTD continues its capacity to provide high quality of education and trainings for children & youth; and improve the quality of life of the poor.
