From the age of three, Phalla Keo Nureak was subjected to incessant violence by his stepfather, including pulling at his mouth, twisting his earlobe, and striking his head. Consequently, his mental health was gravely affected.

Sitting in a courtyard surrounded by the sounds of children laughing and shouting, he studies a painting of a man waving a stick. Perhaps the image reminds him of the pain of being beaten by his stepfather, just two years ago.

At present, Keo Nureak lives happily with more than 100 other children in an orphanage named Branch Centre, located in Phum Lech Wat, Sangkat Kampol, in the capital’s Kambol district.

Phorn Phalla, the director of the orphanage, shared the history of the young boy’s life. He said Keo Nureak has three siblings and a widowed mother, but the mother married another man and they moved to Takeo. While living with his stepfather, Keo Nureak was frequently beaten and tortured by his stepfather.

He said the boy did not know for how many years the abuse went on, but said it happened more frequently when his mother was absent.

“His stepfather once burnt his mouth with a flame from the cooking fire for daring to cry out for food. This caused painful blisters. When he arrived here, he was covered in bruises and had more than 30 scars on his head,” he said.

Phalla knew about the abuse thanks to the testimony of villagers who informed him. After he heard of the boy’s ordeal, he applied to the local authorities for permission to remove the child from his unhappy home. Permission was granted, and Keo Nureak has lived at the Branch Centre ever since.

After he adopted the boy, he removed the stepfather’s family name and asked the Kambol commune authorities to issue a new birth certificate, with Phalla now becomes the boy’s family name, Keo was chosen because he lived in Takeo province, and the Nureak means “guardian”, a person who protects or defends something.

Kambol commune chief Maung An told The Post that the centre is raising more than 100 children. In the past, he had been asked to issue many birth certificates to children who were abandoned by their parents, and those who had unknown heritage. He had always obtained permission from the district governor, he added.

“Some children do not know their parents’ names and if we do not issue the papers for them, what will they do when they get older? I have issued many birth certificates in the past few years, although I could not tell you the exact number,” he said.

Phin Pheap, Kambol district police chief, said that most of the children at the orphanage had lived on the streets. Some of them had been abandoned by their parents; some had parents who had passed away – often from HIV/AIDS – while some had been brought to the centre by the Department of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation of Phnom Penh.

Phalla Keo Nureak enjoying his new life at the centre. SUPPLIED

He said the Kambol police facilitated the transfer of the children’s names into the centre’s residence book, with the director named as head of the family. Recording the children’s names means that ID cards can be issued when they come of age.

“If we do not help them, they would not have legal identities. Some of them have been living at the centre since they were very young. By adding them to the book, we can issue ID cards when they reach the appropriate age,” he said.

According to the centre’s director, the centre was established in 1994 on a one hectare plot of land by a Cambodian woman. The founder had passed away; he had become her successor as he was once an orphan at the centre himself.

Currently, there are 121 children aged from 1 to 14 years-old living in the centre, and there are 25 caregivers. He added that currently there are 14 babies who are formula fed, with one member of staff taking care of two babies. All of his staff are childless widows, he said, chosen because it meant they could remain committed to the children.

“We work closely with the Phnom Penh youth rehabilitation department – the department provides legal assistance for children who require protective services or rescue, but does not offer accommodation, so they will contact us when a child requires a place to stay,” he said.

According to Phalla, once they reach school age, all of his kids attend school. He has a 12-seater van and a tuk-tuk which he uses to transport them to school.

Every day, around 50kg of rice is prepared for the children. Food is donated monthly by Cambodian benefactors, and sometimes by local visitors to the centre. He receives no funds from abroad.

He said that the cost of food is sustainable, but there were often medical expenses due to inherited illnesses among some of the children that proved costly to treat. In addition, water and electricity bills were high, he added.

He said that 14 of his youths are currently studying at university, each with a guarantor who will pay their tuition and accommodation fees for four years.

He also called on local and foreign donors to share their love and support for his orphans. As victims of abuse and domestic violence, he believed that supporting them would make a positive difference in the world.