Daughters of Cambodia

Daughters of Cambodia is a fair-trade business established to empower men and women to exit sex-work and receive training. Our businesses entail a sewing room, screen printing, shops, spas, cafes, and a guesthouse. We seek a holistic approach which includes: counselling, medical care, life-skills, day-care, and a sustainable wage.

Our History

Daughters of Cambodia was established in 2007 by psychologist Ruth Elliot. Working as an aftercare counselor in Cambodia for women and children rescued from brothels, she realized many had limited options outside of sex-work, forcing them back into it and leaving them vulnerable due to poverty and violence.

With little to no education or job training combined with psychological and emotional trauma, it is difficult for them to find or keep jobs. She created the unique model of Daughters as a sustainable way to empower, train, and employ women and men who want to exit sex-work.

Our Mission

Daughters of Cambodia empowers sex-workers to exit the sex industry permanently, by providing services empowering them internally to sustain life-style changes. We provide alternative employment through our social enterprise businesses. We facilitate holistic recovery through psychological and medical treatment. We empower clients to take responsibility for their lives.

Our Values

Treating all men and women with equal value as precious children of God. Empowering and equipping rather than teaching dependency. Teaching healthy decision-making and responsibility for sustainable life changes. Sustainability of programs through self-generated income, participation and inclusion of everyone, promotion to leadership, fostering of hope, and restoring dignity.

What We Do

Daughters is a faith-based organization and business which developed a unique model in Cambodia, one where sex workers come direct to the organization from the brothels by choice. They come because they are already motivated to change their lives. Daughters gives them choice and dignity in building a different future, that make their steps sustainable and respects their human rights. Through our fair-trade businesses, we provide a holistic approach that entails job training, fair wages, life-skills and health workshops, counseling and social work, free daycare, and free medical care in a safe environment. We also provide discipleship programs, weekly prayer times, and church. No one is pressured to attend Christian programs, but if they choose, we strive to disciple those who become Christians to follow Jesus Christ and experience life change at the deepest levels through outworking of the Kingdom of God. Daughters of Cambodia strives to achieve professionalism as an organization, in operations, services and business.

Skip to content