The Official Website of the Singer & Songwriter

My name is Peter Gray. I first came to Cambodia in early 2005. I had recently sold my 27-year old medical devices business in Melbourne and was in a position to travel around a bit.....spend a few years checking out what’s happening around the world.

I have always been interested in SE Asia from the days when I served in the Australian military in Malaysia and Boneo with the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. I visited Seim Reap – near Angkor Wat – where I saw extreme poverty, child labor, child prostitution and drug addiction. It was there I decided to do some voluntary work for maybe a year or two. Six years later: and I am still working with CCASVA as their technical advisor.

Let me tell you about CCASVA and our kids.......
The physical/sexual abuse and exploitation of poor children in Cambodia is quite mind blowing. Stuff that used to blow me away no longer has the same effect. Children bearing scars from recent bashings are the norm. Rape!....happens every day to young girls – I’m talking 5 + years - by the stepfather/uncle/grandfather or friend of family.

The children we rescue really do need help. They are on their own, or as good as, because mum has given up. If a trafficker comes by and offers to take the child off her hands, she will accept; the child is just a burden, and a cost which she cannot afford. The girl will then be taken to a brothel, or a front for a brothel, to be ‘trained as a house-keeper or a waitress. "One of our girls was sold by her father to a brothel owner and she was earmarked for sale for human body parts. We got hold of her before any abuse occurred, but many are not so fortunate; many simply disappear".

Education and health are my priorities, with English reading/writing and basic computer studies topping the list, the theory being - if a child can speak/read English and possess basic Word and Excel skills, they will get a job; simple as that. The alternative for these exploited and abused slum children is sometimes too horrible to imagine.

I finance most of the Centre myself and I will continue to do so as long as my financial situation stays in the black. Many friends in Australia and other countries help out, as does our ‘sponsor a child’ program – www.ccasva.org. The Centre costs around US$90,000 per year to operate. This includes all salaries, all outgoings, all food, healthcare, education.... the lot. It’s not a lot when you break it down: 50 kids = $1,800 each.

If you would like to help, or get involved, please contact:
PETER GRAY - peter@ccasva.org.

The computers came to us by way of a very generous donation from Liz and Kenny Herman – a US couple who had visited the Centre previously- and asked me if I was interested in 12 laptop computers to add to our existing 5 desk tops? After almost 12 months of frustration [with Cambodian bureaucracy] Kenny and Liz decided to deliver the computers....personally!

That’s about it.
Once again, thank you kindly for reading this story of mine.....

Peter Gray
Phnom Phen
Cambodia