Programmes

Achieving our goals

To create a safe and secure DNA database and safeguard data confidentiality and participant welfare, including the emotional and social aspects of managing expectations, reunions, and aftercare, we have identified 5 core programme objectives — Science, Test, Educate, Assist, and Restore (STEAR) — around which we base our efforts.

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”
— Henry Ford

We seek and encourage collaborations to broaden our expertise and make us more sustainable long term. Please get in touch if you would like to work with us.

  • A secure and data protected Khmer database of participants taking part in our Reconnecting Cambodia project, across existing DNA profiling databases globally. Working with DNA experts and our sponsor, MyHeritage, allows us to be more sustainable.

  • Free, safe and secure DNA testing for Cambodians worldwide, expanding the Khmer DNA pool for closer matches for those actively searching for lost relatives or family ties.

  • Empowering people to understand the transformative potential of DNA in their search, while raising awareness about the legacy of disconnected families from Cambodia’s recent history. We aim to have as many Cambodians join our project as possible.

  • The provision of comprehensive support throughout the search process, prioritising confidentiality and emotional well-being, as we recongise that reuniting families separated by war, genocide, and poverty is a complex and deeply emotional process.

  • Healing historical trauma by reuniting families and restoring cultural ties with expert guidance.