Ratanak, which means 'precious gem' in Khmer, was an 11-month-old Cambodian baby that Brian McConaghy watched die as a result of a basic lack of medicine in a documentary he was shown in 1989.
To help rebuild Cambodian society which the Khmer Rouge effectively dismantled in the 1970s, Ratanak has partnered on projects that have built schools, clinics and hospitals, opened orphanages, provided shelters for the elderly and AIDS victims, and initiated emergency programs in response to natural and man made disasters.
[4] Ratanak International partners with other NGOs on a large number of development projects in Cambodia, including a variety of programs associated with human trafficking prevention and child/woman abuse recovery.
[5] Central to the work in Cambodia is a program whereby victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking are prepared (socially, educationally and emotionally) to re-enter society as healthy adults.
[7] Ratanak International is a Christian organisation,[8] that is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,[9] and has sister organizations in the United Kingdom and Australia plus an operations office in Cambodia .