Geraldine Cox

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Geraldine Cox (born 1945) is president and operator of the Sunrise Children's Village orphanage in the province of Kandal, in Cambodia. She is the only Australian to have been granted Cambodian citizenship by a royal decree from King Norodom Sihanouk.

Originally from Adelaide, Geraldine Cox was posted to Phnom Penh by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs in 1970. While in Australia in 1993, Cox helped found the Australia Cambodia Foundation, which operates the Sunrise Children's Village. She moved to Cambodia permanently in 1996, to live with the orphaned children.

Cox is the author of the book Home is Where the Heart Is, an account of her life and the lives of some of the children she has cared for. She is also the subject of the documentary My Khmer Heart, made by Australian filmmakers Janine Hosking and Leonie Lowe.

[edit] Home is Where the Heart Is

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Geraldine spent 12 months writing her first book, Home Is Where The Heart Is, and it was published and launched by Pan MacMillan in August 2000.

Below is the blurb that appears on the back cover of the book. "More than anything, Geraldine Cox wanted to be a mother. Her dream came true; just not in quite the way she had expected. Home Is Where the Heart Is is the deeply moving story of a woman who found her true purpose in caring for Cambodian orphans - the tragic victims of three decades of war and destruction. Geraldine tells with warmth and humor of an extraordinary life that, while it never lacked excitement, sometimes lacked fulfillment before her involvement with the children of Cambodia. Her story begins with her Adelaide girlhood in the 1950s and 1960s, and includes her time working for Foreign Affairs in Cambodia and other overseas postings in the 1970s and 1980s. However, the place closest to her heart was always Cambodia. In the mid-1990s Geraldine returned there to live. As one of the few foreigners ever to be granted Cambodian citizenship through Royal Decree, Geraldine paints a vivid picture of the country, and of the risks and joys of living there. Most importantly, though, she introduces us to her unforgettable children and shares their stories. Inspiring and uplifting, this is a book about how a mother's love can make a difference, and the surprises life has to offer."

Fifteen thousand copies have been printed and sold, and they are no longer available in book shops.