In our last newsletter, we shared a glimpse into the often very difficult situations many families face here in Cambodia.
The reasons why some people in Cambodia continue to live under extremely challenging conditions — and why some even fall victim to modern slavery — are complex and interconnected.
At the heart of these issues are limited access to education,, poverty and absence of systemsto protect and support vulnerable communities. While the government has introduced some programs and taken steps in certain areas, there are still many regions where people receive very little assistance..
Our program focuses precisely on these underserved communities, and we work tirelessly to address all contributing factors.
In this newsletter, we want to give you an insight into our daily work and life within the communities we serve.
MONDAY – OFFICE DAY IN SIEM REAP
- Managing the organization’s administrative tasks, including taxes, government reporting, networking, and much more
- Team meetings and development sessions
- Assessing the situation in villages and within individual families → developing appropriate programs
- Preparing all materials needed for village visits
TUESDAY – FLOATING VILLAGE & OFFICE WORK
- Families live on houseboats made from the simplest materials
- People rely on the lake for their livelihood, which is yielding fewer and fewer fish
- Extreme poverty and very challenging living conditions due to unsafe water and limited opportunities
- Reports of child sex trafficking
- 30 km round trips for weekly or biweekly visits
- Home visits to support individual families
- Small-scale water projects, such as well drilling
- Community group meetings held less frequently
WEDNESDAY – REMOTE FARMING VILLAGE
- A remote village with very limited infrastructure
- High levels of domestic violence,, alcohol abuse,, and sexual abuse,
- Widespread poverty and very low educational attainment
- 150 km round-trip travel
- Preventive education sessions with an average of 120 primary school students
- Training and support for local teachers
- Home visits to support individual families
- Community group meetings held less frequently
THURSDAY – COMMUNITY WITH BRICK FACTORIES
- Two villages with several brick factories, which in Cambodia are often associated with poor working conditions, debt bondage,, debt bondage. and child labor bekannt sind
- Many families live on the factory premises
- Widespread poverty even beyond the factories
- 100 km round-trip travel
- Preventive education sessions with an average of 180 primary school students
- Training and support for local teachers
- Home visits to support individual families
- Family visits in the two brick factories and group activities
FRIDAY – VILLAGE WITH HIGH MIGRATION TO THAILAND
- Home visits to support individual families
- Many households have family members working abroad, sometimes illegally, in Thailand or other countries, with and individuals experiencing various forms of exploitation
- In some cases, both parents are away, and children live with their grandparents
- Limited opportunities and prospects in this area
- 50 km round-trip travel
- Preventive education sessions with an average of 210 primary school students
- Training and support for local teachers
While some activities, such as preventive education in schools, are similar across villages, our community and family work is highly individual and time-intensive. This year, we especially aim to expand our family-focused efforts, addressing the unique needs of each household even more effectively.
We are guided by four key priorities:
Ensuring that children have unhindered access to education. haben.
2. Alleviating immediate emergencies and urgent needs. werden.
3. Providing support and training to help families achieve a safe, independent, and stable life..
Sharing Christian values and offering counseling and prayer..
At this point, we would like to share a successful experience our team had in one of the villages.
In the village we visit every Wednesday, we learned about a family where the father would violently beat his wife and eldest son whenever he drank.
The family had very little money, and the eldest son had even tried to find work illegally in Thailand..We began praying for this family and thinking about how we could offer support.
On our next visit, the mother approached our team on her own and shared the heavy burden she had been carrying. She told Keany that she had even considered taking her own life—but something had stopped her.We were then able to share with her that we had been praying for her and tell her about Jesus, encouraging her to pray as well. Of course, we offered practical help, though she was understandably afraid of what might happen.
Her greatest wish, however, was that her 16-year-old son could find an apprenticeship or a job in Siem Reap, away from home, away from his father, and in safety.Through our support, we were able to connect her son with an excellent apprenticeship and job opportunity,where he could learn new skills and receive training allowances.
During one of our subsequent visits to the village, we met the mother again. She looked completely transformed and shared how happy she was. Her son was doing really well, and even her husband had begun to improve.
There is still a long way to go before the root causes of this family’s challenges are fully addressed. Tackling these issues takes time, dedication, and prayer. Yet even now, this is already a story of success—and one in which you are a part. Through your financial support, our team can travel to these villages to carry out this invaluable work, and through your prayers, miracles can happen where we ourselves feel powerless.
Of course, our work is far more complex than can be fully described here, and explaining every detail would go beyond the scope of this update.
Financing all of this is also not always guaranteed. This year, we hope to strengthen our efforts particularly in education,, family support, and and community development projects. This includes school supply packages, healthy snacks for students,, home visits,, programs supporting financial independence,, well drilling and well drilling, and the development of essential infrastructure.
For our work in the villages this year, we have planned a budget of nearly $90,000 .
Our team is working tirelessly to implement all our plans, showing remarkable dedication and personal growth. We want to honor their commitment and, ideally, adjust their salaries to reflect their hard work.
When we calculate all our costs for Cambodia and compare them to the donations received so far, there is still a gap of around $50,000. $50.000.
For us, this is a significant sum—but we do not lose heart or faith. We hope, we pray, and we trust that God will provide everythingwe need to continue this work.
If our work touches your heart and you would like to support us, here’s how you can make a real difference:
🙏🏽 PRAY for our daily work with children, youth, and adults in Cambodia.
📢 SHARE our mission in the fight against exploitation with people in your network. Help us reach more people and raise awareness about our work.
♥️ SUPPORT us financially. Every donation counts. Regular contributions give us stability in planning, while even one-time donations bring us closer to our goals.
Become a part of this mission!
We sincerely THANK everyone who has already supported us or continues to do so..
It is because of you that we have come this far—thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
