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2015

MINISTRYGUIDE

CAMBODIA

Cambodia is still gradually recovering from the Khmer Rouge regime that executed, tortured, starved and forced labor on the Cambodian people from 1975-79. It is estimated that between 1.4 and 2.2 million people (about one-fifth of the population) died during the genocide. The massacre was selective and concentrated in nature, with mostly the educated and urban populations targeted. In addition to the demographic and economic damage caused by the genocide, psychological scars still exist among those who survived. As a result, Cambodia is an extremely young country, and more than three out of four Cambodians are too young to remember the era — which is less than four decades old.

CAMBODIA TODAY

47%Approximation of Cambodians struggling with some degree of Post Tramatic Stress Disorder 5

Effects of the Khmer Rouge

138thHuman Development Index (out of 187 countries) 1

$950Annual income per person (GNI) 2

41%Rural population without access to safe drinking water 3

200,000Cambodian migrants returning from Thailand 4

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Senior citizens 55 and over:

Population under poverty line:

Years of schooling:

Religion:

Buddhism:

Christianity:

Life expectancy at birth:

Children underweight:

Infant morality rate/1,000 live births:

CAMBODIA UNITED STATES CANADA AUSTRALIA

9.1%

22.9%

5.8

63

1.3%

96.4%

0.7% 1.9%

1.1%

29%

1.3% 0.2%

1.8%

52.8

6.5 4.9

5.1

13.3 12.3 12

15.1% 9.4% 12.8%

26.5% 30.8% 26.9%

52.9% 26.6% 41.0%

79 81 82

Country ContextPopulation in millions: (80% rural) 6 15.45

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Statistics taken from the CIA World Fact Book 7 and the United Nations Development Program 8

Percentages based off of total population for each country

WHO WE ARE

SAMARITAN’S PURSE CAMBODIA

Samaritan’s Purse began working in Cambodia in July 2003, responding to the needs of amputees in the village of Viel Thom in Kampong Speu province. Since then, Samaritan’s Purse has expanded work to address the physical and spiritual needs of the people of Cambodia through water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); education; health and nutrition; migration and human trafficking; and agriculture and livelihoods programs — all while partnering with the local church.

OUR MISSION: HELPING IN JESUS NAME

Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational, evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet the needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disaster, disease and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through his Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the church worldwide to promote the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

OUR VISION

We express Christ’s love by mobilizing people and resources to bring transformation and hope to those in need by

Creating effective partnerships with church and community organizations to deliver programs that transform livesMeeting the critical needs of individuals, families and communities through the provision of relief supplies, health care and improved access to safe water and sanitationImproving the quality of life for those caught in cycles of poverty through the provision of practical skills, education and vocational skills trainingLoving the sick and marginalized through programs that decrease stigma and encourage local churches and communities to act Fostering unity, courage and faith within local churches, schools and communities through leadership training and facilitating opportunities for empowermentBeginning cycles of transformation which are sustained by empowering those whose lives have been transformed to enact change and community improvement

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PROGRAMS

PARTNERS

Evangelical Fellowship of CambodiaTrotrung ning Akphiwat Sokapeap neak Kre Kror

Mission Kampunchea 2021

White Lotus Holistic Ministry for Women & GirlsLight of Life

Cambodia Churches AssociationRescue CambodiaHosea Ministry

Place of RescueWorld Relief

Christian and Missionary Alliance

Cambodia Global Action »

Daughters of Cambodia

Mercy Medical »New Life Fellowship »

Prison Fellowship

SALT (Sport and Leadership Training)

Teen Challenge »

Preschool Project (Kandal, Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, Pursat, Odder Meanchey, Battambang)Water Filters and Holistic Care for Healthier Families (Phnom Penh)O�ce Skills Training School (Phnom Penh)Women’s Program (Phnom Penh)

PREVIOUS PARTNERS

Chab Dai » EFC »

Prevention of sexual exploitation (Preah Sihanouk, Koh Ko, Battam Bang, Siem Reap, Poipet, Kep, Bavet, Pai Lin)Community discipleship ministry (Phnom Penh and throughout rural Cambodia)

DISASTER RELIEF

HEALTHEDUCATION

AGRICULTURE & LIVELIHOODSWASH

PROTECTION

MINISTRY

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B A N T E AYM E A N C H E Y

S I E M R E A P

O D DA R M E A N C H E Y

P R E A H V I H E A R

S T U N G T R E N GR ATA N A K I R I

M O N D O L K I R IK R AT I E

K A M P O N GT H O M

K A M P O N GC H A M

P R E YV E N G

SVAYRIENG

K A N DA L

P H N O M P E N H

TA K EOK A M P OT

K A M P O N GS P E U

KO H KO N G

S I H A N O U K V I L L E

B AT TA M B A N G

P U R S ATK A M P O N GC H H N A N G

PA I L I N

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C A M B O D I ASAMARITAN’S PURSE PROGRAM LOCATIONS

COMPLETED

CURRENT

T B O N GK M O U M

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In rural Cambodia, 41 percent of the population does not have access to safe drinking water. As a result, children often suffer from malnutrition, stunting their growth and decreasing school attendance. Adults who drink unclean water can become ill — collecting medical expenses in the process. Samaritan’s Purse seeks to change this by creating water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs for schools, communities and families.

WASH

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HOUSEHOLDSamaritan’s Purse works with communities to improve water access through the construction and installation of water wells, rainwater harvest systems and latrines. The WASH project serves the poorest and most vulnerable families — widows and families with children less than 5 years of age. The Water Access Project helps communities form water sanitation user groups to foster participation in, and ownership of, the water sources, and promote sanitation and hygiene in the community. Since 2010, the programs has improved the lives of approximately 11,500 beneficiaries.

Just because water looks clear does not mean it is safe to drink: it may carry microscopic organisms that can trigger deadly illnesses. BioSand Filters (BSF) use a natural biological process — requiring no power or chemicals — to cleanse water and minimize bacteria such as E. coli. Water for Families is a program aiming to reduce the risk of water and sanitation-related diseases through education and the installation of home water filters in rural communities. Since October 2007, Samaritan’s Purse Cambodia has run its own BSF project and provided 6,200 BSFs to households —approximately 129,000 people — in the Banteay Menachey province. Now, four percent of the population of Cambodia has access to clean water because of the efforts of Samaritan’s Purse and its partners.10

INSTITUTIONSClean water and latrines in primary schools are often non-existent. Water for Kids, a program of Samaritan’s Purse, partners with the Ministry of Education to improve water supply through the construction of boreholes, ponds and rainwater harvest tanks that can provide water to the students year-round. Schools are equipped with water filtration systems for clean drinking water, latrines and hand washing stations. Each student receives a personal water bottle and education about proper hygiene. Since 2010, Samaritan’s Purse has provided 55 primary schools with solutions for water supply, water treatment and latrines. As a result, students are attending classes more often, and parents have a newfound trust in the school — knowing their children are no longer at risk of disease.

In 2015, Samaritan’s Purse plans to install water filtration systems in health centers in the Kratie province. The program will create a sanitary environment — ensuring that healthcare workers and patients have access to clean water, toilets and soap in order to improve the overall health of the community. Samaritan’s Purse will provide education to ensure good hygiene practices and support better patient outcomes. Patients will also be equipped to share vital hygiene techniques to share when they return to their home communities.

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In Cambodia, 80 percent of the population lives in rural villages, and 28 percent of the population is underweight. 9 Since 2009, Samaritan’s Purse has supported farmers in access to nutritious foods, improving food security, increasing crop yields, building fish ponds, developing disaster resiliency techniques and forming market access committees to ensure a fair price for goods.

Agriculture & Livelihoods

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The Seeds of Hope program improves food security and increases the ability of those in poverty to earn an income through agriculture and livelihood activities. The program teaches families in rural Cambodia effective agricultural practices, such as how to grow vegetable gardens and how to make and use natural fertilizers and pesticides. Additionally, it helps communities start pig banks and fish farms to increase food supplies in rural areas.

Samaritan’s Purse creates a platform for the Cambodian church and small, faith-based NGOs to support the holistic development of the community members through training and resources. Samaritan’s Purse community staff works strategically with these organizations to provide training, technical expertise, seed and animal resources to promote sustainable, holistic, rural development.

SEEDS OF HOPE

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Increasingly, impoverished Cambodians from across the country are looking to migration and cross border day labor and trade in a bid to increase family income. As people migrate to find work, family structure is shattered and many children are left behind. Consequently, both the children and the family become vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking and the effects of violence.

Protection

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The Strengthening Women and Families Together (SWFT) project works with women in communities to build strong self-images, recognize positive role models, form a determined view of the future and build families who are supportive, participative, encouraging and healthy. The goal is to break the cycles of domestic violence, oppression and gender discrimination that are prevalent in Cambodia.

Samaritan’s Purse staff work with women and young girls to train and provide opportunities for communities to be empowered through the SWFT curriculum. The volunteers teach families in their own homes, and staff members act as coaches and mentors. This structure results in a network of women working to encourage and protect their families and each other. The project also identifies and trains female youths, who then train their peers, in planning for the future and setting goals. The goal is to equip these youths to have a healthy and violence-free future.

“ Before, I always yelled, beat and mocked my children. I thought it was a normal part of being their mother. After being trained with the Healthy Families Project, I have changed. I stopped beating my children, and I choose to take care of and listen to them more. I also tell them that I love them.”

–Kong Vanny, Program Volunteer

STRENGTHENING WOMENAND FAMILIES TOGETHER

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SAFE MIGRATION AND TRAFFICKING AWARENESSIn the border province of Banteay Meanchey, Samaritan’s Purse operates the Safe Migration and Trafficking Awareness (SMTA) project. The project trains local community leaders, church members, students and villagers with tools to make positive migration decisions and avoid the threats of unsafe migration, exploitation and trafficking.

The project uses the Training of Trainers (TOT) method to activate and equip community leaders and local church members from all walks of life. The goal is to build a strong community through the development of savings, livelihoods and cooperative groups. Through a combination of education, coaching and mentoring, SMTA minimizes the threat of bad migration decisions by removing ignorance and increasing family income. Samaritan’s Purse also operates a call-in radio program, allowing people to ask their migration questions publicly. The hope is that these programs will produce leaders within the villages who can act as role models to those around them.

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Cambodia has one of the highest rates of maternal and child mortality in Southeast Asia. The mortality rate for children under 5 years of age in rural areas is significantly higher (64 per 1,000 births) than urban areas (22 per 1,000).10 Malnutrition is the cause of approximately one-third of child deaths, and 40 percent of children suffering from chronic malnutrition.11

Health & Nutrition

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MATERNAL INFANT AND CHILD HEALTHIn 2013, Samaritan’s Purse launched a comprehensive Maternal Infant and Child Health program (MIACH) in 42 villages of the Kratie province. The goal of the project is to reduce child and maternal mortality through a focused intervention during the first 1,000 days of life. Samaritan’s Purse reaches out to the communities with activities such as health volunteer training, nutrition screening, cooking demonstrations, health campaigns and training for midwives and health staff.

All children under 5 years are enrolled in the program and receive screening for acute malnutrition. Malnourished children receive nutritional food support for recovery. All mothers are checked throughout their pregnancy and up to 24 months afterward. Mothers receive education, incentives to access essential health services, support and encouragement. Local health staff are trained on essential health services for mothers and children, such as management of acute malnutrition, antenatal care and newborn care.

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COMMUNITY BIRTHINGCENTERSKratie is a rural province with poor farmers and a number of ethnic minority groups. Compared to other provinces in Cambodia, child and maternal mortality is significantly high in Kratie due to poor access to healthcare. Most women still seek help from traditional birth attendants and midwives to deliver babies at home — putting both the mothers and the lives of their babies at risk. Kratie also lacks adequate health infrastructure and cannot properly support women through pregnancy and childbirth.

Along with the MIACH project in Kratie, Samaritan’s Purse supported the communities by building a safe place for women to deliver babies. In 2014, two Community Birthing Centers (CBCs) have been constructed and dedicated for service. Mothers from more than 30 villages benefit from these facilities. The services offered at the CBCs include prenatal and antenatal care, safe deliveries, neonatal care, vaccinations and nutrition services for children. Samaritan’s Purse also plans to build more birthing centers in further remote locations in Cambodia.

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Many children in Cambodia go to primary schools, but few continue to secondary education. On average, children attend school for less than six years. Often, families cannot afford school supplies or need the children at home to help support the family. When they do attend school, many students learn in poorly constructed schools with contaminated water and are taught by teachers who have received little training.

Education

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SCHOOLS FOR KIDSThe School Construction program combines the school building projects of Samaritan’s Purse with health, education and sports activities to encourage students to continue their education. Samaritan’s Purse has built 10 primary schools in the Banteay Meanchey province and one school in Kampong Speu. These schools serve 2,700 students, first through sixth grade education.

Through the Schools for Kids program, the Christian witness of Samaritan’s Purse has influenced the village leaders, education officials and school principals. Staff members present the gospel to everyone involved in the building and dedication of a school — from construction workers to all in the community present during the dedication ceremony.

After Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge regime, 80% of educated people were killed or fled, including almost all of the teachers. Cambodia had to start again. Education is the most important need in Cambodia, I am so grateful to Samaritan’s Purse for seeing a need and working alongside Cambodians to build a foundation for the next generation of leaders.

–Houn Sothea, Cambodian Secretary of State

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PEDALS FOR PUPILSThe Pedals for Pupils program targets students who have completed sixth grade and have a commitment to complete at least lower secondary school. These students often struggle with transportation to their classes — some having to travel two kilometers daily. Pedals for Pupils leases bicycles to those students for transportation. Helmets and road safety training are also provided. 

To promote a better quality of education in schools, Samaritan’s Purse works with district and provincial departments of education. Parent and Teacher Associations (PTAs) are formed to strengthen school management and encourage community engagement. The departments of education fund and support the PTAs to create child-friendly spaces in schools. Members of the local church are selected as PTA members in order to be involved in communicating the importance of education to those in the community. They also provide poor families with physical, emotional and spiritual support.

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Natural disasters, wars, and emergencies often hit poor children and families the hardest. Samaritan’s Purse specializes in responding rapidly and effectively to natural disasters with physical aid — safe water, food and shelter — and by imparting hope for victims of crises. The relief projects of Samaritan’s Purse are dedicated to meeting the needs of people who suffer, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Relief

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DISASTER RESPONSEIn July 2014, severe flooding caused by monsoon rains and overflowing rivers forced thousands of families in the Kratie province to be evacuated to higher ground, according to Cambodia’s Committee for Disaster Management. Floodwaters damaged many stilted homes, profitable crops and roadways. Samaritan’s Purse responded in Kratie and worked to assist hundreds of families in need. Samaritan’s Purse staff conducted assessments for three days to determine the most vulnerable people and their most pressing needs.

On the first day of relief, Samaritan’s Purse provided boxes of food, soy milk and first aid to 1,000 children. Later that week, 350 families received rice, cans of fish, cooking oil, sugar, salt, soy sauce, fish sauce, noodles and a tarp from Samaritan’s Purse. Staff also distributed water purification tablets and buckets with lids from UNICEF and ceramic water filters from OXFAM.

Cambodian migrant workers were forced to leave Thailand in 2014, causing a mass exodus of nearly 200,000 people back into Cambodia. Samaritan’s Purse provided food and non-food items to people crossing the border. Along with the SMTA program, Samaritan’s Purse shared information on safe migration and tell migrant workers the good news of Jesus Christ.

Over the years, Samaritan’s Purse has responded to disasters in Banteay Meanchey (migration crisis, fire, flood and drought), Preah Vihear (border tension), Kampong Thom (typhoon), Kratie (flooding) and Phnom Penh (land relocation, fire and flood).

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The vision of Samaritan’s Purse in Cambodia is that target populations have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Christ and make Him known. Samaritan’s Purse ensures the clarity and integration of the gospel in all projects. Additionally, Samaritan’s Purse networks with local churches to help them reach the 98.7 percent of people who do not know Jesus Christ, and encourage the 1.3 percent who are following the Lord.

Ministry

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WORKS CITED

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1 “The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World.” 2013 Human Development Report. United Nations Development Programme. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

2 “GNI per capita, Atlas method,” The World Bank. The World Bank Group, 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

3 “UNICEF says 6.3 million Cambodians still lack access to safe water.” UNICEF. United Nations, 21 March 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

4 “The exodus.” The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 21 June 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

5 Whitney, Joel. “Cambodia After Year Zero.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 24 June 2011. Web. 15 October 2014.

6 “Cambodia.” WHO Western Pacific Region. World Health Organization, 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

7 “Cambodia.” The World Factbook 2013-14. Central Intelligence Agency, 2013. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

8 “Table 1: Human Development Index and its components” Human Development Reports. United Nations Development Programme. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

9 “Cambodia: Statistics.” UNICEF. United Nations, 24 Dec. 2013. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

10 National Institute of Statistics, Directorate General for Health, and ICF Macro, 2011. Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey 2010. Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Calverton, Maryland, USA: National Institute of Statistics, Directorate General for Health, and ICF Macro. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

11 “Cambodia.” World Food Programme. United Nations, 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

2014 Ministry Guide Cambodia © Samaritan’s Purse Cambodia

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Cambodia Main Office#9B, Street 504Phsar Doeurm Thkov, ChamkarmonPhnom Penh, Cambodia+855 23 212 189

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