Why Cambodia?
Between 1975 and 1979, more
than 1.5 million Cambodians, or one third of Cambodia’s total
population were massacred by Pol Pot and his communist Khmer Rouge.
The enforced hardships and starvation drew the country’s economic,
manufacturing, education and healthcare systems to a standstill.
The effects of that era are still felt in present-day Cambodia. It
remains one of the poorest nations in Asia, with 34% of its people
surviving on less than US $1 a day. One in 8 children dies before
their fifth birthday, while 50% of all Cambodian children are
malnourished. To increase family income, there is an estimated 600,000
children aged 5-17 years and 2,000 street children working in Phnom
Penh. Another 15,000 spend more than 6 hours a day scavenging and
begging.
The lack of education is a grave concern of Cambodia where more than
half of its 13 million people are under the age of 18. 65% of
Cambodian children are enrolled in primary schools, only 24% are
enrolled in secondary schools.
PKH’s Past and Current Projects
Animal Husbandry Projects
We started in 1999 by funding chicken- and pig-rearing, and other
animal husbandry projects in Takhmau, Kandal Province, so that the
Cambodians can have self-sustaining livelihoods.
Seeds of Hope Child Care
PKH also partnered with Full Gospel Assembly, Kuala Lumpur who had
an earlier presence in Kompong Speu Province. The Seeds of Hope (SOH)
Child Care partnership provides shelter and a secure environment for
121 orphans, street and poor village children between the ages of 6 to
18. These children have an opportunity to attend public schools and
have home tutoring, and more importantly, experience God’s love and
saving grace at the Centre.
Project Khmer H.O.P.E. (Anglican) Centre
Officially opened on 17 September 2004, the PKH (Anglican) Centre
contains a Skills Development Department and a Healthcare Department.
The Skills Development includes a computer room, library, youth
hostel, classrooms and staff quarters. These facilities cater for the
training for up to 120 youth from the Kompong Speu province and
beyond. For the first year, we took in 60 students for the English
language course. In 2006, vocational courses on information technology
and hospitality services will be added.
The Healthcare building includes a mini laboratory, a pharmacy, and
medical and dental treatment rooms. This Department provides basic
healthcare to the children, youth and staff of the SOH Child Care and
PKH Skills Development programmes, as well as to the poor in the
community. It also serves as a base for visiting teams from Singapore
and elsewhere, to take healthcare services to the poor. The PKH doctor
and team take healthcare twice a month to Aoral, a poor and remote
district in Kompong Speu.
