Overview of Cambodia

Country Overview: Cambodia

"We know what we are, but not what we may be." - William Shakespeare

Cambodia is a small, often overlooked country in South-East Asia. Its history is far from peaceful: even now the country is still recovering from decades of conflict and unrest. Unexploded munitions from the reign of Pol Pot continue to take thousands of lives each year, despite continued efforts to de-mine the nation. It is only now that those responsible for the ‘killing fields’ may be brought to justice. Trials are expected to begin this year and may continue for three years.

There are thousands of families that have been disconnected and fragmented from the effects of civil war, leaving children without parents. Sickness and disease have also claimed the lives of many parents, adding to the number of orphans in the nation.

Cambodia is a nation of extreme poverty. Over 70% of the people survive by subsistence farming, and the biggest goal for the future is staying alive. This poverty has contributed to the growth of the sex-trade, with women and children being trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. Many families are ‘forced’ to sell their children for money in order to stay alive, and the sex-industry is a growing evil in this nation.

Cambodia is ripe for change. As the Kingdom of God is proclaimed and established in that nation it will become all God has destined it to be. Lives will be transformed and wrong put right. God has a hope and a future for Cambodia and the lens of poverty and destitution is being removed, revealing a nation that is shining with hope.

It is time for Cambodia to look beyond the now and into what may be – God's promise of a new today.