Journey into Hope - Visit to Cambodia with Bishops' Appeal and Tearfund
Revd Jono Pierce writes...
It was a great privilege to be asked on behalf of The Church of Ireland's
Bishop’s Appeal
to travel to Cambodia on a visit to an organisation which receives funding from both Tearfund and Bishops’ Appeal from 16th-26th November.
There were 6 members of our Team which was led by Billie Anderson who works for Tearfund in the UK and the 10 days we worked together were a life changing experience for all of us.
We were based in the border town of Poipet just across the border from Thailand and our primary focus was the work of a remarkable organisation called Cambodia Hope Organisation or CHO. This organisation is led by one of the most inspiring leaders I have ever met called Chomno and I will say a little more about him later.
Cambodia as many will be aware has a very troubled history after a very oppressive regime during the 1970’s. At that time many were forced to work in labour camps, landmines were a blight on the landscape and many lost their lives and limbs during these dark days depicted powerfully in the film and the phrase 'the killing fields’.
The result was grinding poverty for huge swathes of the population and a whole generation of educated people wiped out or exterminated in the most brutal way.
As gambling is illegal in Thailand many cross the border to Poipet where huge casinos dominate the entrance to the city. Many children are trafficked to Thailand where they are led into situations of forced labour or prostitution. Poverty means many young women are led into the sex trade and very few children are given an opportunity to receive an education.
In February 2010 Bishops' Appeal made a grant of 19,825 euros to co-fund a microloan project for farmers with Tearfund under the supervision of CHO as the local partner. It was a very humbling experience to stand in the field with Rickray who proudly showed us his crops. He had been given a loan to rent some land and also received some training in animal husbandry and was beginning to breed some goats. The income from these ventures not only enabled him to repay his loans but to educate his children. Later that day we met Unmap and Sunsna with their family. They too had benefitted from this project and had invested in irrigation pipes to help water their crops. In total 420 families in the local villages had benefited from this allocation and with the expertise provided by CHO staff and constant support and encouragement lives were being transformed.
We were all very inspired by the diversity of work that CHO is involved in under the leadership of Chomno. We visited a safe haven school where children at risk of being trafficked were accommodated, received some schooling and as they got older were being taught life skills like sewing or motorcycle maintenance so they could make a living.
CHO helps to provide schooling in remote villages by providing school on a mat.These incredible schools take place on a mat under the shade of a tree. We went to visit a number of these schools and shared testimonies and Bible stories using drama with the children.
CHO also runs a HIV and Aids programme to support those in remote villages living with HIV and Aids. Some information and teaching is given to help people identify symptoms and CHO helps to provide antiretroviral drugs to those in need, and also helps to run a clinic where people who are seriously ill are admitted for treatment.
Other microloan projects are provided to help people get small businesses off the ground. These are linked into teaching people skills like tailoring and motorcycle maintenance. We met Vien a landmine victim who lost a leg but is now the proprietor of a little shop in his village.
At the heart of all CHO is striving to do is the Christian message of hope and resurrection from the ashes of darkness and oppression. Chomno and many of his staff are committed Christians and begin each working day with devotions at 7.30am before they go to work travelling into remote and inaccessible villages offering hope to people who are suffering in various ways. A portion of Friday afternoons are spent together in prayer as projects and priorities are considered.
In the middle of our trip Chomno took us to visit a building he had purchased in Poipet. It was an enormous warehouse where he had a vision to make the first floor an internet café, bakery and t-shirt printing factory. The next floor up was to be a photography studio for wedding photos and a suite of offices. The third floor up was to provide accommodation for girls rescued from prostitution who would receive a counselling and support service from CHO. The top floor was to be a church and conference facility. Everything that is done is rooted in prayer and in response to the terrible need that is around. Even though Chomno did not have the money to buy the building he spent nights in prayer and fasting and with donor agencies from abroad and no little stress and weight loss it has now been paid for.
It was truly inspiring to meet someone who himself had been in labour camp now reaching out with the love of Jesus to transform society and who had sold his own house to begin this important work.
Bishop Harold and I spent a day training local Pastors and doing some Bible teaching. We heard wonderful and inspiring stories of people coming to faith in labour camps and through the teaching and example of Christians in those places wanting to move out into local villages and plant new churches. It was an honour to be asked to preach at the CHO offices at the Sunday service.
When the church goes out into the local community and seeks to do the things God speaks about throughout the scriptures- bring good news to the poor, restore people’s dignity and self respect, rescue people from slavery, bring healing and hope to the sick we see society transformed. It was powerful to see this reality in the work of CHO and the difference it was making to people’s everyday lives.
Chomno’s dream is that one day one of the children from the Safe haven might become prime minister of Cambodia and influence society for good. The work of CHO is widely regarded by local government as a model of good practice.
On behalf of Bishops’ Appeal could I say thank you to all who support us financially. It is thanks to your generosity that lives are being changed and new hope is made possible. I’d also like to express the gratitude of our team to Tearfund Ireland for leading and coordinating the trip so well and preparing us so thoroughly.
Click here to see a handful of photos from the trip.
This article first appeared in The Church of Ireland Gazette issue 14th January 2011.