“We’ve taken the bold step of offering hope to the poor in Cambodia,” CRWRC stated in their 1996 annual report, introducing supporters to its newest ministry field.

At that time, Cambodia was one of the poorest countries in the world. One in every five children died before reaching his or her fifth birthday, the average life expectancy was only 49 years, and two out of every three people could not read or write.

 “We’ve taken the bold step of offering hope to the poor in Cambodia,” CRWRC stated in their 1996 annual report, introducing supporters to its newest ministry field.

Model Farmer Kim Seng inspects the banana trees on his farm – just one of the many varieties of fruits, vegetables and even fish he is now raising on his farm in Cambodia' s Prey Anse village. Seng attended a five-day training on improved agricultural techniques that he is now using to teach others in the village.

Members of Savings Group 3 in the village of Kraing Tason in Cambodia's Kompong Speu Province carefully tally monthly contributions of savings provided by group members. Once they have joined, and are contributing monthly savings, group members can take a loan from the savings pool to help them start a small business or cover emergency expenses.

This school in the village of Taprom, Cambodia, was built through CRWRC partner agency OREDA – the Occupation and Rural Economic Development Association. In addition to building the kindergarten itself, CRWRC and OREDA also built latrines immediately beside the structure and provided a well so that students could access clean, safe water  on the grounds of the school.

At that time, Cambodia was one of the poorest countries in the world. One in every five children died before reaching his or her fifth birthday, the average life expectancy was only 49 years, and two out of every three people could not read or write.

Much of this hardship was the result of the Khmer Rouge and the decades-long civil war that Cambodians had lived through. During that period, the government emptied Cambodian urban centers of their population, abolished banking, outlawed religion, eliminated private property, and re-organized traditional kinship systems. It was arguably one of the bloodiest regimes of the twentieth century with over two million Cambodian dying as a result of execution, disease, starvation, or overwork – including many of the most educated leaders such as teachers, doctors, and pastors. Thousands of others fled the country. After so many years in turmoil, Cambodia was left with a population of under-educated people living in extreme poverty.

Though forced to operate underground for a time, the church did not disappear.

In the early 1990’s the new Cambodian government granted freedom of religion and allowed churches and community organizations to be re-established. Small groups of worshippers began to rebuild the church and to look for new ways to meet the spiritual and physical needs around them. They reached out, and the Christian Reformed Church responded.

“The small, but tenacious, Cambodian Christian churches have expressed eagerness for help and hope from their North American brothers and sisters,” CRWRC reported in 1996. “The Cambodian government has only recently allowed local organizations to form. The community groups are young and lack experience. It is an ideal time to work with them from the beginning stages of their development.”

That’s just what CRWRC did. Starting small, CRWRC’s first Cambodian staff member, Deb Wilson, worked alongside local churches to train and coach them to develop community programs in areas such as improved agriculture, adult literacy, and child health.

As the CRWRC-Cambodia team grew, it continued to focus its attention on equipping the local church to develop plans, manage projects, track finances, and evaluate results so that the witness of the local church within its community could be strengthened.

“In Cambodia, churches are referred to with the same word as for a Buddhist temple. These temples are simply places where people can pray and bring their offerings. Not much else is expected,” said Rick DeGraaf, CRWRC Cambodia Country Consultant. “However, what CRWRC’s small church partners are doing is changing that perspective.”

After decades of civil war and authoritative rule, people are very leery to trust organizations or each other. To combat this, CRWRC and its partners have undertaken a unique “community immersion” process whereby a staff person will enter a community and stay for some time, talking openly about their mission and their vision for the area.

“Staying overnight in the villages, eating with community members, and building relationships is one of the main steps for restoring trust and bringing people together,” said CRWRC Asia Team Leader, Tom Post. “The other fruits of our labors are built on this foundation.”

After staying the village, the Community Organizer will identify key leaders and begin to form a community-based organization, which in turn can identify community needs and begin to develop plans of addressing them. Through this process, community members are coming together and taking steps to improve their lives in real and lasting ways.

“In 2011 CRWRC and our partners in Cambodia dug 47 wells, built 168 latrines, distributed 545 water filters, helped 3,508 families participate in savings groups, provided community kindergartens for 318 students, helped 1,345 families have access to rice year-round through rice banks, enabled 627 families to raise livestock through an animal bank program, and provided emergency assistance to 1,504 flood survivors,” said Rachel Brink, CRWRC Program Advisor in Cambodia. “These numbers are something to celebrate, but the changed lives they represent are the real celebration.”

“Getting people to participate in the development of a village is the most positive thing that is happening as a result of our work together,” DeGraaf added. “What excites me is that local churches are leading the way!”

Today, CRWRC is working with eight Cambodian churches and five non-government organizations to carry out this work. In addition to funding from the Christian Reformed Church, this ministry is supported by external funding organizations such as Tearfund UK, the Foods Resource Bank, and a close partnership with the the Mission Alliance of Norway that includes providing two staff member, Knut and Bente Foseide, as consultants for the CRWRC Cambodia team.

Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) also joined CRWRC-Cambodia in 2008. CRWM missionaries Gil and Joyce Suh serve in Cambodia, working in partnership with CRWRC to develop leadership in 40 small churches near the Vietnam border.

“Where God dwells, the broken is restored, the bereaved rejoice, and the barren bears fruit. These are not promises of instant health, quick wealth, or easy grace, but assurances that when God is present there is resurrection power: souls are redeemed, hearts are transformed, and lives are given hope and meaning,” said Gil Suh.

“CRWRC and CRWM believe that God loves the people of Cambodia and wants them to rejoice in the blessing of His holy presence and His salvation,” DeGraff concluded. “We seek to follow after what God is already doing, to be heralds of Christ among the Cambodian people.”