Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Firstly, to thank you all for your prayers and messages of support. These have encouraged, inspired and motivated us and we continue with our progress.
Two new missionaries joined the Community Health and Agriculture Development (CHAD) team and what a difference this is making. Jim Gulley is continuing to provide back up support. His expertise and wisdom are much appreciated.
Secondly, on a very personal note, reflecting that this time last year I went to Zambia to nurse my daughter-in-law Jessica. God blessed our time together but He took her home on December the 28th. My grandson, Mutumwa came back with me to Cambodia. At 4 years old, Mutumwa is my pride and joy, full of delightful mischief and has many words of wisdom for "Gogo". My son, Tichafara is currently visiting us and for me now the challenge would appear how best at my age to play mother to “my two boys.”
Rev Bonny
I have to share with you about Rev Bonny, a remarkable woman whose dream is to see Cambodia become a nation of Christians. Hired by the UNDP in1992, to do community development in Battambag Province villages, she came to understand that God had something even more important for her and resigned to go to bible school.
Rev Bonny was appointed a District Superintendent (MMC) in 2005 for Battambag and is teaming with us in CHAD to develop in her pastors a holistic ministry. She is intensifying efforts to help the sick –building relationships with service providers. What leverage this to the poor who need health care and it will help us to get more work accomplished!
New Director
Our new country director, Rev Dr. Romeo del Rosario (Romy) from the Philippines arrived in August – thanks to GBGM, New York. Romybrings a wealth of experience to the Methodist Mission in Cambodia. His humility, love for the common people and sense of humour are like shining beams of light. In him we have a role model and mentor.
Wells of Living WaterIt was providential that several opportunities for refreshment and renewal came to me in the later half of the year. Leadership Training at Haggai Institute, a missionary retreat in Kompong Som, the regional meeting for SE Asia and Pacific and the visits by Richard Bishop, Edith Gleaves and Jungrea and Rachel from GBGM, New York all helped to rekindle my spirit and renew commitment.
Time to talk Health CareKen Cruz, a missionary from the Philippines, has taken over responsibility for community development and Katherine Parker, a missionary from the US is now responsible for agric development and financial administration.
I am free, at long last, to concentrate on the health care ministry – the joy of my life!
It has been great having Medical Teams from sister churches within the region- Singapore, Malaysia and Korea who have pioneered the work since the inception here. It is also gratifying that USA based UMVIM teams have joined in the work. The teams are helping us both to expand our ministries and to manage the demand for care.
We are currently working in Battambang orienting pastors to Development Theology and holistic ministry. At the same time we are preparing for a seminar for Good Samaritans next January-to provide a Biblical foundation for their work. I am thankful for Karen, a sister in Christ coming as Individual Volunteer from Western Pennsylvania to assist in my work.
We continue working in Kandal where we have completed training pastors for advocacy in healthcare and just started training Good Samaritans (Health Volunteers). We are busy with field visits to prepare ground work for Medical Teams from Louisiana and Rocky Mountain who will visit early next year. The teams will treat the sick and share the Good News with village communities in Kompong Chhnang and Kratie Districts. We are also building links with health departments; training translators, prayer warriors and various other volunteers in the provinces and churches that will host the teams. Altogether, we hope to follow up all the hospital referrals after the teams’ visits and assist people to follow through with treatments – how daunting!
Indeed the harvest is bountiful. Pray that the Lord of the harvest sends more labourers. Pray also that I may have wisdom to fulfill my family and work responsibilities; and for understanding and courage to tackle life’s intricacies.
Wishing you health, peace and joy at Christmas and throughout the coming New Year!
In Christ,
Irene
Monday, December 22, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
A story of healing
by Katherine Parker and Irene Mparutsa
Pastor Kieu Sophal came by our office this morning to help with lesson planning for our health volunteer training workshop that starts tomorrow. I was just sitting at my computer as she told this story, so I am quickly typing it up to share with you.
A woman in Sophal’s district had been battered by her husband and received a back injury that caused her to be in bed unable to walk for about three weeks. Sophal, a new pastor since July, heard about this woman from one of her church members. But Sophal told us that she was worried and hesitant to visit the women: “I don’t have money, what could I offer to this woman.” Sophal doesn’t have a moto (motorcycle/scooter), but the church member took her to see the woman using her own moto.
Sophal told the battered woman, “I don’t have money to offer you, but I have God, and I would like to pray with you.” She came with three other church members and they all prayed for the women. The members reported a sense of the presence of God in that place. “Everyone in the room could sense the awesomeness of God in their hands and throughout their whole bodies.” The battered woman was very encouraged. The church member continues to visit with her and reported that within a week she was able to walk again. Everyone felt that the prayer meeting was a turning point in her recovery.
I wish I could convey to you the sense of gratitude and awe that Sophal brings when she tells this story.
Irene gives thanks to God for Sophal’s testimony… not only for the healing that took place but also for the attitude of the pastor. Many of the pastors in Cambodia feel discouraged because they feel like they don’t have money to offer to people. But Irene likes to remind me (and them) that Jesus sent us out to do ministry without taking anything with us… the people will take care of us or not… but we need to trust that God will be sufficient and provide what we need for the situation… we need to act first and trust that we will be able to find the resources we need for the situation, but if we just sit at home then there will be no way for God to act through us.
It reminds me of the song we used to sing at VBS: Silver and Gold have I none, but such as I have I give thee. Let’s start by giving people what we have. We have the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Irene says, “many times I don’t have money to help poor sick people, I can only give advice and prayer… but I just take the person to the hospital and sometimes we can find a doctor who can help us or another way becomes clear.” We can’t be paralyzed by our fears of what we don’t have. God asks us to just do what we can with what we have and the rest will come.
The song Silver and Gold (as I remember it)
Pastor Kieu Sophal came by our office this morning to help with lesson planning for our health volunteer training workshop that starts tomorrow. I was just sitting at my computer as she told this story, so I am quickly typing it up to share with you.
A woman in Sophal’s district had been battered by her husband and received a back injury that caused her to be in bed unable to walk for about three weeks. Sophal, a new pastor since July, heard about this woman from one of her church members. But Sophal told us that she was worried and hesitant to visit the women: “I don’t have money, what could I offer to this woman.” Sophal doesn’t have a moto (motorcycle/scooter), but the church member took her to see the woman using her own moto.
Sophal told the battered woman, “I don’t have money to offer you, but I have God, and I would like to pray with you.” She came with three other church members and they all prayed for the women. The members reported a sense of the presence of God in that place. “Everyone in the room could sense the awesomeness of God in their hands and throughout their whole bodies.” The battered woman was very encouraged. The church member continues to visit with her and reported that within a week she was able to walk again. Everyone felt that the prayer meeting was a turning point in her recovery.
I wish I could convey to you the sense of gratitude and awe that Sophal brings when she tells this story.
Irene gives thanks to God for Sophal’s testimony… not only for the healing that took place but also for the attitude of the pastor. Many of the pastors in Cambodia feel discouraged because they feel like they don’t have money to offer to people. But Irene likes to remind me (and them) that Jesus sent us out to do ministry without taking anything with us… the people will take care of us or not… but we need to trust that God will be sufficient and provide what we need for the situation… we need to act first and trust that we will be able to find the resources we need for the situation, but if we just sit at home then there will be no way for God to act through us.
It reminds me of the song we used to sing at VBS: Silver and Gold have I none, but such as I have I give thee. Let’s start by giving people what we have. We have the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Irene says, “many times I don’t have money to help poor sick people, I can only give advice and prayer… but I just take the person to the hospital and sometimes we can find a doctor who can help us or another way becomes clear.” We can’t be paralyzed by our fears of what we don’t have. God asks us to just do what we can with what we have and the rest will come.
The song Silver and Gold (as I remember it)
Peter and John went to pray, they met a poor man on the way. He asked for alms, and held out his palms and this is what Peter did say: Silver and Gold have I none, but such as I have I give thee, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk. He went walking and leaping and praising God, walking and leaping and praising God. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Story of O Kroch Church
by Leng Thy
O Kroch Methodist Church in Sala Visay Commune, Prasat Ballaink District, Kompong Thom Province is about 30 km from the town on the bumpy road to Preah Vihear. The church was established during 1996, with about 12 people, through the evangelism of a staff of World Vision, an international Christian organization that has been working in this area doing community development projects. Under the leadership of a local pastor called Kun Koun, in 2001, the church affiliated with Methodist Mission in Cambodia (MMC).
With the aim of responding to the physical needs of poor local congregations, the church partnered with CHAD program of MMC in 2005 to start a cow raising project by providing support in terms of finance and technical know-how on how to form groups, implement projects, and monitor activities. So far the results have been good, evidenced by the cooperation and willingness of members in working together. The group has started with 12 people and so far is making outstanding progress. The number of cows for instance has increased from 3 at the beginning to 9 at the moment with 3 new calves ready to be passed on to new recipients.
Pastor Kun Koun says that the experience he gained from the cow raising group provides a wider perspective on how to effectively reach out to community people. He said that the faithfulness, encouragement, submission, and support amongst members contributes to accountability and stewardship, resulting in a strong and healthy group. This healthy group environment has attracted new members from the neighborhood. The new members have helped the group to resolve the problem of passing-on the gift by exchanging the male calves for female. The Pastor also mentioned that in the village there are two cow raising groups; one was organized within the church congregation by CHAD program and another one by World Vision for poor people within the community. Amazingly according to him, while both cow raising groups started almost at the same time, the number of cows within the CHAD-church initiated group have multiplied more (3 to 9) than the number of cows (10 to 15) in the group established by World Vision. This significant difference in the outcomes has led villagers to question why the church cow raising project has produced more cows than the community cow raising project. The pastor, who is also the village leader acknowledged that group’s attitude and performance help not only to meet his congregation needs but also give him ways in which he can reach out to more people to understand about God and believe Him.
For example, Mrs. Sok Em, a group member who was not believer when she joined the church cow raising group became a very active member of the church through the day-to-day interaction of working together with Christians in the group. During household visits and group meetings conducted every three months, she encourages other members to take care of their cows and to be good stewards. Another example is Mrs. Peuo Earn who is also a village development committee (VDC) member of their village. She always shares with people during village meetings how church members care and support one another to create a united community. Likewise, the pastor firmly says that in reaching out to the community the acts of mercy carried out by church and group members has shown God’s love and have been more effective than evangelizing. This is proven by the increase in the number of church members from 35 to 42 people last year.
O Kroch Methodist Church in Sala Visay Commune, Prasat Ballaink District, Kompong Thom Province is about 30 km from the town on the bumpy road to Preah Vihear. The church was established during 1996, with about 12 people, through the evangelism of a staff of World Vision, an international Christian organization that has been working in this area doing community development projects. Under the leadership of a local pastor called Kun Koun, in 2001, the church affiliated with Methodist Mission in Cambodia (MMC).
With the aim of responding to the physical needs of poor local congregations, the church partnered with CHAD program of MMC in 2005 to start a cow raising project by providing support in terms of finance and technical know-how on how to form groups, implement projects, and monitor activities. So far the results have been good, evidenced by the cooperation and willingness of members in working together. The group has started with 12 people and so far is making outstanding progress. The number of cows for instance has increased from 3 at the beginning to 9 at the moment with 3 new calves ready to be passed on to new recipients.
Pastor Kun Koun says that the experience he gained from the cow raising group provides a wider perspective on how to effectively reach out to community people. He said that the faithfulness, encouragement, submission, and support amongst members contributes to accountability and stewardship, resulting in a strong and healthy group. This healthy group environment has attracted new members from the neighborhood. The new members have helped the group to resolve the problem of passing-on the gift by exchanging the male calves for female. The Pastor also mentioned that in the village there are two cow raising groups; one was organized within the church congregation by CHAD program and another one by World Vision for poor people within the community. Amazingly according to him, while both cow raising groups started almost at the same time, the number of cows within the CHAD-church initiated group have multiplied more (3 to 9) than the number of cows (10 to 15) in the group established by World Vision. This significant difference in the outcomes has led villagers to question why the church cow raising project has produced more cows than the community cow raising project. The pastor, who is also the village leader acknowledged that group’s attitude and performance help not only to meet his congregation needs but also give him ways in which he can reach out to more people to understand about God and believe Him.
For example, Mrs. Sok Em, a group member who was not believer when she joined the church cow raising group became a very active member of the church through the day-to-day interaction of working together with Christians in the group. During household visits and group meetings conducted every three months, she encourages other members to take care of their cows and to be good stewards. Another example is Mrs. Peuo Earn who is also a village development committee (VDC) member of their village. She always shares with people during village meetings how church members care and support one another to create a united community. Likewise, the pastor firmly says that in reaching out to the community the acts of mercy carried out by church and group members has shown God’s love and have been more effective than evangelizing. This is proven by the increase in the number of church members from 35 to 42 people last year.
Monday, August 11, 2008
An open letter about health to the Vacation Church School children in Bakersfield, CA
From Katherine, a missionary from California to Cambodia, and Irene, a missionary from Zimbabwe to Cambodia,
To our sisters and brothers in Bakersfield who have received a faith as precious as ours through your relationship to our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. We write to you today with the words of the Apostle Peter when we say: God's divine power has given us everything needed for life.
While we have been eagerly preparing to write to you about the faith we share, we have also been busy hosting a Medical Outreach Clinic this week.
We were visited by a team of volunteers from a Methodist church in Singapore who came to Cambodia this week to help us host a Medical Outreach Clinic. It was the first time for the people from Singapore to visit a Cambodian village and so they were shocked by the poor conditions of the people living there. But they were eager to share their skills and gifts with the people, just like you have been eagerly sharing your skills and gifts this week at your local mission site.
Cambodian pastors from two different villages worked with the local government officials to arrange for us to use a medical clinic building that has been all but abandoned because the government has only hired one midwife to serve the medical needs of the villages in a two mile radius. Many people came to help us host a free one-day clinic: one doctor from Singapore, one from the Philippines and two from Cambodia joined together with five Cambodian dentists and a big group of volunteers from Singapore to run a pharmacy. I worked to register people as they came and Irene coordinated the triage nurses and worked with people needing help to get further care in Phnom Penh. Over 320 people were able to visit with a doctor or a dentist!
After they see the doctor or dentist, people go the pharmacy where they receive free medicines. For the children, we also make sure that they get a de-worming pill and vitamins.
The pastors and members of the two churches are eager to help their community to improve its health. This next week they will continue to visit the sick and to teach the poorest people in their community how to continue to get frees health care through the government "equity program." It is a very slow process for the pastors and the people to become comfortable with the system and learn how to get care. Slowly, we hope to help the pastors advocate with the government to hire a full time doctor to work in this clinic.
Irene tells the story of how it took Rev. Bunny almost two years to learn how to advocate for health care for her community. One step before we can organize a free clinic in the province is to request permission from the Provincial Health Department. In 2007 Irene invited DS Rev Bunny to make this request of local government. Bunny replied, "I cannot go there to ask permission; they don't like us (because we are Christian), and they are so difficult. If you want, you (Irene) can go alone." And with Rev. Bunny's kind permission, Irene went alone to the government offices and made all arrangements for the medical clinic, which successfully treated patients in two villages.
Irene has continued to work with Rev. Bunny and pastors from the villages to educate them about how to access government health services. Here is a conversation that Irene and Thy had about the challenges in this work.
Irene: Do you think pastors believe me when I say that the government will provide health services for the poor from their village if they bring them to the provincial hospital?
Thy: No, they never believe you; they think the government will do this for you because you are a foreigner, but they won't do this for a Khmer (Cambodian) person.
Last month, after many training workshops and visits with the pastors, Irene again invited Rev. Bunny to visit the Provincial Health Department. This time Rev. Bunny and her husband Pastor Sokchieng agreed to come.
Later in the day there was a monthly district meeting. Rev. Bunny said, "I have been to the Provincial Health Department this morning and learned that, yes, the government provides free services for poor people and that the church can help poor people understand and show them where to go. We have limited resources as the church, and so, on our own, we cannot help all. We need to help people get what the government is providing."
How powerful it is to walk alongside people and see the changes in attitudes, building relationships and trust so that we can partner to do the best work.
It is so exciting that we get to work together to make a better world. The volunteers from Singapore are helping. Your missionaries from California and Zimbabwe are helping. The people in Cambodia are helping. And you in Bakersfield are helping. We are all working together to build relationships. And, bit by bit, everyone learns about God and grows in their ability to help each other.
To our sisters and brothers in Bakersfield who have received a faith as precious as ours through your relationship to our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. We write to you today with the words of the Apostle Peter when we say: God's divine power has given us everything needed for life.
While we have been eagerly preparing to write to you about the faith we share, we have also been busy hosting a Medical Outreach Clinic this week.
We were visited by a team of volunteers from a Methodist church in Singapore who came to Cambodia this week to help us host a Medical Outreach Clinic. It was the first time for the people from Singapore to visit a Cambodian village and so they were shocked by the poor conditions of the people living there. But they were eager to share their skills and gifts with the people, just like you have been eagerly sharing your skills and gifts this week at your local mission site.
Cambodian pastors from two different villages worked with the local government officials to arrange for us to use a medical clinic building that has been all but abandoned because the government has only hired one midwife to serve the medical needs of the villages in a two mile radius. Many people came to help us host a free one-day clinic: one doctor from Singapore, one from the Philippines and two from Cambodia joined together with five Cambodian dentists and a big group of volunteers from Singapore to run a pharmacy. I worked to register people as they came and Irene coordinated the triage nurses and worked with people needing help to get further care in Phnom Penh. Over 320 people were able to visit with a doctor or a dentist!
After they see the doctor or dentist, people go the pharmacy where they receive free medicines. For the children, we also make sure that they get a de-worming pill and vitamins.
The pastors and members of the two churches are eager to help their community to improve its health. This next week they will continue to visit the sick and to teach the poorest people in their community how to continue to get frees health care through the government "equity program." It is a very slow process for the pastors and the people to become comfortable with the system and learn how to get care. Slowly, we hope to help the pastors advocate with the government to hire a full time doctor to work in this clinic.
Irene tells the story of how it took Rev. Bunny almost two years to learn how to advocate for health care for her community. One step before we can organize a free clinic in the province is to request permission from the Provincial Health Department. In 2007 Irene invited DS Rev Bunny to make this request of local government. Bunny replied, "I cannot go there to ask permission; they don't like us (because we are Christian), and they are so difficult. If you want, you (Irene) can go alone." And with Rev. Bunny's kind permission, Irene went alone to the government offices and made all arrangements for the medical clinic, which successfully treated patients in two villages.
Irene has continued to work with Rev. Bunny and pastors from the villages to educate them about how to access government health services. Here is a conversation that Irene and Thy had about the challenges in this work.
Irene: Do you think pastors believe me when I say that the government will provide health services for the poor from their village if they bring them to the provincial hospital?
Thy: No, they never believe you; they think the government will do this for you because you are a foreigner, but they won't do this for a Khmer (Cambodian) person.
Last month, after many training workshops and visits with the pastors, Irene again invited Rev. Bunny to visit the Provincial Health Department. This time Rev. Bunny and her husband Pastor Sokchieng agreed to come.
Later in the day there was a monthly district meeting. Rev. Bunny said, "I have been to the Provincial Health Department this morning and learned that, yes, the government provides free services for poor people and that the church can help poor people understand and show them where to go. We have limited resources as the church, and so, on our own, we cannot help all. We need to help people get what the government is providing."
How powerful it is to walk alongside people and see the changes in attitudes, building relationships and trust so that we can partner to do the best work.
It is so exciting that we get to work together to make a better world. The volunteers from Singapore are helping. Your missionaries from California and Zimbabwe are helping. The people in Cambodia are helping. And you in Bakersfield are helping. We are all working together to build relationships. And, bit by bit, everyone learns about God and grows in their ability to help each other.
An open letter about cows to the Vacation Church School children in Bakersfield, CA
From Katherine, a missionary from California to Cambodia, and Thy our brother in Christ Jesus here in Cambodia,
To the church in Bakersfield: Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We write to you again with the words of the apostle Paul when we say that we give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters. And this is right to do, because we know that during this time together of Vacation Church Camp your faith is growing and the love of each one of you for one another is increasing.
Mr. Thy and I heard that you will be visiting a farm in Bakersfield this week. You will get to see how we grow food to eat in the United States. What did you eat for breakfast this morning? We had rice noodle soup. What will you eat for lunch? How about dinner? We will have rice with some stir-fry vegetables and fish, the same as other people living here in Cambodia. In Bakersfield, most people probably eat cereal and bread and pasta, but in Cambodia we eat rice – LOTS of rice. So, the farmers have to grow the rice. About 85% of the people living in Cambodia are farmers.
When you visit a farm in Bakersfield, you will probably get to see a tractor. Tractors are very helpful for farmers. But, a tractor is very expensive (you can ask how much one costs). Most farmers in Cambodia cannot afford to buy a tractor. Actually, I have only seen one tractor since I came here. So, how can farmers prepare their land to plant rice? They use two cows to pull a plow! But even a cow is expensive. One local cow costs about $400, and most people in Cambodia earn less than $2 a day, so it can take a lot of time to save the money needed to buy a cow. But, even if you get one cow it is not enough, you need to have two cows to pull your plow. What can you do?
One of the activities of the church in Cambodia is to start a "cow raising group" in their local village. The community members form a group to help each other raise a cow. They choose one group member to be the caretaker of the cow. The CHAD project sometimes helps by giving the group a gift-loan to buy a cow or two. Then, the group can share with their neighbors and everyone can plow their field and do other farm chores. When a baby calf if born, they choose a new member to be the caretaker of the cow. After the caretaker has passed on two baby calves to other members of the group, the cow becomes the property of the caretaker. We call this "passing-on-the-gift." One church in Cambodia told me they now have eight cows that their members share with each other!
Mr. Thy is one of the Cambodian staff members in my office. Here is a story that he told me about one cow raising group.
Living in Atsue village, Sombor Commune, Prasth Sombor District, Kompong Thom Province, Mrs. Morm Khy, a 55-year-old widow is dreaming to own a cow one day to help her family farm the small plot of land that was left in her possession after a divorce in 1995. The divorce left her only with 1000 square meters of rice land and three young children. Since then, she became the breadwinner of the family and all the heavy burden of caring for her children fell on her. To supplement the 72 kg of rice she harvested from her very small plot of land, Morm Khy has to work as farm laborer where she earns a meager wage of 5000 reils or $1.25 per day.
One year later, in 1996 her hope was restored when she joined a Christian community in her village. That group of people provides her a lot of support, even inviting her to be a member of the cow raising group project. Being one of the poorest families in the group, Morm Khy was chosen to be one of the first recipients of the cow gift-loan from CHAD.
She said that since owning a cow her situation has changed significantly. First and foremost, she benefits from building a good relationship with her neighbors who help her feel that she is not alone and who stand by her side during times of troubles and difficulties. For Morm Khy, owning a cow means she only needs to borrow one cow from her neighbor in order plow her field and transport firewood from the forest to her house. In the same way, she told that owning a cow also gives her the ability and opportunity to help her neighbors by letting them borrow her cow. According to her, she saves 30,000 riels for transporting firewood and about 1,500 riels/day for vegetables she harvests from her garden that has been fertilized by manure from her cow.
Another benefit she mentioned from owning a cow is it affords her to be more productive and to keep busy at home. For instance, with cow manure she started doing compost, cleaning the area surrounding her house, and growing a vegetable garden--watering, cultivating the soil, and fertilizing it. According to her, these activities help her overcome her boredom and also help her to be industrious. She said, "These benefits have also enabled me 'til now to keep sending my 18-year-old youngest son to school." With her smile, she expresses her joy even though she is working hard. Morm Khy said that she would like to say thank you for all the support from her church and the cow raising group that chose her to be one of the first to receive the cow gift-loan from CHAD.
To the church in Bakersfield: Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We write to you again with the words of the apostle Paul when we say that we give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters. And this is right to do, because we know that during this time together of Vacation Church Camp your faith is growing and the love of each one of you for one another is increasing.
Mr. Thy and I heard that you will be visiting a farm in Bakersfield this week. You will get to see how we grow food to eat in the United States. What did you eat for breakfast this morning? We had rice noodle soup. What will you eat for lunch? How about dinner? We will have rice with some stir-fry vegetables and fish, the same as other people living here in Cambodia. In Bakersfield, most people probably eat cereal and bread and pasta, but in Cambodia we eat rice – LOTS of rice. So, the farmers have to grow the rice. About 85% of the people living in Cambodia are farmers.
When you visit a farm in Bakersfield, you will probably get to see a tractor. Tractors are very helpful for farmers. But, a tractor is very expensive (you can ask how much one costs). Most farmers in Cambodia cannot afford to buy a tractor. Actually, I have only seen one tractor since I came here. So, how can farmers prepare their land to plant rice? They use two cows to pull a plow! But even a cow is expensive. One local cow costs about $400, and most people in Cambodia earn less than $2 a day, so it can take a lot of time to save the money needed to buy a cow. But, even if you get one cow it is not enough, you need to have two cows to pull your plow. What can you do?
One of the activities of the church in Cambodia is to start a "cow raising group" in their local village. The community members form a group to help each other raise a cow. They choose one group member to be the caretaker of the cow. The CHAD project sometimes helps by giving the group a gift-loan to buy a cow or two. Then, the group can share with their neighbors and everyone can plow their field and do other farm chores. When a baby calf if born, they choose a new member to be the caretaker of the cow. After the caretaker has passed on two baby calves to other members of the group, the cow becomes the property of the caretaker. We call this "passing-on-the-gift." One church in Cambodia told me they now have eight cows that their members share with each other!
Mr. Thy is one of the Cambodian staff members in my office. Here is a story that he told me about one cow raising group.
Living in Atsue village, Sombor Commune, Prasth Sombor District, Kompong Thom Province, Mrs. Morm Khy, a 55-year-old widow is dreaming to own a cow one day to help her family farm the small plot of land that was left in her possession after a divorce in 1995. The divorce left her only with 1000 square meters of rice land and three young children. Since then, she became the breadwinner of the family and all the heavy burden of caring for her children fell on her. To supplement the 72 kg of rice she harvested from her very small plot of land, Morm Khy has to work as farm laborer where she earns a meager wage of 5000 reils or $1.25 per day.
One year later, in 1996 her hope was restored when she joined a Christian community in her village. That group of people provides her a lot of support, even inviting her to be a member of the cow raising group project. Being one of the poorest families in the group, Morm Khy was chosen to be one of the first recipients of the cow gift-loan from CHAD.
She said that since owning a cow her situation has changed significantly. First and foremost, she benefits from building a good relationship with her neighbors who help her feel that she is not alone and who stand by her side during times of troubles and difficulties. For Morm Khy, owning a cow means she only needs to borrow one cow from her neighbor in order plow her field and transport firewood from the forest to her house. In the same way, she told that owning a cow also gives her the ability and opportunity to help her neighbors by letting them borrow her cow. According to her, she saves 30,000 riels for transporting firewood and about 1,500 riels/day for vegetables she harvests from her garden that has been fertilized by manure from her cow.
Another benefit she mentioned from owning a cow is it affords her to be more productive and to keep busy at home. For instance, with cow manure she started doing compost, cleaning the area surrounding her house, and growing a vegetable garden--watering, cultivating the soil, and fertilizing it. According to her, these activities help her overcome her boredom and also help her to be industrious. She said, "These benefits have also enabled me 'til now to keep sending my 18-year-old youngest son to school." With her smile, she expresses her joy even though she is working hard. Morm Khy said that she would like to say thank you for all the support from her church and the cow raising group that chose her to be one of the first to receive the cow gift-loan from CHAD.
An open letter about water to the Vacation Church School children in Bakersfield, CA
From Katherine Parker, United Methodist Missionary who has been sent from California to Phnom Penh in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia in Southeast Asia.
To the community of God that is in Bakersfield, to the children and youth and adults who gather this week for study and prayer and work and celebration, together with people from around the world who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and Jesus the Christ.
I want to say hi to you with this formal greeting in the style of St. Paul's letters to the churches throughout the Mediterranean, to remind us that the church has always been more than a group of people in our own town with which we get together on Sunday. Rather, it is a community of people around the world who believe that we are called to love God and to love our neighbor. And, whether we see each other every day or every few years or we never get to meet, we are still a family, a community that supports each other to be the best that we can be.
I grew up in a town in California very similar to yours, participated in Vacation Church School in the summer like you, and then went to college to study biology. Now I live in Cambodia where I work as a missionary for our church.
And, one of my jobs now is to teach both children and adults about clean water.
Do you know what bacteria are? This is part of what I teach in Cambodia. Bacteria are very, very, VERY small creatures. Some bacteria can live in the water; and some bacteria can make us sick if they are in the water we drink. But we can't easily see bacteria because they are so small! So, how do we know if water has harmful bacteria in it?
In America, we have scientists who help us. They test the water, and if there are any bacteria in it, they kill them, and send us fresh, clean water through the pipes into our homes. But this is not the case everywhere; most people in Cambodia don't have water that comes into their homes through a pipe.
Right now, it is the rainy season in Cambodia. Every other day in the afternoon, the wind starts to blow and the clouds creep in and we have a fantastic rain storm with thunder and lightning. Many people here in the countryside have roofs made of leaves. They try hard to save their money to buy a metal roof. A metal roof makes a lot of noise when the rain comes and it is hot in the sun, but if your roof is metal rather than made of leaves, you can collect the water that comes off the top into a jar! If you keep the jar clean, this is very good water to drink.
How do you stay clean and prevent the spread of diseases? One part that is very important is to wash your hands, especially after you go to the bathroom or play with an animal. One of the games we play is about how to wash your hands. We practice washing our hands for 20 seconds to kill all of the bacteria. One way for the children to learn how long they need to wash their hands is to learn a song they can can sing while washing. But, let's get back to the water.
In the dry season, it doesn't rain for weeks and weeks, so then you want to have a well where you can get water to drink and to wash. Most wells are "open"; this is not so good, because then leaves and dead frogs and other things can get into the well and then more bacteria that can make you sick also get in. Some wells have a cover on them; this is much better, but sometimes the bacteria can still get in . Just like in America, if we know that the bacteria are in the water, then we can treat the water to kill the bacteria.
One way we kill the bacteria is by boiling the water. But, families in rural Cambodia don't have a nice gas stove or electric tea kettle; they have to collect wood to heat the water. Whose job do you think it is to collect the wood? The kids! Can you imagine if you had to go outside and look for wood for an hour everyday before you went to play with your friends? Not much fun. So, it is good to know which water has bacteria and which water doesn't.
I work with people here in Cambodia to test all of the water sources that they have. We test the rain water in the jars, the deep well water, the shallow well water, the pond water, the water in the rice fields and the water that people filter or boil. Then we can count the bacteria from the different sources. Here are some pictures of the water we tested. Can you tell which is best to drink?
There are many people in Cambodia who are teaching about clean water. What we are doing is important for two reasons. First, it helps people to see, often for the first time, that there are actually bacteria in water that looks clear and beautiful. Second, it gives people here a tool so that they can monitor their water supply the same way that scientists in America monitor our water supply. This way, if the community knows that its water is clean, then the children can spend their time going to school and playing with their friends, rather than collecting fire-wood.
And you are part of this too. Every time you drink a glass of clean water from your kitchen sink you can remember how wonderful it is to have good water come right into your house. We know that it will be great when everyone in the world has clean water just like we do, but how is that going to happen? It will happen because we learn together and work together. And that is what the church is. We are a group of people who support each other all over the world to work together to help our neighbors. You help your next-door-neighbors right there in Bakersfield and you help your neighbors in Cambodia to have clean water through your prayers and learning and gifts.
I am strengthened each day with the knowledge of your faith and the ways you show caring compassion to each other and to your neighbors.
To the community of God that is in Bakersfield, to the children and youth and adults who gather this week for study and prayer and work and celebration, together with people from around the world who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and Jesus the Christ.
I want to say hi to you with this formal greeting in the style of St. Paul's letters to the churches throughout the Mediterranean, to remind us that the church has always been more than a group of people in our own town with which we get together on Sunday. Rather, it is a community of people around the world who believe that we are called to love God and to love our neighbor. And, whether we see each other every day or every few years or we never get to meet, we are still a family, a community that supports each other to be the best that we can be.
I grew up in a town in California very similar to yours, participated in Vacation Church School in the summer like you, and then went to college to study biology. Now I live in Cambodia where I work as a missionary for our church.
And, one of my jobs now is to teach both children and adults about clean water.
Do you know what bacteria are? This is part of what I teach in Cambodia. Bacteria are very, very, VERY small creatures. Some bacteria can live in the water; and some bacteria can make us sick if they are in the water we drink. But we can't easily see bacteria because they are so small! So, how do we know if water has harmful bacteria in it?
In America, we have scientists who help us. They test the water, and if there are any bacteria in it, they kill them, and send us fresh, clean water through the pipes into our homes. But this is not the case everywhere; most people in Cambodia don't have water that comes into their homes through a pipe.
Right now, it is the rainy season in Cambodia. Every other day in the afternoon, the wind starts to blow and the clouds creep in and we have a fantastic rain storm with thunder and lightning. Many people here in the countryside have roofs made of leaves. They try hard to save their money to buy a metal roof. A metal roof makes a lot of noise when the rain comes and it is hot in the sun, but if your roof is metal rather than made of leaves, you can collect the water that comes off the top into a jar! If you keep the jar clean, this is very good water to drink.
How do you stay clean and prevent the spread of diseases? One part that is very important is to wash your hands, especially after you go to the bathroom or play with an animal. One of the games we play is about how to wash your hands. We practice washing our hands for 20 seconds to kill all of the bacteria. One way for the children to learn how long they need to wash their hands is to learn a song they can can sing while washing. But, let's get back to the water.
In the dry season, it doesn't rain for weeks and weeks, so then you want to have a well where you can get water to drink and to wash. Most wells are "open"; this is not so good, because then leaves and dead frogs and other things can get into the well and then more bacteria that can make you sick also get in. Some wells have a cover on them; this is much better, but sometimes the bacteria can still get in . Just like in America, if we know that the bacteria are in the water, then we can treat the water to kill the bacteria.
One way we kill the bacteria is by boiling the water. But, families in rural Cambodia don't have a nice gas stove or electric tea kettle; they have to collect wood to heat the water. Whose job do you think it is to collect the wood? The kids! Can you imagine if you had to go outside and look for wood for an hour everyday before you went to play with your friends? Not much fun. So, it is good to know which water has bacteria and which water doesn't.
I work with people here in Cambodia to test all of the water sources that they have. We test the rain water in the jars, the deep well water, the shallow well water, the pond water, the water in the rice fields and the water that people filter or boil. Then we can count the bacteria from the different sources. Here are some pictures of the water we tested. Can you tell which is best to drink?
There are many people in Cambodia who are teaching about clean water. What we are doing is important for two reasons. First, it helps people to see, often for the first time, that there are actually bacteria in water that looks clear and beautiful. Second, it gives people here a tool so that they can monitor their water supply the same way that scientists in America monitor our water supply. This way, if the community knows that its water is clean, then the children can spend their time going to school and playing with their friends, rather than collecting fire-wood.
And you are part of this too. Every time you drink a glass of clean water from your kitchen sink you can remember how wonderful it is to have good water come right into your house. We know that it will be great when everyone in the world has clean water just like we do, but how is that going to happen? It will happen because we learn together and work together. And that is what the church is. We are a group of people who support each other all over the world to work together to help our neighbors. You help your next-door-neighbors right there in Bakersfield and you help your neighbors in Cambodia to have clean water through your prayers and learning and gifts.
I am strengthened each day with the knowledge of your faith and the ways you show caring compassion to each other and to your neighbors.
Friday, April 18, 2008
An open letter to the Louisiana UMVIM Medical Team
by Irene Mparutsa
I just want to write to tell you about the wonderful things that are developing out of the work that the team did in February. Never could I have imagined that so much fruit could have come out of just that one week.
Maybe you remember there were several women with prolapses who had been referred for prolapse repairs. Four of them sixty years old and over, all from the same village and from Mission Church went together to the hospital, had their surgeries, recovered nicely and were sent home.
Pastor Prak Vuthy reports that there were 4 men who came the following Sunday to church and gave their lives to Christ. One of them brought all his talisman and asked Pastor to burn them; he wanted to put his trust in God.
There were 8 goiters who were operated on at the provincial hospital, including one man with a very large one on his whole neck. I imagined that he would be sent to Phnom Penh. It is just impressive how much capacity is developing in the province. There was, sadly, a tragedy that occurred when one of the women with a goiter who had gone for an operation as well, arrived home, getting off her moto and paying her fare, she was struck by a car and was killed instantly She was one I remember that Dorian saw. There still remains more hospital referrals to follow up at Chrolow Kok church.
We have been to the provincial offices thrice to continue to build dialogue and relationships. Rev Song, the MMC Superintendent and Kampong Chhnang DS and more than 10 pastors from the district joined in a presentation ceremony of the "gift" medicaments you left for the Provincial Hospital. The visit gave us the opportunity to introduce these pastors to the hospital management, a first step in helping them to begin expanding their ministries into health care advocacy. One of the pastors in the group had a chronic eye problem, so we were able to take her to the ophthalmologist and show her what to do. All the pastors in Kompong Chhnang District were grateful recipients of the basic medicines you left.
This past Tuesday, we were invited by the Provincial Health Director, to the Monthly Technical Group meeting. We were able to share about our work and learn about the work of the other health related NGOs in the province. Because of your work, we were held in high esteem. It was a very special reception and it was gratifying to think about how our ministry can be strengthened. We have shared with the province your plans to return next year and there is great anticipation about it.
Regarding the medicines that were left over, MMS (Methodist Mission Singapore) has agreed to store meds in their dispensary, so that Singapore teams can use and reimburse as they use. We will keep that money for you to use next year.
We give thanks for the new relationships that are growing between the local congregations and the community and between MMC and government health services. There was something very special about the spirit that the Louisiana team brought that God is using to get people to work together.
Looking forward to your continued participation in bringing care to the people of Cambodia.
I just want to write to tell you about the wonderful things that are developing out of the work that the team did in February. Never could I have imagined that so much fruit could have come out of just that one week.
Maybe you remember there were several women with prolapses who had been referred for prolapse repairs. Four of them sixty years old and over, all from the same village and from Mission Church went together to the hospital, had their surgeries, recovered nicely and were sent home.
Pastor Prak Vuthy reports that there were 4 men who came the following Sunday to church and gave their lives to Christ. One of them brought all his talisman and asked Pastor to burn them; he wanted to put his trust in God.
There were 8 goiters who were operated on at the provincial hospital, including one man with a very large one on his whole neck. I imagined that he would be sent to Phnom Penh. It is just impressive how much capacity is developing in the province. There was, sadly, a tragedy that occurred when one of the women with a goiter who had gone for an operation as well, arrived home, getting off her moto and paying her fare, she was struck by a car and was killed instantly She was one I remember that Dorian saw. There still remains more hospital referrals to follow up at Chrolow Kok church.
We have been to the provincial offices thrice to continue to build dialogue and relationships. Rev Song, the MMC Superintendent and Kampong Chhnang DS and more than 10 pastors from the district joined in a presentation ceremony of the "gift" medicaments you left for the Provincial Hospital. The visit gave us the opportunity to introduce these pastors to the hospital management, a first step in helping them to begin expanding their ministries into health care advocacy. One of the pastors in the group had a chronic eye problem, so we were able to take her to the ophthalmologist and show her what to do. All the pastors in Kompong Chhnang District were grateful recipients of the basic medicines you left.
This past Tuesday, we were invited by the Provincial Health Director, to the Monthly Technical Group meeting. We were able to share about our work and learn about the work of the other health related NGOs in the province. Because of your work, we were held in high esteem. It was a very special reception and it was gratifying to think about how our ministry can be strengthened. We have shared with the province your plans to return next year and there is great anticipation about it.
Regarding the medicines that were left over, MMS (Methodist Mission Singapore) has agreed to store meds in their dispensary, so that Singapore teams can use and reimburse as they use. We will keep that money for you to use next year.
We give thanks for the new relationships that are growing between the local congregations and the community and between MMC and government health services. There was something very special about the spirit that the Louisiana team brought that God is using to get people to work together.
Looking forward to your continued participation in bringing care to the people of Cambodia.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Binn Im's ministry
by Katherine Parker
Binn Im is the assistant pastor at Prekedai Methodist Church in a village about an hour down some dirt roads outside the provincial city of Batambong in Cambodia. Binn Im's story begins several years back when she received a gift-loan of a pig to raise through her participation in the Women's Association of the United Methodist Mission Initiative in Cambodia. She struggled to care for the pig and overcame several obstacles, including the death of her second litter and slow weight gain, to pass on piglets to another woman in her community.
It was during this time that Binn Im was responding to the call to ministry in her life. She applied and was accepted to study at the Methodist Bible School in Phnom Penh, where her son was also a student. Last year she graduated and was appointed as assistant pastor to her current rural congregation.
Four months ago, Binn Im welcomed a medical mission team to her church through the UMVIM (United Methodist Volunteers in Mission) partnership with CHAD (Community Health and Agricultural Development). The medical mission was a success and many people in her village received care. Binn Im has been working since then to ensure that those who need follow-up care are able to make the difficult journey into the provincial hospital at Batambong or all the way to Phnom Penh and serving as a patient advocate for them.
In the meantime, Binn Im has also continued her own discipleship training by attending workshops with the CHAD partner organization "Cheas Ponleau" (Bright Light). At Cheas Ponleau she was introduced to the concept of a seed-project. This is an approach to development where pastors are encourage to facilitate a group project using local resources.
Binn Im recognized the suffering of people in her community during the rainy season when there is insufficient rice to eat and local merchants charge 100% interest for a short-term loan of rice. She had a vision to start a rice-bank on the church property. With the approval of her District Superintendent Rev. Treung Bunny, Binn Im worked with a group of 15 families in her community to construct a barn to store the rice on the church property.
One church member traveled to the mountainside for 2 day to cut the trees for the frame. Other families donated nails and bamboo slats as they were able. And all of the families worked together to weave the thatch pieces to create the roof and walls. In two weeks the community had together build a small barn to store rice, something none of them had the resources to accomplish alone.
Through several visits, CHAD staff continued to support Binn Im by facilitating community discussions about how to write by-laws to govern a rice-bank. The community discussed many potential pitfalls, and because of their experience working together to build the rice-barn, they had the confidence to devise solutions to foreseen challenges and commit to continue working together regularly to avoid those future un-foreseen challenges. Yesterday, CHAD also provided a gift-loan to enable the community to purchase the initial rice to start the bank.
Binn Im knows that this is not the end of the story; the rice-bank is not only a means to address poverty-alleviation for the current 15 families who form the rice-bank group, but also an exercise in discipleship. She is continuing to nurture the community, so that as their faith and the rice in the bank grows that new members can join and eventually (in three-four years) they we be able to split and establish a new rice bank for more neighbors.
We love because God first loved us. Through your generous gifts, Binn Im was mentored into her role as a pastor and has been able to begin her vision of a rice-bank in her community. And through your continued prayers, Binn Im and her community will grow in their faith and learn the joy of giving. CHAD staff will continue to walk this path with Binn Im and her congregation, starting with a workshop on water and hygiene in two months time and continuing as the community identifies needs and areas for partnership. We hope you will continue to walk with us too.
Binn Im is the assistant pastor at Prekedai Methodist Church in a village about an hour down some dirt roads outside the provincial city of Batambong in Cambodia. Binn Im's story begins several years back when she received a gift-loan of a pig to raise through her participation in the Women's Association of the United Methodist Mission Initiative in Cambodia. She struggled to care for the pig and overcame several obstacles, including the death of her second litter and slow weight gain, to pass on piglets to another woman in her community.
It was during this time that Binn Im was responding to the call to ministry in her life. She applied and was accepted to study at the Methodist Bible School in Phnom Penh, where her son was also a student. Last year she graduated and was appointed as assistant pastor to her current rural congregation.
Four months ago, Binn Im welcomed a medical mission team to her church through the UMVIM (United Methodist Volunteers in Mission) partnership with CHAD (Community Health and Agricultural Development). The medical mission was a success and many people in her village received care. Binn Im has been working since then to ensure that those who need follow-up care are able to make the difficult journey into the provincial hospital at Batambong or all the way to Phnom Penh and serving as a patient advocate for them.
In the meantime, Binn Im has also continued her own discipleship training by attending workshops with the CHAD partner organization "Cheas Ponleau" (Bright Light). At Cheas Ponleau she was introduced to the concept of a seed-project. This is an approach to development where pastors are encourage to facilitate a group project using local resources.
Binn Im recognized the suffering of people in her community during the rainy season when there is insufficient rice to eat and local merchants charge 100% interest for a short-term loan of rice. She had a vision to start a rice-bank on the church property. With the approval of her District Superintendent Rev. Treung Bunny, Binn Im worked with a group of 15 families in her community to construct a barn to store the rice on the church property.
One church member traveled to the mountainside for 2 day to cut the trees for the frame. Other families donated nails and bamboo slats as they were able. And all of the families worked together to weave the thatch pieces to create the roof and walls. In two weeks the community had together build a small barn to store rice, something none of them had the resources to accomplish alone.
Through several visits, CHAD staff continued to support Binn Im by facilitating community discussions about how to write by-laws to govern a rice-bank. The community discussed many potential pitfalls, and because of their experience working together to build the rice-barn, they had the confidence to devise solutions to foreseen challenges and commit to continue working together regularly to avoid those future un-foreseen challenges. Yesterday, CHAD also provided a gift-loan to enable the community to purchase the initial rice to start the bank.
Binn Im knows that this is not the end of the story; the rice-bank is not only a means to address poverty-alleviation for the current 15 families who form the rice-bank group, but also an exercise in discipleship. She is continuing to nurture the community, so that as their faith and the rice in the bank grows that new members can join and eventually (in three-four years) they we be able to split and establish a new rice bank for more neighbors.
We love because God first loved us. Through your generous gifts, Binn Im was mentored into her role as a pastor and has been able to begin her vision of a rice-bank in her community. And through your continued prayers, Binn Im and her community will grow in their faith and learn the joy of giving. CHAD staff will continue to walk this path with Binn Im and her congregation, starting with a workshop on water and hygiene in two months time and continuing as the community identifies needs and areas for partnership. We hope you will continue to walk with us too.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Cow project in Atsue village
by Leng Thy
Living in Atsue village, Sombor Commune, Prasth Sombor District, Kompong Thom Province, Mrs. Morm Khy, a 55-year-old- widow is dreaming to own a cow one day to help her family farm the small plot of land that was left in her possession after a divorce in 1995. The divorce left her only with 1000 square meters of rice land and three young children. Since then, she became the breadwinner of the family and all the heavy burden of caring her children fell on her. To supplement the 72 kg of rice she harvested from her very small plot of land, Morm Khy has to work as farm laborer where she earns a meager wage of 5000 reils or $1.25 per day.
One year later, in 1996 her hope was restored as she joins a Christian community in her village. That group of people provides her a lot of support, even inviting her to be a member of the cow raising group project. Being one of the poorest families in the group, Morn Khy was chosen to be the one of first recipients of the cow gift loan from CHAD. She said that since owning a cow her situation has changed significantly. First and foremost, she benefits from building a good relationship with her neighbors who help her feel that she is not alone and who stood by her side during times of troubles and difficulties. For Morn Khy, owning a cow means she only needs to borrow one cow from her neighbor in order plow her field and transport firewood from the forest to her house. In the same way, she told that owning a cow also gives her the ability and opportunity to help her neighbors by letting them borrow her cow. According to her, she saves 30,000 riels for transporting firewood and about 1,500 riels/day for vegetables she harvest from her garden that has been fertilized by manure from her cow.
Another benefit she mentioned from owning a cow is it affords her to be more productive or keep her busy at home. For instance, with cow manure she started doing compost, clean area surrounding her house, do vegetable gardening--watering, cultivating the soil, and fertilizing it. According to her these works help her overcome her boredom, and also make her to become industrious. She said, “these benefits also enable me to send my 18-year-old youngest son in school till now.” With her smile, she expresses her joy even though she is working hard, Morm Khy said that she would like to say thank you for all the support from my church and the cow raising group that chose me to be first person to receive the cow gift loan from CHAD.
Living in Atsue village, Sombor Commune, Prasth Sombor District, Kompong Thom Province, Mrs. Morm Khy, a 55-year-old- widow is dreaming to own a cow one day to help her family farm the small plot of land that was left in her possession after a divorce in 1995. The divorce left her only with 1000 square meters of rice land and three young children. Since then, she became the breadwinner of the family and all the heavy burden of caring her children fell on her. To supplement the 72 kg of rice she harvested from her very small plot of land, Morm Khy has to work as farm laborer where she earns a meager wage of 5000 reils or $1.25 per day.
One year later, in 1996 her hope was restored as she joins a Christian community in her village. That group of people provides her a lot of support, even inviting her to be a member of the cow raising group project. Being one of the poorest families in the group, Morn Khy was chosen to be the one of first recipients of the cow gift loan from CHAD. She said that since owning a cow her situation has changed significantly. First and foremost, she benefits from building a good relationship with her neighbors who help her feel that she is not alone and who stood by her side during times of troubles and difficulties. For Morn Khy, owning a cow means she only needs to borrow one cow from her neighbor in order plow her field and transport firewood from the forest to her house. In the same way, she told that owning a cow also gives her the ability and opportunity to help her neighbors by letting them borrow her cow. According to her, she saves 30,000 riels for transporting firewood and about 1,500 riels/day for vegetables she harvest from her garden that has been fertilized by manure from her cow.
Another benefit she mentioned from owning a cow is it affords her to be more productive or keep her busy at home. For instance, with cow manure she started doing compost, clean area surrounding her house, do vegetable gardening--watering, cultivating the soil, and fertilizing it. According to her these works help her overcome her boredom, and also make her to become industrious. She said, “these benefits also enable me to send my 18-year-old youngest son in school till now.” With her smile, she expresses her joy even though she is working hard, Morm Khy said that she would like to say thank you for all the support from my church and the cow raising group that chose me to be first person to receive the cow gift loan from CHAD.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Why we form rice banks
by Katherine Parker
Cambodia is a country still visibly struggling to rebuild community trust, stability and self-sustenance after many years of civil war and foreign occupation. A significant job for the Community Health & Agriculture Development (CHAD) program is to share about the concept of stewardship and why we, as Christians, need to nurture, sustain and expand the resources that have been entrusted to us so that we can share with others. Cambodian staff person for CHAD, Mr. Thy, talks about a time when Cambodia was rich because people worked together, but now because of mistrust people are locked into poverty. It is from this starting place that CHAD works with church and community groups to start development projects. We ask the community to identify what needs it has and then what resources it has to begin addressing those needs. CHAD works together with the community to provide a gift-loan. It is called a gift-loan because the individual who is entrusted with the initial portion of money or, say, an animal is expected to return that to the group so that the gift-loan can be re-invested in the community, rather than being paid back to the donor.
CHAD began working with a community in Swaian village in Batanmbong province starting in 2005 to establish a cow-raising group. When we visited this week (March 2008), we met a five day old calf, the second to be born to this cow! This church community has worked well together for cow-raising and so we were excited to celebrate the beginning of a rice bank with 10 families.
The economics of rural Cambodia is that the primary source of income for farmers is selling their rice, which is usually harvested in December. Some of the rice is sold immediately after harvest, and some is kept to feed the family throughout the year. However, if the family needs money (such as for medical expenses or a wedding) they will sell their stored rice. For this reason, there is a lot of hunger in the months of October through December before the new crop is harvested. The local merchants charge 100% interest on loans of rice taken at this time.
Unfortunately, no one family has the money to build a structure to store rice. In the Swaian community, the families had all contributed money to purchase the supplies for building a communal storage house for rice (about $5 per family). We observed the cement pillars that had been erected for the storage building and the palm trees selected to be cut down for further construction materials. Unfortunately, the community member who is skilled at planking palm trees has been sick with a fever and so the rice store is not completed. The community hopes he will recover soon and the families can finish building the structure in the next week.
CHAD provided the $750 in capital to purchase the initial store of rice. The group has established its bylaws and policies for loaning out the rice (at 30% interest, about 1/3 the rate offered by local merchants). The group hopes that in three to four years it will have doubled its rice and can use this to start a new rice bank in the neighboring village. I was excited to listen to the families talk about how they hoped to use this rice bank to reach out in ministry to their community. They were realistic about the challenges and were committed to continue working together, expanding upon their initial success with the cow-raising group and building the rice storage house.
Cambodia is a country still visibly struggling to rebuild community trust, stability and self-sustenance after many years of civil war and foreign occupation. A significant job for the Community Health & Agriculture Development (CHAD) program is to share about the concept of stewardship and why we, as Christians, need to nurture, sustain and expand the resources that have been entrusted to us so that we can share with others. Cambodian staff person for CHAD, Mr. Thy, talks about a time when Cambodia was rich because people worked together, but now because of mistrust people are locked into poverty. It is from this starting place that CHAD works with church and community groups to start development projects. We ask the community to identify what needs it has and then what resources it has to begin addressing those needs. CHAD works together with the community to provide a gift-loan. It is called a gift-loan because the individual who is entrusted with the initial portion of money or, say, an animal is expected to return that to the group so that the gift-loan can be re-invested in the community, rather than being paid back to the donor.
CHAD began working with a community in Swaian village in Batanmbong province starting in 2005 to establish a cow-raising group. When we visited this week (March 2008), we met a five day old calf, the second to be born to this cow! This church community has worked well together for cow-raising and so we were excited to celebrate the beginning of a rice bank with 10 families.
The economics of rural Cambodia is that the primary source of income for farmers is selling their rice, which is usually harvested in December. Some of the rice is sold immediately after harvest, and some is kept to feed the family throughout the year. However, if the family needs money (such as for medical expenses or a wedding) they will sell their stored rice. For this reason, there is a lot of hunger in the months of October through December before the new crop is harvested. The local merchants charge 100% interest on loans of rice taken at this time.
Unfortunately, no one family has the money to build a structure to store rice. In the Swaian community, the families had all contributed money to purchase the supplies for building a communal storage house for rice (about $5 per family). We observed the cement pillars that had been erected for the storage building and the palm trees selected to be cut down for further construction materials. Unfortunately, the community member who is skilled at planking palm trees has been sick with a fever and so the rice store is not completed. The community hopes he will recover soon and the families can finish building the structure in the next week.
CHAD provided the $750 in capital to purchase the initial store of rice. The group has established its bylaws and policies for loaning out the rice (at 30% interest, about 1/3 the rate offered by local merchants). The group hopes that in three to four years it will have doubled its rice and can use this to start a new rice bank in the neighboring village. I was excited to listen to the families talk about how they hoped to use this rice bank to reach out in ministry to their community. They were realistic about the challenges and were committed to continue working together, expanding upon their initial success with the cow-raising group and building the rice storage house.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Introduction of Ken Cruz
Serving with the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, Kennedy (Ken) Cruz is in mission in Cambodia with the Community Health and Agriculture Development (CHAD) Program working as a Community Development Specialist. Mr. Cruz has served in that position since October 2007.
Born in the Philippines, Ken attended the University of the Philippines and received a diploma in forestry. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Letran College in the Philippines and is currently pursuing a master's in organizational leadership from Azusa Pacific University in California.
Mr. Cruz and his family have lived in Cambodia and Laos for many years, and his work focuses on community development and organization as well as program consulting. Much of his work has been among the poor in organization of holistic community development and resource generation.
Ken shares that his compassion for the poor was nurtured through the modeling of his physician father who became the foundation of Ken's early involvement in God's ministry. "I grew up and lived in a relatively poor neighborhood where my father gave free medical service for sick, poor people on a weekly basis."
"My work and ministry experiences have brought some of the most significant changes in my leadership paradigm and practice," Ken shares. "My choice of career in humanitarian and mission work transformed my leadership approach from positional to servant-leadership. My underlying leadership philosophy on this approach is 'meeting the needs of people as they work in accomplishing their jobs'. As a whole my faith, my journey and my relationship with Jesus is best captured in the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:7-14."
Ken and his wife and two sons are members of the Evangelical Baptist Church.
Make an online donation to: Kennedy Cruz #3019583.
Born in the Philippines, Ken attended the University of the Philippines and received a diploma in forestry. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Letran College in the Philippines and is currently pursuing a master's in organizational leadership from Azusa Pacific University in California.
Mr. Cruz and his family have lived in Cambodia and Laos for many years, and his work focuses on community development and organization as well as program consulting. Much of his work has been among the poor in organization of holistic community development and resource generation.
Ken shares that his compassion for the poor was nurtured through the modeling of his physician father who became the foundation of Ken's early involvement in God's ministry. "I grew up and lived in a relatively poor neighborhood where my father gave free medical service for sick, poor people on a weekly basis."
"My work and ministry experiences have brought some of the most significant changes in my leadership paradigm and practice," Ken shares. "My choice of career in humanitarian and mission work transformed my leadership approach from positional to servant-leadership. My underlying leadership philosophy on this approach is 'meeting the needs of people as they work in accomplishing their jobs'. As a whole my faith, my journey and my relationship with Jesus is best captured in the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:7-14."
Ken and his wife and two sons are members of the Evangelical Baptist Church.
Make an online donation to: Kennedy Cruz #3019583.
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