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Global Urban Trek 2008
Phnom Penh - City OverviewWho is the ideal candidate for the Phnom Penh Trek?
Those who are interested in Cambodia, want to explore the context of poverty there, and are seriously considering a longer-term commitment to Cambodia. You should have previous experience in traveling abroad or have participated in other mission projects.
A special invitation goes out to Cambodian-American young adults who have a heart for Cambodia and want to engage with God while living among the urban poor there.
City Overview
On the third Global Urban Trek to Phnom Penh, we are looking to spend a summer engaging with the urban poor of Cambodia in its capital city. Much of the Cambodian population still lives in dire poverty in rural areas, but growing numbers of migrants to Phnom Penh seeking to escape hardship in the countryside have altered the demographics of the city and ballooned the population to over 1 million people.
Today, in 2006, Cambodia is only slowly starting to recover socially, politically, and economically from the 4 years of Khmer Rouge rule from 1975-1979. In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, political and social unrest brought the Khmer Rouge to power. Once they took control of Phnom Penh in 1975, the Khmer Rouge began a gross reorganization of the country. The entire city of Phnom Penh was evacuated – its citizens sent to work camps around the country. The Khmer Rouge began to detain, torture, and execute people who were educated, working professionals, and those thought to be “traitors” to Khmer society. Religion, family, and all things considered “western” were banned. During the four years under the Khmer Rouge communist regime, nearly one-third of the Cambodian population perished.
While the country is still trying to heal from the emotional, physical, and spiritual devastation of the Khmer Rouge regime, its progress has been crippled by new challenges: rampant political corruption, an increasing sex trafficking industry, and a looming AIDS crisis, all while millions of landmines remain unearthed and undetonated around the country.
Only 1% of the Cambodian population is Christian. Buddhism is a strong influence and is closely linked to Cambodian national and personal identity. There are small but growing Muslim and Hindu populations. Many still practice animism and idol-worship.
Ministry Sites
The core of the Phnom Penh Trek experience is living with host families in urban poor communities. Each trek student lived with a host family and participated in that family’s daily life routines as much as possible last year. Some of the Phnom Penh Trek students volunteered with Children At Risk – a ministry to disadvantaged children in one of the largest slum areas in Phnom Penh. They partnered with Children At Risk staff to build relationships with children and families. Each week the students did home visits, taught English classes, and helped to staff a weekly medical care clinic.
The other students lived with host families affiliated with Servants to Asia’s Urban Poor and volunteered their time with the care and mercy ministries of TASK, a Cambodian-run community based organization that focuses on meeting the needs of the poor in south Phnom Penh. Each student was placed at a different site: Project HALO (mentoring and support for AIDS orphans), The Little Conquerors (a school for disabled children), and the Teenage Drug User Rehabilitation Program.
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