Country Profile

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country steeped in history, and stands proud of its unique culture and natural wonders. Angkor Wat, one of the most breath-taking architectural masterpieces left standing in the world today, symbolizes the heart and soul of the Cambodian nation.

The main religion in Cambodia is Buddhism, with a minority population of Christians and Muslims. During the Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge regime, the fledgling church was almost wiped out, with only two or three pastors known to have survived. The climb to restore the Church in Cambodia has been slow but steady, and renewed hope is flourishing among believers.

Needs

As with any country around the world, Cambodia faces its share of social problems. Chief among the issues facing the country are sexual exploitation of young girls and women; HIV/AIDS; high illiteracy rates, and poverty.

Although the church in Cambodia is growing, it lacks many of the resources that churches and Christians in more developed countries take for granted, such as trained pastors, availability of Bibles and Christian materials, and well-equipped church buildings. Many church workers need a paid job outside the church in order to support their families. In the Cambodian church, spiritual growth is also not keeping pace with numerical growth. Issues such as authoritarian leadership, financial dependency and fund mismanagement continue to be problems.

Our Response

TWR began ministry in Cambodia in 2000 with the task of producing the Khmer version of the Women of Hope program. Several young Christians, who were willing to be trained in translation, production and studio operations, were identified to be team members. Since then, a brand new media centre has been built, and there are currently 19 full-time and part-time staff. TWR also works with 51 coordinators who help by managing children’s listening clubs and radio distribution, among other activities. In 2008, about 600 radios were distributed across Cambodia.

TWR is currently airing five programs (Thru the Bible, Women of Hope, Happy Children’s Garden, It’s Yours and The Word Today) over 13 FM stations to address issues faced by church leadership, women, children and youth. In addition to the programs, TWR distributes tools such as Bibles and radios to help Cambodian pastors and lay-leaders grow spiritually as individuals, as well as encourage growth among the people. TWR currently works with 522 churches and 416 pastors in Cambodia. Listener groups are also being developed across the country, with each leader being supplied with a CD or cassette of the programs. From time to time, gatherings and training seminars are also held for the leaders and listeners.