Cambodia
Date Entered: 1997
Major Ministries: Church planting
Country Profile
Population: 14,241,640
Peoples: Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%
Politics: Multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Religion: Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5%
Nestled between Thailand and Vietnam on the Gulf of Siam, Cambodia is a southeast Asian country known for its political upheavals in the past.
A French colony until 1953, Cambodia has since had a monarchy, military leaders, and a communist government. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Cambodia shifted to a free market economy in 1990. However, the loss of Soviet bloc money impacted roads, bridges and power plants throughout the country, now operating at only 40 to 50% of pre-war capacity.
Essentially rural, Cambodia depends on subsistence agriculture to feed its population. Monsoons from May through October support an enormous rice growing industry. The majority of Cambodia’s exports are its natural resources: timber, gemstones, and minerals such as manganese and phosphates. Shipping trade originates from the port cities of Phnom Penh, also the nation’s capital, and Kampong Saom.
ABWE’s Cambodia team is seeking to initiate church-planting ministries among unreached people groups in Cambodia, along with other tribal groups in outlying areas.
Personnel needs include church planters, linguists, individuals with training in teaching English as a second language, children’s workers, and MK teachers.