From Poverty to A New Livelihood
Dara* is a 35-year-old uneducated man like many men of his age in Cambodia. For Dara, this education gap can be traced back to when the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia in 1975. Not only did schools close, but many buildings were either destroyed or taken over for government use. Many teachers and students lost their lives during this four-year period because intellectuals posed a threat to the society the Khmer Rouge was trying to create.
Currently, more than 10% of children in Cambodia do not have access to education. Much of this still attributable to lack of schools, especially in rural areas. Furthermore, due to poverty and underdevelopment, roughly 45% of children aged 5-14 are economically active to help support their families.
Education is a key factor in helping individuals rise out of poverty, which is one of the goals of Haggai leader Bua’s* organization. Her organization** addresses both the physical and spiritual needs of the poor. There is training that focuses on how to start sustainable businesses, how to do organic farming with locally available materials, and even classes on parenting skills and conflict resolution, to name a few.
Dara first came into contact with Bua’s organization in December of 2019. Usually preferring to play cards and get drunk with his friends, Dara was persuaded to join a Christmas celebration that Bua’s organization hosted for the poorest of the poor in his village. He says, “They talked about the benefit of living a life with God and all the concepts touched my heart. I received Jesus as my Savior and was encouraged to attend the church near my house and become a member of a group.
“I am very excited that the organization paid attention to me as an uneducated and poor person. I got an opportunity to participate in all the courses such as health education, children’s rights, and anger management. The most beneficial class was learning the skills to become a barber and getting support to run a small business.”
Dara now works as a barber and is thankful for the transformative power of Jesus in his life. He is encouraged to pass on his knowledge and skills to the youth in his community and to support the efforts of sharing the Gospel in other provinces throughout Cambodia.
Written by Carolyn Grant
*Names changed for security,
**Organization unnamed for security.
From Poverty to A New Livelihood
Dara* is a 35-year-old uneducated man like many men of his age in Cambodia. For Dara, this education gap can be traced back to when the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia in 1975. Not only did schools close, but many buildings were either destroyed or taken over for government use. Many teachers and students lost their lives during this four-year period because intellectuals posed a threat to the society the Khmer Rouge was trying to create.
Currently, more than 10% of children in Cambodia do not have access to education. Much of this still attributable to lack of schools, especially in rural areas. Furthermore, due to poverty and underdevelopment, roughly 45% of children aged 5-14 are economically active to help support their families.
Education is a key factor in helping individuals rise out of poverty, which is one of the goals of Haggai leader Bua’s* organization. Her organization** addresses both the physical and spiritual needs of the poor. There is training that focuses on how to start sustainable businesses, how to do organic farming with locally available materials, and even classes on parenting skills and conflict resolution, to name a few.
Dara first came into contact with Bua’s organization in December of 2019. Usually preferring to play cards and get drunk with his friends, Dara was persuaded to join a Christmas celebration that Bua’s organization hosted for the poorest of the poor in his village. He says, “They talked about the benefit of living a life with God and all the concepts touched my heart. I received Jesus as my Savior and was encouraged to attend the church near my house and become a member of a group.
“I am very excited that the organization paid attention to me as an uneducated and poor person. I got an opportunity to participate in all the courses such as health education, children’s rights, and anger management. The most beneficial class was learning the skills to become a barber and getting support to run a small business.”
Dara now works as a barber and is thankful for the transformative power of Jesus in his life. He is encouraged to pass on his knowledge and skills to the youth in his community and to support the efforts of sharing the Gospel in other provinces throughout Cambodia.
Written by Carolyn Grant
*Names changed for security,
**Organization unnamed for security.
From Poverty to A New Livelihood
Dara* is a 35-year-old uneducated man like many men of his age in Cambodia. For Dara, this education gap can be traced back to when the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia in 1975. Not only did schools close, but many buildings were either destroyed or taken over for government use. Many teachers and students lost their lives during this four-year period because intellectuals posed a threat to the society the Khmer Rouge was trying to create.
Currently, more than 10% of children in Cambodia do not have access to education. Much of this still attributable to lack of schools, especially in rural areas. Furthermore, due to poverty and underdevelopment, roughly 45% of children aged 5-14 are economically active to help support their families.
Education is a key factor in helping individuals rise out of poverty, which is one of the goals of Haggai leader Bua’s* organization. Her organization** addresses both the physical and spiritual needs of the poor. There is training that focuses on how to start sustainable businesses, how to do organic farming with locally available materials, and even classes on parenting skills and conflict resolution, to name a few.
Dara first came into contact with Bua’s organization in December of 2019. Usually preferring to play cards and get drunk with his friends, Dara was persuaded to join a Christmas celebration that Bua’s organization hosted for the poorest of the poor in his village. He says, “They talked about the benefit of living a life with God and all the concepts touched my heart. I received Jesus as my Savior and was encouraged to attend the church near my house and become a member of a group.
“I am very excited that the organization paid attention to me as an uneducated and poor person. I got an opportunity to participate in all the courses such as health education, children’s rights, and anger management. The most beneficial class was learning the skills to become a barber and getting support to run a small business.”
Dara now works as a barber and is thankful for the transformative power of Jesus in his life. He is encouraged to pass on his knowledge and skills to the youth in his community and to support the efforts of sharing the Gospel in other provinces throughout Cambodia.
Written by Carolyn Grant
*Names changed for security,
**Organization unnamed for security.
Comments
Comments
-
This leadership education given to a young man helped him rise to his full potential. He even opened his business as a barber. Thanks to teachers that help raise up leaders.
This leadership education given to a young man helped him rise to his full potential. He even opened his business as a barber. Thanks to teachers that help raise up leaders.