(Photo: Samaritan’s Purse)Thursday, 22 April 2010
Samaritan’s Purse (Australia)
“Channa” was 14 when she was sent to Cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh to earn extra income for her mother’s medical treatments. Desperate for work, she found a job at a bar.
Channa had always refused lewd offers from male patrons, but when her family continually pressured her to earn more, she thought she had no alternative. For a full year, Channa engaged in commercial sex work and desperately wanted out. Neighbours began looking down on her. And her dreams of a happy future seemed spoiled. “I thought I was an animal, a slave,” she said.
Thousands of Cambodian women are forced into such work every year. A lack of opportunities for education and skills training, the result of decades of civil unrest and instability, leave them with few options to support their families.
Samuel Heng of Daughters, our local partner says that cultural norms contribute to the problem. “Many girls believe that the more they sacrifice for their parents and family, the better their next life will be. They say parents are like a second god – Buddha is the first, parents are the second. So you should serve your parents like you would serve god.”
Samaritan’s Purse is working with Daughters to give these women a way out. The ministry runs a safe house and provides vocational training in sewing, cooking, fabric painting, cake decorating, card and jewellery making.
Channa now works as a cake decorator, with a special expertise in making delicate sugar flowers. Perhaps the sweetest part of her story is that Channa has found new hope and peace in her faith in Jesus Christ. “When I prayed, I felt a peace in my heart,” she says. “I hadn’t felt that before.”
Channa goes to weekly church services and has found a community that provides encouragement and support. “I feel that a lot of people love me at Daughters, that I have a big value and a lot of hope,” Channa said. “Before I had a big family, but with no love, no peace. Now I have a good father – God.”
Channa had always refused lewd offers from male patrons, but when her family continually pressured her to earn more, she thought she had no alternative. For a full year, Channa engaged in commercial sex work and desperately wanted out. Neighbours began looking down on her. And her dreams of a happy future seemed spoiled. “I thought I was an animal, a slave,” she said.
Thousands of Cambodian women are forced into such work every year. A lack of opportunities for education and skills training, the result of decades of civil unrest and instability, leave them with few options to support their families.
Samuel Heng of Daughters, our local partner says that cultural norms contribute to the problem. “Many girls believe that the more they sacrifice for their parents and family, the better their next life will be. They say parents are like a second god – Buddha is the first, parents are the second. So you should serve your parents like you would serve god.”
Samaritan’s Purse is working with Daughters to give these women a way out. The ministry runs a safe house and provides vocational training in sewing, cooking, fabric painting, cake decorating, card and jewellery making.
Channa now works as a cake decorator, with a special expertise in making delicate sugar flowers. Perhaps the sweetest part of her story is that Channa has found new hope and peace in her faith in Jesus Christ. “When I prayed, I felt a peace in my heart,” she says. “I hadn’t felt that before.”
Channa goes to weekly church services and has found a community that provides encouragement and support. “I feel that a lot of people love me at Daughters, that I have a big value and a lot of hope,” Channa said. “Before I had a big family, but with no love, no peace. Now I have a good father – God.”
14 comments:
Every day thousands of men are forced in to slavery jobs to work 7 days a week. They refuse sexual advances from many young attractive girls, and rich women who may tempt them into bad ways. They work hard because women demand the money to look beautiful, and buy food so they can get fat. Take pity on all men and support the NGO that helps them.
It is Khmer culture that they don't to analyze thing in deep. They are fast to believe, especially in cheat convincing. They don't take into consideration what is true and what is cheated. Such Vietnam said they came to rescue Cambodian from genocide, they believe!. Hun Sen said he rescued cambodian from khmer rough, they believe. They don't border to consider whether Vietnam wants to own Cambodia, and they don't want to border Hun Sen is a former Khmer Rough who kill their parents and siblings.
Now that Hun Sen give them little income that cannot afford to pay for food, shelter, clothes, school fee for their children, good drinking water, they don't border to demand for their rights. They don't border that Hun Sen give them little wage, in order for him to easily and tightly put them in his hand so he can kill them any time. They begging for survive like Hun Sen keep begging international community to donate him for wealthy but they don't try look for food and Hun Sen doesn't use his wealth to develop his own country.
Khmer depend on fate and God to rescue them from poverty but they don't want to make small business to get income. They keep begging Hun Sen for survive. They don't look for system to help them but look for Hun Sen. While they (CPP) were poor they hate the rich and ran to the jungle to fight against the government but when they are rich they shot, drive over, grab land of the poor. These are the culture of Cambodian.
Cambodian has no sense about politic. They hate and afraid they got killed if they involve politic. They don't know the politician like Hun Sen who kill them. They afraid of dieing but they wait to be killed.
HSV
4:16pm,
Perhaps you are more intelligent than the rest of us when it comes to politics.
Hun Sen is to blame for everything that goes wrong in Cambodia. We sit in front of computer and make all sort of accusation against this man.
Leadership and criticism go hand in hand. There will be someone out there who will disagree with you, thus KI existence is for this purpose.
No doubt Hunsen deserve the blamed for some of the injustices.
How about you what have you done in briging positive change to Cambodia and Cambodians?
No matter what is all about politics, but I hate politics due to its not just or unfair...
I am not politician but i support politic in Cambodia. I support the one fit my interest, the one that i believe he can bring positive change in Cambodia. Cambodia will be change when more Cambodia involve in politic. All of us will be died whether we involve in politic or not.
You may heard that people of Japan also America did not go to vote because they do not like politic. It is ok for them since their politician are educated and nationalism. Thus, this concept do not work in Cambodia because most of these politician are murderers. They will kill you one by one when you are staying away from politic.
4:47pm since you now how to write English, please read more or talk more to people around you to get better education!"
Is your life just and fair?
Is your parents just and fair?
Is motpcicle just and fair?
Is food you eat just and fair?
If you found Anything just and fair hold to it and be a fool!
If you could not find anything just and fair try help and improve it up tothe point we can bear it But not break it!
Remember communist and Pol Pot?
To 4:16PM
I agree with you! I want to add that majority of dirt poor Cambodian people who supported Hun Sen to stay in power are guilty as Hun Sen and why they don't realize it and I don't know!
I see everything wrong about Cambodia and it seems that these Cambodian leaders and people can never get anything right! Too often these Cambodian leaders are too emotional and too irrational and they suspend their judgment to know what is right and what is wrong! Somehow their belief system by Buddhism has turn everything about Cambodia upside down and their perception of the world is so fuck up too! For example, most countries such Japan, Taiwan, Korea, China...do practice Buddhism and their society turn out well and have good economic progress and have highly educated population! As for Cambodia and Cambodian leaders and people they practice Buddhism the way of Communist!
Cambodia is the land of contrast!
"Samuel Heng of Daughters, our local partner says that cultural norms contribute to the problem. “Many girls believe that the more they sacrifice for their parents and family, the better their next life will be. They say parents are like a second god – Buddha is the first, parents are the second. So you should serve your parents like you would serve god.”
Samaritan’s Purse is working with Daughters to give these women a way out. The ministry runs a safe house and provides vocational training in sewing, cooking, fabric painting, cake decorating, card and jewellery making."
YOU ARE FUCKUP SAMUEL HENG and Samaritan’s Purse !!!!
We Cambodia did not say " Buddha is the first, parents are the second. So you should serve your parents like you would serve god.”
We say Parent is the first thing you should do good thing to even before Buddah!
And what happen to Cambodian now is not a uniq case for our buddish society but a classic of human society went it poor and helpless!
IF YOU SO STUPID OR LAZY OR YOUR MASTER JUST ONLY TEACH YOU WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO KNOW! I sujest you to watch old Holly Wood movies!
In Europe the heart of your GOD, got the same problem during the depression and after the wars! It happen now in ex Soviet countries right now too!
If you realy want to help people (hipogrids suckers)you have to find the thruth not lie and try to take advantage from people like those evils trafickers and pimps!
Tragic come good thing and bad thing combine or colide!
As Poor family,IN ANY COUNTRY AND RACE, we people have a lot of love and care about eachother. We would sacrify anything to help other from hunger (Read the Misserab,fool)
On this unfortunate and hugry come the evils who depride people more of their right and ask people to obeiy the evils wish to exchage for food! And next step they, the evils, would corrupt people and slave their spirits!
Don't act like evil motherfuckers! and let us know that is not our fault but HUMAN tratergy and can be save by Education, Justice, Right, and Determination to kick the evils!
can they helppeople without lie and put down another religion? Can they clean their mouth first before sday auther are smelling!
Are they ignoran or they have evil intention?
To the good critic people
What you can do ?
Maybe we have to close all our borders, our airports and stay far from the rest of the world like under the Khmer Rouge regime.
1:21AM! not about closing about the thruth and idear!
leurn it the hardway, would you!
1:21Am! if you try to quiet people that what sound like the Khmer Rouge! Talk up, critic use your right and enjoy it!
Lord Jesus Christ will not deny you, but love you, but first you have to accept him into your heart. Your family is not God, as you can see they don't accept you, even how much your had sacrafied your body or money you've earned for them.
Lord Jesus is your savior!
Yeah, blah, blah!!! 8:01 am
What a hell u talkin about? Buddha is 1st. then your parents? Based on what? Never heard that before? What kind of parents who encouraged your 14 year-old daughter to work as prostitute? WHF! That's bullshit! I truly don't buy it! If your family that poor, do something. Work on farm rice or vegetables or whatever. Don't give me that lame freakin excuse! Those girls who worked for money, that chose that occupation themselves. They have no one to blame but themselves and their freakin' parents. Please don't blame on the government. They didn't tell you to prostitute to get money. It's your choice. I understand, there are a lot of poor people in Cambodia. So do something!!! for goodness sake! get a job, go to work!! If all poor people go to work, they wouldn't be that poor! To be honest with you, this agency is supposed to help these lost souls, they're not helping. They are provoking Khmer against Khmer. They don't give a F.. care about Cambodians. It's their job! They get money from U.S to serve the poor. When these people are back in U.S, they like talk trash about Cambodia people. Watch OUt! Don't let outsiders fool you!
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