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The Kingdom of Cambodia is a kingdom of young people with more than half of its population of 13 million under the age of 19. Cambodia however is a nation that is emerging from decades of unprecedented human tragedy, perpetrated by one of its most infamous sons, Pol Pot.

While generally the Khmer people are warm and friendly, anger can sometimes be boiling just below the surface, due to the atrocities perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge which ruled the country from 1975-1979.

Cambodia is a very rural country with about 85% of the population living in farming areas. Poverty and people needs are wide spread. Children sometimes do not attend school but work or care for their siblings at a very young age.

There are vast gulfs between the rich and poor, with beautiful guarded and walled French villas, standing smugly opposite slum communities where residents can be seen sorting rubbish for their next meal.

Cambodia is a tropical climate, usually hot, humid and dusty. The rainy season buckets down and lasts from June to October. One may need to sometimes wade through flooded waters as the drainage cannot cope with the short but torrential rain.. It pays to carry a water proof poncho.

The dry season is from November to March. The hottest month is May and the coolest is January. Temperatures are fairly consistent around 32C during the day.

The Riel is the official currency of Cambodia but most larger transactions use US currency. Riel, while used in markets and shops and to pay the taxi motorbikes, is worthless outside of the country. No coins are used in Cambodia, only notes. The US dollar is acceptable everywhere, with small change given in riel. Very few banks have cash-on-line machines and credit card facilities are limited to the high-end tourist areas. Internet cafes provide international calls and internet services are cheap.

The official religion of Cambodia is Theravada Buddhism and 95% are Buddhist. The remaining 5 to 10 % are either Muslim or Christian. Christianity was stifled during the years that Pol Pot led his reign of terror and slaughtered thousands. Today Cambodia is one of the most open South East Asian Countries. After the years of war and unrest the people are weary and looking for Peace.

Inspired by God’s love, MTI (Cambodia) is committed to rebuild strong families in Cambodia for the protection and nurturance of vulnerable children. We can achieve this by promoting and working through safe, responsive and responsible communities.

Mercy Teams Mission Statement in Cambodia

1.	MTI extends professional psychological help to children and families in distress and difficulties, especially those from abusive backgrounds.
2.	MTI organizes public education programs on the topics of healthy family life, child abuse and domestic violence awareness in villagers in Cambodia
3.	Partnerships are formed with pro-social organisations and individuals who are committed to promoting safe families and communities.
4.	Through providing accredited Training, professional standards of mental health are raised.

Project Freedom

Society in Cambodia is traditional. Many parents arrange marriages for their children. Sex before marriage is frowned on and girls who lose their virginity are considered “srey koic” (fallen women). Prostitution although outlawed by the law, is generally tolerated. Brothels can be found in most towns and cities and young Khmer boys may even be introduced to their first experience of sex by being taken to a brothel by a relative or friend.

While the Khmer Rouge created a man made catastrophe in the 1970’s the true tragedy today is that there is a legacy of destruction and assault on the most innocent and vulnerable of Cambodia’s people.. its children

What is meant by this?.... Disturbing information by Human Rights organizations and Health Care professionals in Cambodia, indicate that, every day, in cities and provinces throughout the nation, children are being sexually and physically assaulted.

Newspaper reports of cases of children and youth being raped in their own homes and villages by neighbors or even family members.

While 50% of Cambodia population is under 18 years the average victim age investigated by one NGO, is 12 years old with the added disturbing statistic that fully one quarter of abused children are under the age of 10 years old .

Young girls who survive rape and sexual abuse have to cope with discriminatory attitudes reflected in the Cambodian saying “Men are like gold; women are like white cloth”. Once stained, they can never be fully cleaned. It is not uncommon for young girls who have been raped and trafficked into the sex trade to despair of returning to normal life or marriage and see no other choice but to become voluntary sex workers.

Project Freedom is a Christian response to this epidemic of abuse in Cambodia. Our vision is to reduce the suffering of child victims of abuse by facilitating community-based care.

The name Project Freedom reflects MTI’s desire to bring Freedom to Children who are caught up in the snare of sexual or physical abuse :

These are our objectives :

Provide psychological assessment and treatment for the child and family. Our team of local staff and expatriate mental health professionals work as a team to help children in shelters as well as children who stay in the community. We work in collaboration with other NGOs and groups towards this goal. We desire to see the families strengthened and supported to be the safe care-givers of their children.

Provide psycho-education for healthy self-image, social relationships and problem-solving skills for these children. Children who have survived abuse can learn and acquire these skills for a better future.

Run prevention and awareness-raising training groups in child abuse and family violence to community leaders, villagers, teachers and children in the community. We desire that Cambodian communities become socially responsible and responsive and value healthy family life and their children.

Core Services in Phnom Penh

1. Casework Management Services
A professional service provided by social workers who coordinate services for clients to meet their total needs, in collaboration with various partner organisations.

2. Project Freedom
Psychotherapeutic services provided by a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals to help children and families from abusive backgrounds to heal and recover.

3.. Training & Clinical Supervision
Skills development for mental health professionals. Through experienced trainers and practitioners, on-going training and supervision are provided for trainee counselors.

Children Outreach

4. Safe Children Karaoke Club
A prevention program for children to learn about keeping themselves safe through lessons, role-plays, karaoke songs and crafts. Conducted at local schools and at MTI.

5. Back to School
“Back to School’ program works closely with families, schools and community to reintegrate children and youths back into the regular education system who have never been to school or are school dropouts.

Community Outreach

6. Community First Aid
Provides basic first aid to children in the villagers. This also enables MTI to identify any further needs of the children, especially in the areas of child abuse or domestic violence.

7. Community Education & Development
MTI works closely with other groups to raise community awareness and civic responsibility in areas of family life education and child abuse prevention programs.

8. Community Support Schemes
MTI initiatives (eg. Project Hygiene, Emergency Relief Aid, Crisis Relief) support families who are facing poverty or crisis.

9. Information & Referral
Provides villagers with information and referral to other groups (e.g. health institutions, NGOs, etc.) when needed.

10. Volunteer Development
MTI (Cambodia) encourages both local and international voluntarism by recruiting, deploying and training individuals and groups for different community projects.

Recruitment Needs

MTI Cambodia invites experienced and trained mental health professionals to join our team of Cambodian staff and expatriate volunteers to serve together. For further information, please contact recruiting@mercyteams.net

Contact Mailing Address

Mercy Teams International (Cambodia)
P O Box 2481,
PP3, Cambodia

Contact Person for Cambodia :
Administration Manager
Tel / Fax : (+65) 6546 4797
Email Address: admin@mercyteams.net