Hope

Each night while we were in Phnom Penh, we had the pleasure of being with a wonderful couple who work for Hagar and for World Relief in Cambodia. This couple could be the ultimate power couple in the US - a beautiful attorney in banking and finance married to an IT guy from Silcon Valley. Yet, they decided God wanted them to use their talents for those who had no voice, the victims of human trafficking in Cambodia. This couple, along with their 14 month old son, met us every evening for dinner, talking with us about the people we had been helping during the day. They were at our beck and call for any glitch in our schedule.  We talked with them every night and it seemed someone was always calling to ask questions of one of them, yet we were not there to help either of their organizations.  We were helping children who are under the care of other wonderful people giving of their lives to the children of Cambodia.

One of the perks of having this couple on the ground in Cambodia is their knowledge of the restaurant scene.  They booked all of our meals at restaurants with a mission. Every place was a safe house and/or training ground for those rescued from a life on the street or a life in a trafficking situation.

The last night we were in Phnom Penh was one of our nicest meals, although all 31 of us ate for $223 USD, yet I found myself watching my children handle live tarantuals before eating cooked tarantuals!  Jeff, of course, said the spiders tasted like fried soft-shell crab - whatever!

Cambodia

Today, most Cambodians live in extreme poverty, with more than 77 percent of the population earning less than $2 a day. (1) Women and children disproportionately bear the burden of intermittent employment and limited access to health and education services.Sexual and domestic violence are also realities within Cambodian society. Extreme poverty, low levels of literacy, gender inequities, alcoholism, and a history of civil war are all contributing factors. Cambodia also experiences significant internal and cross-border trafficking – it is a source, transit and destination country.In Cambodia, Hagar serves women and children who have survived the most extreme cases of human rights abuse – sexual exploitation and violent rape, trafficking for labour and forced work, domestic violence and acid attacks. Hagar walks the entire journey of recovery – through recovery shelters, legal support, education and employment programmes, health care, trauma counseling and transitional and reintegration support – so that our clients can live in community once again with dignity.