Women’s Desk Ministry focuses on the improvement of women and children. We would like to see them grow in God and improve in their knowledge and skills. We believe that women are important for the development of the society. According to the Cambodian history, many adults have suffered from civil war. Cambodia lost many human resources during Khmer Rouge regimes. Survivors continue to experience painful stories. Some Cambodian adults experienced mental health issues, lost of confidence, low esteem, self-pity, and depressed. Many women are fearful of sharing and speaking. Through the Women’s Desk Ministry, many women have gained back their identity as the daughter of God, and a follower of Jesus who saved, forgave, restored and healed them. This is the time that the Lord wants us to heal these people. Praise the Lord ! Their lives have been transformed. Women’s Desk Ministry and Cambodian Methodist Women Committees work and collaborate to train Cambodian women to become good leaders. Through the fellowship and training, women understand more about their rights and how to protect themselves and help another women in the communities from any forms of violence. Women start to teach and share, and they get the knowledge through home visit and prayer with other women. We give thanks to our Lord, our Father, for His kindness and love. Thanks to all donors for keeping us in their prayers and their supports. We would like to thank all the UMCs in the US and all UMW for supporting us so that this program can continue.
In 2010, a group of 4 volunteers in mission from Glenn Memorial UMC, Atlanta, GA, came to visit the Women’s Desk Ministry. Mrs. Marilyn Chan, the Women’s Desk Ministry’s coordinator, shared with the group about the challenges in Cambodia, especially related to the young generation’s education issue. Many poor families can’t afford to send their children to school or to support them to pursue their further education. And, some families would rather send their boys to school instead of girls due to the scarcity of their financial resources. Many students also drop out of school because they want to help their parents to earn for living.
Many children are living in poverty and suffer from poor health condition. A lot of teenagers choose to become migrant workers in Thailand, Korea, or Malaysia to earn for their living. Among them, there are teenagers who have become victims of human trafficking. What makes it worse is that there are also many children who fall into child trafficking, mostly girls.
We would like to give thanks for the passions and the initiatives of our generous partners and the Glenn Memorial UMC VIM team who started to support some female students. That made it possible for them to go to university through the scholarship program of Women’s Desk Ministry.
In 2016, through Glenn Memorial UMC, we supported 32 students including 4 primary school students, 9 elementary students, 7 high school students, 10 university students, 1 master degree student, and 1 for a short course study.
Here is a story of how we build up hope in a life of a vulnerable woman. Srey Oun, who lost her two eyes due to the acid attack, is struggling to raise her two daughters and one niece. She got the support from Glenn Memorial scholarship fund. Supporting her family by making hand craft business, Srey Oun is very grateful for the program that gives a chance for her daughters and niece to continue their study and also for Women Desk for giving the fund for her business.