Our Maryknoll Sisters serve side by side and in prayer with other members of the Maryknoll Family to better serve the people of Cambodia.
The Maryknoll Sisters, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, and the Maryknoll Lay Missioners have been on mission together in Cambodia for 25 years. Although we are all separate financial entities, we are part of the same family who share the same mission values and work together in many countries, such as Cambodia.
The needs of the poor, the ailing and the marginalized in Cambodia has continued to grow at an alarming rate; in order to continue serving the Gospel with our dedicated partners (the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers and the Maryknoll Lay Missioners) we need your continued prayers and support. When families are in crisis we extend two hands: one with compassion of Our God; the other with missions that alleviate the worst forms of poverty. With your help, we can reach an even greater number of people in need.
Together, we are doing even more as missioners of hope in Cambodia.
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The Maryknoll Sisters Education Program for Orphans with HIV
In Cambodia, 48,775 children are sadly living in orphanages. Sister Mary Little, M.M. and Sister Ann Sherman, M.M. organize education for the most vulnerable of poor children in Cambodia through the Boeung Tum Pun Community and Education Project. Many of these children are orphans or HIV+.
The project gives hope to families in need that their children will have the chance for a better education and future.
Sister Mary runs a pre-school in Chak Angre, which helps prepare students to enter grade one with a knowledge of the Khmer language, alphabet and culture. The pre-school is only one part of the Boeung Tum Pun Project.
The project also helps support secondary school’s students. Sister Ann teaches English to students in grades three through six, learning English is vital to these kids because it is considered key in finding a good job later.
In addition, the project provides health and nutrition classes in government schools and neighborhoods as well as two centers where children can play safely. The children’s centers are like an oasis here, says Sister Mary. “Children have the chance to make jigsaw puzzles, build houses or anything with Legos, dance and sing,” she says. “Since there are no books or toys in their houses, they love to come to just play and have a good time together.”
The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers Deaf Development Program
This is the heartbreaking reality: About 51,000 Cambodians are deaf and a half-million more are hard of hearing.
The average deaf person coming to Maryknoll for help is in his or her 20’s, has no language ability, has never been to school even for a day, and has never met another deaf person. That’s because fewer than 4% of deaf people in Cambodia receive services of any kind. Only 50-60 deaf Cambodians have finished high school.
The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers program is labor-intensive and complex. It requires interpreters and supervisors to travel extensively to find deaf people, and then to raise awareness with village chiefs, local officials, parents, and the deaf themselves.
Slowly but surely, support at the local level is improving and awareness of the deaf has increased. Father Charles is especially hopeful for a new working relationship with the Cambodian government. His goal: more hires in Cambodia’s civil service.
The Maryknoll Lay Missioners Pillar of Help Program: Protecting Young Boys from Abuse and Exploitation
Maryknoll Lay Missioner, Dee Dungy, work with Pillar of Help, a ministry which was founded in December of 2013. The project began by teaching migrant workers best practices for travel and work safety across borders. Now the program has begun to include outreach and holistic care for the left-behind children, mostly boys living on the streets. In Cambodia, one out of every six boys is a victim of sexual abuse.
Weak law enforcement, corruption, extreme poverty and fractured social institutions left by the country’s turbulent recent history have left Cambodia with an unwelcome reputation for child trafficking and exploitation.
The needs of the poor, the ailing and the marginalized in Cambodia has continued to grow at an alarming rate. In order to continue serving the Gospel with our dedicated partners (the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers and the Maryknoll Lay Missioners) we need your continued prayers and support. When families are in crisis, we extend two hands: one with compassion of Our God; the other with missions that alleviate the worst forms of poverty.
All proceeds raised from this project will be evenly distributed between the Maryknoll Sisters, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, and the Maryknoll Lay Missioners.