Cambodia
Despite rapid recent development, Cambodia is still recovering from the devastating effects of the Khmer Rouge genocide and is one of the poorest countries in Asia. The Khmer people are primarily Buddhist and have an ancient history and culture, as reflected in the famous Angkor Wat temple. Maryknoll’s presence in the country dates back to the 1990s. Today, lay missioners in Cambodia collaborate with the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, the Maryknoll Sisters, and the Philippine Catholic Lay Missioners, together forming the Maryknoll Cambodia mission team.
Ministry areas
Education & Leadership Development
During the years of control by the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia lost many of its most educated people, leaving an acute need for educational initiatives. Lay missioners have responded by working with a variety of projects, from those that educate children, such as the Maryknoll Boeung Tum Pun Community Health and Education Project, to those that provide higher education to Cambodia’s youth, such as the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
Healthcare & Health Promotion
Mobile community mental health teams work in concert with a number of NGOs to provide extensive mental health outreach to remote villages. We also contribute to the healthcare of children at LaValla school. Lay missioners have also contributed to the Maryknoll Mental Health project, which provides quality mental health services to Cambodians lacking access to those services, while raising awareness of mental health issues across the country.
Healthcare
Mobile community mental health teams work in concert with a number of NGOs to provide extensive mental health outreach to remote villages. We also contribute to the healthcare of children at LaValla school. Lay missioners have also contributed to the Maryknoll Mental Health project, which provides quality mental health services to Cambodians lacking access to those services, while raising awareness of mental health issues across the country. Learn More
Justice & Peace
One focus for the Maryknoll Cambodia mission team is with people living with disabilities. Many of our missioners have worked in such programs as the Maryknoll Deaf Development Programme (DDP) the LaValla School, run by the Marist Brothers, and the Home of Hope (Missionaries of Charity). These programs work to help people with disabilities achieve greater access to education, better economic opportunities, crucial services and a stronger voice in society.
Featured stories
My SMILE Moments in Mission
Julie Lawler discusses the healing power pottery had recently with a group of DDP students in Cambodia, and the smiles that it created.
Nonviolence Prevention in Cambodia’s Deaf Community
Julie Lawler shares how naming the realities in Cambodia helped her recognize additional prevention techniques to support nonviolent living in her deaf ministry.
The Echoes of Suffering
As the Cambodian government cracks down on ‘forced scamming’ operations, traumatized victims of human trafficking are left wandering the streets. TT Hoang tells the story of 10 Indonesians she helped return to their home country.
Where we serve
Read more about our impact in other regions.
