Cambodia’s education system is sub-standard in almost every way. According to UNESCO, there are over 2 million people over the age of 15 in Cambodia who are illiterate, and numbers are much higher in remote, rural areas compared with urban areas. Illiteracy brings shame, exploitation, and keeps people in poverty.

In addition to this, churches in remote areas have members who long to read the Bible for themselves in order to equip themselves to be better evangelists and teachers. This is where the Bible Society in Cambodia have stepped in.

Through partnerships with local churches of all denominations across Cambodia, the Bible Society are able to provide literacy classes and educational materials, as well as training courses for facilitators to continue this project in more areas around Cambodia.

Edification through Education

One of the main goals of this project is to remove the barriers of illiteracy which currently blocks Cambodian Christians and seekers from accessing Scriptures. 97% of the population of Cambodia are Buddhist, but there is such a hunger to learn to read that they are happy to attend the Bible Society’s classes. Students are empowered with reading skills and can then grow spiritually through reading and studying God’s Word. At the end of their course, they are presented with a copy of the New Testament in Khmer and through this, existing and new congregations are gaining a deeper understanding of God’s Word.

Through participating in a Learning through Listening program, previously illiterate people are also able to read information that can help them avoid fraud, trafficking and abuse.

The Bible Society in Cambodia have found that there are more benefits to this project than they originally thought. They have discovered that wherever the project is implemented, there is less domestic violence and crime. The relationship between children and parents improves. People are able to find jobs or start small business because of their new ability to read and write. Children can start dreaming about having a future. They have also found that local authorities covet having the program in their villages having witnessed the results in other neighboring communities.

Changing Lives through Literacy

Through this project, so many lives across Cambodia are being changed for the better. In the rural outskirts of the Prey Veng province, the Ry family are just a few of these lives that have benefitted from this project. After being widowed early, Mrs. Ry worked hard to feed and clothe her children, often struggling to make ends meet. Education had never been attainable before, but in the face of adversity, she believed in a better future for her children.

When the Bible Society and local church began a literacy class to empower and educate children from the area, Mrs. Ry enrolled her two eldest children, Sophea and Vannak. In that class they learnt reading and writing, and they gained hope and confidence through listening to God’s Word.

In the space of three short months, Sophea and Vannak went from being illiterate to eagerly reading the Bible, learning about God’s love for them, redemption plan, and grace. This class, run through the local church in partnership with the Bible Society in Cambodia, changed the course of their lives. Now, the Ry family attend a local church, learning more about the Bible, and helping others in their community to understand God’s Word. From what once seemed like an unattainable dream, Mrs. Ry and her children became beacons of hope, demonstrating education’s transformational potential and God’s unlimited compassion.

Pray

Please join with us as we pray for Cambodia and the Learning through Listening project:

• Pray for the staff and volunteers involved in running this program. For protection and strength as they facilitate training workshops and literacy courses.
• Pray for the participants of the program. That God will use this program to help them grow spiritually and become educated to a higher level.
• Pray for the social impact of the program. That more communities and authorities would be open to running these courses in order to benefit the wider society.

Donate

You can help the Bible Society in Cambodia to change more lives, just like the Ry family’s, by giving a financial gift:

• £20 could purchase 20 copies of ‘Word of Wisdom’, an easy-to-read copy of the book of Proverbs for the students to learn God’s Word.
• £56 could provide 14 literacy textbooks for students in one of these classes, aiding their education and increasing their chances of future employment.
• £135 could supply 15 MP3 players, necessary for teaching students to read and write as they learn through listening.

You can donate either directly on this webpage, by phone (028 9032 6577) or by post.

Thank you for your continued support.