AN ASSET TO SOCIETY
Children are taught to pray at the Functional English Center.
Cambodia lost tremendous opportunities to advance its nation when it was overtaken by the Khmer Rouge, a radical communist movement, from 1975 to 1979. Millions of lives were lost, and extreme policies resulted in widespread suffering and the death of nearly one-third of the population at that time.
Currently, approximately 26% of the population in Cambodia is between the ages of 14 and 30. It is sad to note that child labor rates in Cambodia are significantly higher than in other Southeast Asian countries.
Children represent the future of every nation and are an invaluable asset to society. It is crucial to acknowledge their significance because they are the key to building a solid foundation for a better tomorrow.
With these thoughts in mind, Ethnos Asia Ministries established the Functional English Center (FEC) in 2013 in the Angkor Wat area of Siem Reap. The FEC serves Cambodia's children and young people of Cambodia by helping to build a healthy foundation for their future through language acquisition, social skills development, and the cultivation of honorable character and habits essential to becoming productive and praiseworthy citizens.
Over the past ten years, FEC has provided opportunities to approximately 1,300 students, influencing their lives with Christian values and honing their skills. We have developed good relationships with the Buddhist and Animist communities, gaining the trust of parents who have entrusted their children to our school as young as 3 years of age. Most FEC students have become honor students in their regular Khmer schools, and several have received scholarships in Taiwan. One student even passed the government exam and was awarded a scholarship to a prestigious university in Phnom Penh. We currently have six trained Khmer-English interpreters, ranging in age from 5 to 16, and four others are undergoing training. In addition, a church has also been established with 23 regular attendees and around 25 Sunday school children. To God be the glory!
We ask for your prayers as we continue to invest in the education and well-being of these children; empowering and equipping them with Christian val-ues so that they may have a solid foundation to bring about change in their society.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.”
