In the spring of 2014 and again in 2015, a team from Back to Life Canada travelled to Cambodia to teach about the value of life and the value of each person. We taught various groups, including pastors, college students, healthcare workers, women living in great poverty, and women in restoration programs after leaving the sex trade. The core message was always the same – each person is unique, and their life matters. For many who had felt overlooked and mistreated, these messages were foundational.
Cambodia is a nation rebuilding after decades of devastation from genocide and political oppression. During the Khmer Rouge (ending in 1979), Phnom Penh, the capital city, was the location of such death and destruction. Today, Cambodia is a primary transit, source, and destination location for human trafficking and other injustices. Cambodian children are at risk, especially those in the womb.
It is estimated that 2 in 3 Cambodian women have had an abortion, and across the nation, there is an overall lack of education concerning pregnancy, fetal development, and value. Additionally, there is a strong correlation between human trafficking and abortion, and we believe that if value for life is not established, and established from the womb, human trafficking will never cease. {excerpt from Back to Life Canada}
Equipping for change
Before we departed in 2015, we helped train Cambodian women to teach the life message—to teach with knowledge and mercy. All had attended the seminars we taught, and all wished to be equipped to share this important message of life with others. Each attendee was provided with a resource kit that included teaching tools, such as PowerPoint presentations, videos, pamphlets, fetal models, and more.
