Let's start basic. Cambodia is a country in southeast Asia. It is between Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. On the map, it the purple spot straight down from the 'A' of 'CHINA.' Cambodia has a very hot, humid climate -- worse than Houston or New Orleans! While we were there, it rained a lot! There are close to 15 million people living in Cambodia. The people of Cambodia are called Khmer (kum-I). The Khmer people are predominantly Buddhist -- 95% of the people practice Buddhism (according to wikipedia...). In 1975, the Khmer Rouge took over and killed a lot of people; now the People's Republic is in charge. The effects of the Khmer Rouge are still rippling in Cambodia, even after forty years without them.
Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia. It has a population of almost 2 million people. It is pretty western looking; in the 1920s, it was considered one of the loveliest French built cities in Indochina. There are many beautiful monuments and temples there that you can see when you drive through it, like Independence monument. It is the wealthiest and most populous city in Cambodia. Our hotel was in Phnom Penh.
Svay Pak is a village about 30-45 minutes outside of Phom Penh. It is very small, especially in comparison to Phnom Penh. Svay Pak is infamous for it's brothels; it is a child sex trafficking hot spot in Cambodia. The people are very poor that live in Svay Pak. Rahab's House and the brick factories we visited were in Svay Pak.
I couldn't find a map with Svay Pak on it, but this shows where Phnom Penh is. Svay Pak is in the same part of the country.
Rahab's House is a former brothel that is now owned by Agape International Missions. It was opened in 2007 and provides education, medical attention, dental services and free food to the community. Rahab's House also has church services weekly with over 300 attending every week! They also have a Kid's Club, that reminds me of VBS, for the brick factory kids.
The brick factories are where the poorest people are found. They are essentially slaves once they begin working at that place. How that process works (as best as I can understand it): Someone needs a loan, let's say $350. They go to the brick factory owner and say, "I will work for you to pay back this $350, if you loan me the money." They get the money and start working. They are paid so little, they can never save enough money to pay back the $350. So, they are stuck, and their kids are stuck, and their kids' kids are stuck... They live at the brick factories and buy their supplies and food from the brick factory owners (at a highly inflated rate). Slavery.
So, now you have a basic idea of what Cambodia is. I hope this helps you understand better what I am talking about in the posts to come! Sorry this one was just straight up educational! Stick around, I promise it's about to get good!
UPDATE: Here is a video I found that gives a really good idea of what Phnom Penh is like...
GO HERE!
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