Cambodia

An estimated 20 million people across Southeast Asia have been affected by flooding since June. Most are in Thailand, but typhoons struck the Philippines in October, and Laos was hit by cyclones in July and August.  About 1.8 million people in Cambodia and Vietnam are also suffering from the worst flooding in a decade.  Myanmar also is experiencing flooding, though the extent is unclear because little information has been released from the country. Local media there reported some 30,000 people were hit by flash floods last month that killed more than 160.

As the floodwaters in Cambodia recede, the work of recovery and reconstruction begins. Fr Greg Priyadi SJ, Director of Jesuit Service Cambodia, reflects on the damage caused of by worst floods the country has experienced in years and the tough times faced by the people who have lost their homes, their harvest and their livelihoods.

Although I have lived in Cambodia for two years, I lost any tolerance I had developed to its heat after only a month of Korean winter holiday.  I came back to this country in the middle of the dry season, the hottest, dustiest time of the year. 

The day after my return, and with barely any time to clean my room, I joined the female students and members of the staff on an Angkor Wat tour to celebrate International Women’s Day. 

It was in the quiet moments of the long bus ride that I found myself asking, “What made me want to come back here?”

The Jesuit Bishop in Cambodia, Fr Enrique Figaredo (CAS), or “Kike” as he is familiarly called, told the Fathers of the District about recent Jesuit work in Cambodia when he addressed them at their February meeting.  After the meeting, Fr Figaredo visited Hiroshima accompanied by Frs Cangas and Lee.

Jesuits have been working in Cambodia since 1980, above all in the refugee camps in Thailand following the Pol Pot reign of terror and during the ongoing civil conflict.   Fr Figaredo himself volunteered to go there from Spain for three years of regency in 1985.

Sister Denise reflects on her 20+ years working in Cambodia and how she is motivated by her faith and a sense of justice. She highlights the challenges facing people with disabilities, of post-conflict reconciliation, and rebuilding trust. She also discusses the legacy of the Khmer Rouge in relation to families and society in Cambodia today. Faith-inspired organizations are an important link between the policy and community levels. Sister Denise stresses that faith-inspired organizations must be experts in their field; faith alone is not always sufficient to make lasting contributions. Finally, she describes her international work on landmines and cluster bombs, which won her team a Nobel Peace prize.