Adventist Development and Relief Agency Asia Board Visit

Community members in Kompong Cham and Kompong Thom provinces of Cambodia welcomed 10 Seventh-day Adventist church leaders including representatives from the North Asia Pacific, South Asia Pacific and Southern Asia Divisions and ADRA International.  Arriving in Phnom Penh on Sunday March 15, the group got an early start to a full day and a half of project activity visits, ending their visit with the ADRA Asia Board meeting on Tuesday afternoon.  Hosting the visit were Daniel Dos Santos, the new ADRA Asia Regional Director, Pastor Deane Jackson, the new Cambodia Adventist Mission (CAM) President and Mark Schwisow, the ADRA Cambodia Director.

The group visited four of ADRA Cambodia’s ten projects, the ones within a 2.5 hours drive from Phnom Penh.  The visit began with a stop to meet a women’s health educator Care Group in Roveang Village in Kompong Cham.  The 6 women in the Care Group spoke with the visitors about their role of spreading simple health messages such as the importance of health care during pregnancy with each of their 15 nearest neighboring households.  The group meets every 6 weeks for training in additional health messages and support.  This Our Health Village project is operated in partnership together with another Christian organization, World Relief.

Continuing across the border into Kompong Thom province, the next stop was at the Taing Kork Health Center which is one of the nine government health centers built by ADRA in Cambodia.  Health Center staff trained in Youth Friendly Service welcomed the visitors who joined the youth in refresher training for Peer Educators as part of ADRA’s Rural Cambodian Youth Sexual Reproductive Health project.  The Health Center Management Committee was also in session at the health center as part of the Child Friendly Village project and shared with guests about targets for making their village a Child Friendly place.

Down the street at the Taing Kork High School, a video was showing migration challenges to interested youth sitting under a tree.  The library, open and stocked with youth resources, was full of youth happy to share what they have learned about life skills and reproductive health.  They did not forget to mention how they want more books and materials to learn from.

Growth monitoring was the next stop in the Kruel Village further on involving mothers with children under five holding yellow health monitoring cards for each child, a child in their arms and often another one by the hand.  Under the village chief’s house, the Child Friendly Village Committee, Health Center and ADRA staff assisted in weighing the children to know their nutritional status and assist with those identified as malnourished.

Mr. Roun then hosted the group at his nearby house and business.  After working with ADRA as an volunteer and then staff member for many years, when the ADRA WatSan project ended in his village, he took over with manufacturing the same quality prefabricated concrete rings and wall parts and installing latrines and wells.  His business has a waiting list going forward several months.
		At the
		ADRA
		Kompong
		Thom
		office,
		more
		community
		activities
		were in
		progress
		and the
		radio
		studio
		open for
viewing and drama team practicing.  Partners from International
Children’s Care orphanage and the also Adventist Church joined.

		As the visitors headed back towards Phnom
		Penh with a second stop in Taing Kork
		villages, Pastor Pen Narith and a church
		planter rode on the bus explaining the next
		activity as they are actively involved as
		literacy council member and supervisor.
			After passing
			a small rural
			Seventh-day
			Adventist
			church in the
			community,
			the group
			arrived to see
a small crowd.  Women had gathered for their weekly Reflect Circle
meeting, their chosen topic of the day was how to raise poultry.
The board members experienced how the meetings start with
discussion around a visual graphic which this day was a drawing
what an ideal poultry raising operation would look like.
The Reflect Circle Facilitators from the surrounding community
joined and were able to share their passion for helping women
learn and grow through the Reflect literacy program.
After a celebration worship time on March 17, the board was shown the history of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Cambodia and then joined in an advocacy visit with a three star general of the Royal Cambodian Air Force.  At lunch the ADRA Asia and Cambodia boards met with ADRA’s staff in Phnom Penh to learn about the other programs in Cambodia.  ADRA Cambodia was very glad for the opportunity to work together with Daniel and Deane, in hosting these new and old friends.