Our Goal: Self Sufficiency

Cambodians are the ultimate survivalists. Most young adults were raised by parents that lived off the land through the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, as the central government was dismantled and struggled to recover. They learned how to catch fish without supplies, dig any kind of snake out of a hole (including cobras), eat any edible plant based fruit and vegetable (including the leaves, stems and roots), and the list goes on. As protein is an essential part of a balanced diet and survival, Cambodians have learned to find protein in everything available. It's not uncommon, even in the booming metropolis of the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, to find a buffet of bugs to choose from, cow poop soup on a menu, or barbecued rat, gecko or snake on a skewer.

There is, however, one protein that all Cambodians grow up eating and is served thousands of different ways...fish. When it rains hard enough, as storm drains fill up for hours, it's not uncommon to see fish in puddles at our Training Center in the suburbs of Phnom Penh. Fish are everywhere and eaten by all. Pastor Mut in Rattanikiri has been hard at work digging and stocking fish ponds with fish from local rivers to help provide for poor communities in rural areas. Other pastors are raising various animals and fish as well as growing fruits and vegetables. If it grows and is edible, chances are one of our pastors or home directors is growing it and our kids are eating it.

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