The Cambodian Genocide Still Affects Adventist Education - and a Plan to Help
By Tim Maddocks, missionary to Cambodia for 30+ years
In the 1970s, a communist group called the Khmer Rouge wanted to take Cambodia back to what they described as “Year Zero.” Back to the time before technology, when the whole country was farming.
The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, fought the Cambodian government for about 5 years. When they eventually took over the country, they began to exterminate all the educated people. Anybody who wore glasses or could read was considered educated, and because they were educated, they were a threat.
This genocide went on from 1975 to 1979. Much of the country's infrastructure was destroyed. Schools no longer really existed. About 1/4 of the population died,
The Khmer Rouge even went so far as to invite Khmer people from France and other countries to return to help redevelop the country, and when they arrived, they were rounded up and slaughtered. The Khmer Rouge wanted to make sure Cambodia wouldn’t go back to being an educated country.
The Vietnamese took over in 1979 and pushed the Khmer Rouge to the borders, and a civil war continued until 1998.
With all the educated people killed, that meant the country really wasstarting again from Year Zero as far as the school system was concerned.
Tim and Wendy Maddocks
Many of the teachers were very poorly paid and poorly educated. When my son Caleb attended a government school in the late 1990s, he often came home about 20 minutes after school started because his teacher was absent or came drunk and told the kids just to go home. He would frequently only get three to four days of education a month.
Over the years, people have been graduating. They’ve been teaching new teachers, but there is still a shortage in the government schools, and classes continue to be overcrowded, sometimes up to 60 kids in a class.
Adventist Education in Cambodia
The Adventist church restarted in the country in 1994. We’ve been converting people from Buddhism, most of whom were farmers, and many were illiterate. With the schools we’ve had, we’ve been educating Adventist young people. Some have been able to go outside the country and get teacher training. But it’s been a slow process.
In 1999, we started our school as a literacy school for the poorest of the poor. It’s now K-12 and bilingual, and we have included teacher training as part of the senior high school curriculum to train our own teachers.
Students at an assembly in Tim and Wendy Maddocks’ school in Siem Reap Cambodia
Cambodia has 130 Adventist churches, but only 12 Adventist elementary schools and six high schools (two are boarding academies).
Government schools require students to attend school on Saturdays. Some students can take Saturdays off, but in most schools, they will fail if they don’t attend on Saturdays.
The current Adventist schools, especially the high schools, can only enroll a fraction of the Adventist kids who need an Adventist education. It’s imperative that we have schools for them so they don’t have to go to school on the Sabbath.
Every Adventist Child Should Have Access to an Adventist Education
By Hannah Jobe
God has laid a burden on our hearts to help every Adventist child in Cambodia have the opportunity to attend an Adventist school, where they will not be forced to choose between following God and getting an education.
Our goal is to open:
130 Evening Schools,
40 Elementary Schools, and
10 Boarding Academies
to provide education, food, and a path for children to become workers for Christ.
This large, long-term vision will require significant time, resources, and people. We are still in the early stages of development, and we covet your prayers as we seek God’s direction and provision for this mountaineous task.
Phase 1:
Start evening schools in Cambodian churches
Evening Schools help provide free healthy meals and tutoring to Adventist and non-Adventist children and are a simple way to lead non-Christian families to Jesus. We can hold them inside existing churches so that the only expenses will be teachers, supplies, and food. We are still researching the costs, but an early estimate is around $20 per child monthly.
Further development of a teacher training program:
Because of the teacher shortage caused by the Cambodian Genocide, we need to train our own teachers to serve in these new schools (more than can be currently provided by Tim Maddocks’ high school teacher training).
We are currently sponsoring seven students to receive education degrees at an Adventist college. We are also in the early stages of developing a training program that will especially provide teaching education to the future elementary school teachers.
Phase 2 and Onward:
Build elementary schools:
These will be small schools located near churches. We will need to make plans, buy property and build these schools. In working with Cambodian church leaders, we are told that an eight room school building and land will cost an estimated $250,000.
Build more boarding academies:
Located in strategic areas, these schools will be larger to accommodate students who don’t have Adventist high schools near their hometowns.
They will allow us to give the students morning and evening worships and Bible classes, feed them a healthier diet, teach them about vegetarian living, and help them understand the Adventist lifestyle. With a true education focus, these schools will educate the students in academics, practical, and ministry subjects that will train them to reach their people for Christ.
In working with Cambodian church leaders, we are told that purchasing land and building classrooms, dormitories, cafeterias, meeting halls, etc. will cost an estimated $800,000 each.
How you can help:
As already mentioned, please keep this vision for Cambodia in your prayers Though Jesus may come before it is entirely realized, we pray that God will enable us to do what we can for the precious people of Cambodia while it is day (John 9:4). We know that with His leading, these schools can be a tremendous blessing to Adventist families and help many bring many others into the Kingdom.
If God is inspiring you to support this goal of Adventist education for every Adventist child, here are a few ways you can help:
Help dedicated young people become leaders of the next generation for Christ.
Help provide seed money for startup expenses like purchasing plates, utensils, pencils, and hiring teachers.
Help Adventist kids from poor families to attend Tim and Wendy Maddocks’ school for free.
Help with property purchase and development.
Help with property development and building as well as other needs.
As always, 100% of your donation will go toward your specified project and will not be diverted for administrative or other uses.