Cambodia.

The Kingdom of Cambodia is in mainland South East Asia and is bordered to the north by Thailand and Laos, to the east and the south by Vietnam, to the west by the Gulf of Thailand.

It is an independent country with a population of more than 7 million people. With a surface area of around 3/4 that of the UK it is not a large country.  Cambodia is divided into 20 provinces and rich in resources, forests, rubber, gems, fish and has considerable potential in tourism.

Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh is the vibrant bustling capital of Cambodia. It is situated at the confluence of three rivers, the mighty Mekong, the Bassac and the great Tonle Sap River.

Despite being rough on the edges, Phnom Penh retains some of its former charm as a relatively leafy city with a nice riverside promenade and numerous beautiful Cambodian wats (Temples) and Palaces. Many consider it to be one of the friendliest capitals in Asia.

Phnom Penh is slowly gaining high rise buildings, traffic lights, and Western style shopping malls, but overall remains one of the most undeveloped capitals in Asia.  Developmentally, it languishes decades behind Bangkok

On its walkable riverfront, lined with parks, restaurants and bars, is the ornate Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum, displaying artifacts from around the country. At the city’s heart is the massive, art deco Central Market.

From N.Ireland to Cambodia.

Its a long way from our home in Newtownards in Northern Ireland to Phnom Penh, Cambodia – over 6,000 miles. It takes around 24 hours for the journey from door to door. The first leg of the journey home is either to Bangkok or Hong Kong. Then a flight to Heathrow, London or, depending on the airline you have chosen, a flight to Doha, Qatar and then to Heathrow. Then we have a flight from Heathrow to George Best Belfast City Airport. It’s a long and tiring journey.

We try to get back to visit Ireland once a year. We try to meet up with our families and all our friends and supporters. We are always keen to share with churches, interested groups and individuals about the work in Cambodia.

Cambodia Population 2016

Cambodia has an estimated population of 16 million with Phnom Penh, a population of 1.4 million, or 2.2 million in the metropolitan area. The next largest city is Battambang, with a population not yet reaching 200,000. 90% of Cambodia’s population is of Khmer (Cambodian) origin, speaking the Khmer language. Around 5% are Vietnamese and Chinese, 1%. It is estimated that 50% of the population is under 22 years old and it is the most female-biased sex ratio in the region.

Over 95% of the population practices Theravada Buddhism, the official religion, with an estimated 4,400 monastery temples in the country. Islam is the main religion of the majority of Malay and Chams minorities in the country, while most Muslims are Sunnis. There are approximately 300,000 Muslims in Cambodia, with about 1% identified as Christian.

The Country.

Some 80% of the population live in rural areas as subsistence farmers. Most family units have their own land, rice crop and livestock. Village houses are built from natural materials such as bamboo and palm leaves, and usually around the local wat (temple).

In the cities, the poor live much like those in the countryside but this is starkly contrasted against the rich middle classes that also inhabit Cambodia’s urban areas. Poor sanitation means infant mortality caused by intestinal diseases is high

WEBSITE UPDATE IN PROGRESS.