Day Three: First Day in Svay Pak

Boarding the van to Svay Pak

Today was an amazing day. It was our first day volunteering with Agape International Missions (AIM) in Svay Pak. We had breakfast, read a devotional, prayed, and got on a short van ride to Svay Pak. Today was a real eye-opening learning experience. Svay Pak is the epicenter of child sex trafficking in Cambodia. This particular area is known for providing pre-pubescent girls for sex. Not only that, if it could get any worse, the brothels in this village cater to sex torture fetishes. Poverty is rampet. I expected to see darkness and dispare. What did I see? Joy. I saw hundreds of joyful children coming to AIM's Bible Kid's Club. Many of these children have or possibly are currently being trafficked. The room was packed with children as young as a three, up to young teens. It was awesome seeing these beautiful children singing and playing in a safe place.

Svay Pak. Picture taken from top floor of AIM's Building

The Kid's Club is one of many community out reaches that AIM uses to impact the root causes of child trafficking. AIM works with the local government to identify children in the sex trade and then rescues them. They shelter them in one of their rehab centers, providing therapy, medical aid, and the love they desperately need. AIM helps reintegrate the girls back into their community with vocational training. If the girls can earn money legitamately, they are seen by others as having value and honor and are not likely to be trafficked again. We toured three such facilities where rescued girls are working in a garment factory, T-shirt screening facility, and a braided jewelry facility. These girls are paid considerbly more than their Cambodian counterparts, and they are treated with dignity and respect. Additionally, AIM is providing K - 3rd grade schooling for children for only $1.50 per child per month. That may sound cheap, but many families cannot afford even that. As many as 80% of the students at the school (about 350 students) are on some kind of financial aid scholarship. This is made possible by people donating to AIM.

Today, I got acquainted with the Lord's Gym. This is another one of AIM's community outreaches. It is a kick boxing gym that is a place where young men can come to train, learn to box, and get mentored by Godly men - their coaches. These young men are jobless, and without intervention, they will likely be enticed to traffic or pimp to make money.

I met Somkan, the head coach, and gave him some new equipment for their gym. The equipment was purchased with your generous donations. We provided three suspension trainers and four super bands. When I showed them what you could do with them, they about lost their minds. I, by the way, have a home gym where I've been training people for the past couple of years. In the video below, you will see me demonstrating a one-leg burpee to Somkan. He thought it was amazing.

 

After training the fighters for a couple hours, we had lunch. All the children and staff at the Kid's Club were fed lunch by AIM. We had a delicious meal of white rice and a clear broth soup with vegetables. I sat at a table with a bunch of young Cambodian boys and girls and had a great time talking about where I am from and ping pong, a passion of many of the young boys in the village. I have a ping pong tournament in my near future. I think I'm going to loose.

Tomorrow we are back in Svay Pak. I am going to be training more fighters in the gym and helping out at the Kid's Club.

What an honor and privilage to be here in Cambodia serving The Lord. I can't thank those that help get me here enough. I'd like to especially thank my wife, Gretchen, who has been an amazing source of support and encouragment every step of this journey.

Clay Cranford