Families are fleeing violence on the Cambodian border

You may have seen on the news in recent weeks that conflict has broken out along the Cambodia-Thai border between the two countries’ armed forces. 

Innocent civilians have been killed and injured, as homes and temples have been hit by missiles and cluster munitions; and thousands have had to flee their villages to take refuge in temporary shelters further inland.

These are some of Cambodia’s most vulnerable people – families from poorer rural areas that have had to flee their homes and livelihoods at a moment’s notice. Forced to leave behind what little they had and bring only what they could carry on their backs.

And now they find themselves stranded, far from home, in the midst of monsoon season, sheltering from searing heat, blasts of monsoon rain, and gusting winds, underneath temporary tarpaulin shelters and lying atop cardboard mats or just on the muddy ground.

Our ministry partner in Cambodia is already on the ground there with them, delivering emergency food packages to these families in need. These packages contain basic staples – rice, canned fish, and milk – enough to help a struggling family get through the coming days.

To help them cover these costs and continue their critical support for these familes we’ve launched an emergency appeal and we’re looking to urgently raise $3,000.

We hope that this crisis will only be temporary – there are peace talks underway between the two countries and some agreements have been made; but there are still accusations, questions and disputes to be resolved.

In the meantime, these families are still too scared to return home.

“I want to go home,” said one woman at the camp, “but there’s a chance there will be more fighting… and I’m afraid that it will continue.”

And she’s not alone – despite the early peace agreements coming into effect last Thursday, there are reports that more than 170,000 Cambodians remain displaced.

Please join us in both prayer and action:

1. Pray for a peaceful resolution to this conflict, and for it to come soon.

2. Pray for these displaced families, especially the children, as they face terrible living conditions and uncertainty about when they can return home and what they will find there when they do.

3. Give generously today to help feed these families during their time of need!

We pray that there will be a peaceful resolution and safe return for these families. But while diplomatic talks continue, families need food today!

So, if you’re able to give, your support will go directly towards emergency food distribution, helping our partners cover what they’ve already provided and ensuring they can continue this vital work as long as these families remain displaced.