Cadence Foreign Ministries
Cambodia: Most corrupt country in the world
News source: Reuters, 06 Dec 2004
Although corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) does not yet survey Cambodia, a recent World Bank study using TI’s methods and analysis found the graft (corruption) situation to be worse than in Bangladesh, normally TI’s worst offender.
So how do we help a country like Cambodia overcome its corruption? The World Bank reports that many countries are trying to give financial aid but are holding back that money because government, police, and military officials are pocketing aide resources.
Cadence International believes that part of the solution is to provide professional, spiritual, and leadership training for these Christian officials. With the new freedom of worship in Cambodia there are now an estimated 600 believers within the government, police, and military.
Cadence International began with ministering to American military families 50 years ago. There are 4 million men and women in our U.S. armed forces and we love these families who are willing to sacrifice themselves in service to our nation. With hospitality as our hallmark, we open our homes worldwide outside military installations and provide a home-away-from-home for these men and women.
In 1992 we began reaching out to Asian militaries as well. Because of the close ties in Asian nations between the government, police, and military we expanded our focus to include all three. We believe that there are three strategic reasons that these officials hold the key to breaking the cycle of corruption:
- They are the most powerful people in their cultures.
- They are the “door openers” in their cultures.
- They have the widest networks of social influence in their cultures.
We have been implementing a service oriented, evangelistic strategy that includes professional development seminars, English classes, and social relief programs in order to begin ministries of evangelism and disciple-making. We have seen that, through these men, we can reach to all sectors of their societies. In December, 2004 I taught a leadership training seminar in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Three generals, a couple of colonels, and some police captains were in attendance as we studied about Nehemiah’s faith and trust in God in a broken city full of broken people. Nehemiah stood strong and rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in the face of much opposition and corruption. This story is repeating itself in these Asian countries through government, police, and military believers. They believe that God has called them to change their countries and that their positions of power that were once used for corruption can now be used for good and so do we.
For more information on how to get involved, contact Paul Bradley: paul.bradley@cadence.org
