Background

Cambodian people, adults and children alike, have experienced much hardship. Their country (Cambodia), once beautiful and peaceful, has been torn apart by the Cambodian communist revolution supported by the neighboring communist country, who launched an invasion on our country on December 25, 1978 and captured Phnom Penh, Capital of Cambodia on January 7, 1979, with burned buildings, Hospitals, Schools, houses, and destroyed infrastructures. Many Cambodians have witnessed the senseless killing of innocent people and complete destruction of their modern economic and social systems. Those who tried to escape from the killing, starvation, foreign domination and influence, were subjected to horrifying brutality, including robbery, rape and even execution.

In the face of these traumas, the Cambodian people have been psychologically devastated. Even after having been resettled, they still think about and grieve for loved ones who have died or disappeared to place unknown. They are also gravelly concerned by the loss of their nation, and their own identity, now under foreign influence.

Traditionally, the Cambodian society is family-oriented. Buddhism has long been the established religion in Cambodia and it influences every aspect of life. The Monastery is the Soul and the Heart of the Cambodian people. It is the harmonious center of the community, the house of the education, culture, tradition, and Buddhism.