Drought-Stricken and Desperate for Help

During Cambodia’s brutal, six month dry season, 13-year-old Ratana used to walk 5 miles every day to collect water for his family and their small farm.  The only water source available was a pond inside a Buddhist temple.  Often, he would stop by the shrine to say a quick prayer before leaving the temple.  

For part of the year, Ratana’s parents work on a sugar cane farm: extremely difficult and dangerous work.  When the sugar cane season ends they work their own small rice field.  After several years, they managed to save up enough money to buy vegetable seeds and a small flock of chickens.  They were hoping to not only feed themselves with the investment, but to also sell some of their crops and poultry to make extra money, but after an especially long and hot dry season they lost everything.  The vegetable garden dried up and even the chickens died from dehydration.  And with the lost income, there was no money to pay Ratana’s school fees, and he was forced to drop out.  

“My parents told me that it would be very hard to find a good job if I didn’t get an education,” Ratana told us.  “I really wanted to go back to school!”

To help Ratana’s family, and the whole community, who was also feeling the effects of the draught, CBN dug a well that was free for the whole village!  Now the whole community has a reliable source of clean drinking water for themselves and their livestock.  

“I am so excited and happy to have the new well,” Ratana said, his smiling face, beaming.      

Then, to help Ratana’s family recover what they had lost, we gave them all new vegetable seeds to replant their garden.  We also gave them a new flock of chickens, plus some ducks, and a nice, fat pair of pigs!  The constant supply of water from the new well is helping their little farm to flourish!  Now there is even enough money to send Ratna back to school.  

CBN can more effectively help families like this one by working with local churches in the respective countries.  The family was so grateful for the help that CBN and the local church gave them, they decided to attend the church and see what it was all about.  The family went and heard the gospel, and the Holy Spirit took care of the rest!

“We prayed to become Christians!  I felt so peaceful inside,” Ratana exclaimed with another big grin.  “Now our whole family goes to church together.  I am so overwhelmed!  Thank you, CBN, for everything you have done for us!”