Trafficking Girls in Cambodia

This is a Hybrid Meeting. Both In-Person and Zoom (when technology cooperates).
For Guests:  Please contact Douglas to receive your invitation that includes the access code to our Monday Zoom meeting.

Rich Boykin 

Hosted by club member, Les Lyman - Rich Boykin on trafficking girls in Cambodia

Topic:  
Trafficking Girls in Cambodia

About the Speaker:

“Richard Botkin is a financial advisor and an old Marine.  He has been involved in medical and dental mission work in Cambodia since 1998. He and his bride of 38 years are the parents of two grown sons.”

“The topic of today’s discussion will center on the work of International Humanitarian Missions (IHM—iHumaneMissions.org), an organization founded by  a group of American Vietnamese medical and dental professionals (Botkin is a member of the founding group) to address the needs of the stateless ethnic Vietnamese population in Cambodia.  In a place where the needs are truly unlimited, IHM is currently focusing its efforts on one village near the town of Kampong Chhnang, located on the shores of the Tonle Sap and within 100km of Angkor Wat, where there are an estimated 300+ families of ethnic Vietnamese heritage existing in extreme poverty.  The greatest need in the immediate and intermediate term is to put a halt to the sex trafficking of the young children in the area.  The longer term solution, of course, is to get these young people a decent primary education which is currently unavailable to them.

The situation on the ground there would be described by most as hopeless: people are close to starving, the Mekong River has been reduced to a trickle by the dams that have been built in the last dozen years, and the fish are dying off.  There are no secure sources of fresh water. The selling of children to meet basic needs is common.

IHM is building a permanent school which will serve joint duty as a medical/dental facility.  It will be open for business in the late summer of this year. IHM is also installing wells to provide water security for the surrounding population.  These projects are fully funded by IHM members and friends.  IHM is in the process of implementing a monthly child-sponsorship program akin to what many Christian and secular organizations do around the world.  Funding for the children will ensure that they will receive a healthy diet, receive basic medical and dental care, and primary education without having to work full-time to help support their families.

The problems really are complex, but hopefully Richard will be able to articulate them and answer your questions in the time allotted.

Thank you for giving us this opportunity.