Using business as missions to transform lives

pastors were not adequately supported by their members, who were mostly subsistence farmers. Consequently, the pastors needed supplementary income to feed their families.

BAMBOO, which stands for Business

As Missions, Blessings, Outreach and Opportunities, was started in June 2013 by a group of members and pastors from various Methodist churches in Singapore. It was incorporated as a wholly private entity. The founders were on the lookout for a specific project that BAMBOO could channel its resources and collective knowledge to.

Cambodia was selected as the country most suited for the launch of BAMBOO’s services. At the time, the Methodist churches in Cambodia planned to set up The Methodist Church in Cambodia (MCC). However, during the interim period of setting up the provisional body, there was an urgent call to help improve the livelihoods of the church pastors. These

A team from BAMBOO began to travel frequently to Kampong Speu and Siem Reap to train the church leaders and members to start small businesses and teach them about tithing. Subsequently, the Cambodians submitted proposals for business projects to support their livelihood. The BAMBOO team would assess the proposals and approve the most feasible and sound ones for microloans. Chicken farming, a business with low barriers to entry, topped the list. We saw good potential to improve yields in chicken farming by getting the farmers to use electric incubators instead of allowing broody hens to incubate their eggs. Vegetable and tapioca farming were also popular proposals.

Visiting a Kampong Speu farmer’s home, which also serves as a house church on Sundays

From July 2016 to October 2018, we also sponsored a project that created good social impact through sewing classes for single or underprivileged mothers. Thereafter the General Conference WSCS stepped in to fund the sewing classes.

One of the most poignant experiences from our trips to Kampong Speu was when we visited Madam "SD" (using only her initials) in a desolate part of the countryside. The first thing that struck us was the makeshift thatched hut which she and her young daughter called home. It was kitchen, bedroom and chicken roost all at the same time. Her husband had lost one leg in a landmine incident and was working in a different province. She requested BAMBOO for a small loan to do chicken farming. To her credit, she completed her project diligently and repaid the loan in June 2019, less than a year after taking the loan. I have been told she is worshipping in Kampong Speu Methodist Church. Praise be to God!

From our visits, we have seen that vegetable and fruit harvest time is when more casual workers have to be hired. This creates opportunities to share the gospel.

Although we are unable to communicate in Khmer, we could involve the Cambodian pastors in such outreach.

We thank God for his leading and protection, especially when travelling in the countryside during the monsoon season. We would also like to acknowledge the kind cooperation of the staff of the Methodist Missions Society in Phnom

Penh and the staff of the Methodist School of Cambodia. We also thank President Lun Sophy, President of MCC, for his insights and counsel.