Cambodia

Cambodia is a country where FIDR first established its overseas office in 1996 to actively engage in social development activities.

About 1000 years ago, Cambodia was home to the flourishing culture of the Khmer Empire, with vast territories and magnificent structures like Angkor Wat and sophisticated irrigation systems. However, today Cambodia is one of the most economically underdeveloped countries in Asia. The prolonged civil war from 1970 to 1990s continues to cast a profound shadow over the nation.

In particular, the Khmer Rouge regime, which aimed to achieve communism through a reign of terror from 1975 to 1979, had a significant impact. The regime rejected science, technology, and monetary economy, instead attempting to build the nation through forced agricultural labor. Intellectuals, teachers, doctors, and others from the educated class, as well as merchants and industrialists, were targeted for execution. Additionally, it's estimated that during this period, around 1.7 million people, approximately 20% of the population, lost their lives due to starvation, disease, and other atrocities.

The end of the civil war was reached in 1991. Since then, there has been gradual progress towards political stability. However, the loss of talents and professionals across various sectors remains a significant obstacle to the country's development.

FIDR focuses particularly on supporting children's lives and growth, centering its activities around fields such as healthcare, nutrition, and education.