The Children that come to Joy Club live in the slum areas of Phnom Penh. The children grow up in the slums, or live on the streets sniffing glue, stealing, and participating in gangs. Many of these small children work very hard begging for money every single day and will be beaten by their parents if they do not bring back enough money. If they do no get enough money by begging many children begin stealing or gambling to prevent the abuse. Some of these children were formerly trafficked, or used for sexual exploitation for money. These children are all at high risk of being sold for not only sexual abuse, but into forced labor as well. Some of the children have no access to education and are instead in charge of taking care of their other brothers and sisters as their parents have HIV/Aids.
Once the staff addresses the physical needs they start the program with and activity that corresponds with an interactive puppet show and bible story. Then the children have time of worship, games, and crafts. They end with a teaching on health care, hygiene, or some other applicable topic. Once they are dismissed they are sent home with a bag filled with shampoo, soap, milk and two packages of noodles.
These children have heard about Joy Club by word of mouth by other children, or from the frequent visits that are made by New Life Fellowship every week. A team of staff and volunteers visit five different slum areas and have started teaching bible studies a couple of times a week. They are also planning to teach classes on Khmer; teaching the children how to read and write to provide a foundation for the future.
New Life Fellowship’s goal is to help children spiritually, physically, socially and emotionally. They want to teach children to know Christ as their Savior and to raise up strong young Christians. They want to transform the slums by changing the children’s lives through meaningful and consistent relationships with the children and their parents. They dream of one day starting a children’s home to provide a more consistent influence to teach them how to daily live the Christian life. Joy Club provides such a loving, safe, and fun environment for these children that in just four years they have over 200 children coming every week. Fifty of the children come to the children’s church on Sundays mornings faithfully as well.
Children’s Testimonies
1. Mang is fourteen years old and currently believes in Jesus and attends Joy Club every week. Before Mang became a believer he used to steal from his neighbors. While he was at Joy Club he began to feel guilty about stealing and decided to confess to Vemean the leader of Joy Club. Mang became a believer and since then has learned to make better choices and no longer steals. Joy Club has taught him valuable life principals and he loves coming so that he can learn more about Jesus.
2. Mao is ten years old and has already learned the power of prayer. After he became a believer at Joy Club he began to pray that his dad would get a job. The next day God answered his prayers. Mao knows God’s faithfulness and his provision first hand.
3. Srey Sros at twelve years old he has already learned of God’s healing power. She has been coming to Joy Club consistently and after hearing about the love of Jesus has accepted him into her heart. At Joy Club is where she learned that she could talk to God and that He is her friend. She began to pray for her sick mother and her mom was miraculously healed.
4. Joy Club has taught one twelve-year-old boy about God’s faithfulness and his power to heal. His father got into a tragic accident by falling off of a truck and was hospitalized. The boy asked Vimean to pray and both of them prayed together and his father was healed. After witnessing his father’s healing all the boy could to do was sing worship songs and praise to God.
