Cambodia
Strategically located with borders touching
Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, the Kingdom
of Cambodia is home to over 13 million people,
95% of whom are Theravada Buddhist. The
Christian population is growing rapidly
and the one of the greatest needs is for
the training of pastors and leaders. While
organizations are currently sending people
to provide this training, there is a very
real need for a training center. This center
would enable Camdodian pastors and leaders,
as well as those from neighboring countries
(currently closed to Christian workers)
to obtain the necessary training so vital
to spreading the Gospel.
India
This vast country is home to 1 billion
people whose lives have been governed by
the Hindu caste system for over 3,000 years.
These four castes are said to have come
from Brahma's mouth/head (Brahmin), arms
(Kshatriyas), thighs (Vaisyas) and feet
(Sudras). At the top are the Brahmins, the
priests, who decide what is right and wrong
in matters of religion and society, followed
by the Kshatriyas, who are soldiers and
administrators. The Vaisyas are the artisan
and commercial class, followed by the Sudras,
who are the farmer and peasant class.
Beneath these four main castes is a fifth
group, the Scheduled Castes, who literally
have no caste. Otherwise known as the Dalits,
they are considered to be the Untouchables
and beneath human society and as such, are
assigned the most menial and degrading jobs.
There are over 250 million Dalits in India;
CBC wants to touch the lives of the Dalits
in South India. In partnership with CBC's
GO Partner, Bishop Moses Swamidas of Bible
Faith Mission, the goal is to reach the
unreached and touch the untouchable.
Tanzania
Situated on Africa's East Coast and considered
a Horn of Africa nation, Tanzania shares
its borders with the Indian Ocean, Kenya,
Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the DRC, Zambia,
Malawi and Mozambique. With a current population
of over 37 million people, 70% of whom live
in rural villages, 30% are of Christian
belief (11% active Christians), 35% are
Muslim, and 35& are of indigenous belief.
Tanzania has more thean 130 tribes, four
of which remain unreached by the Gospel.
The Tanzanian culture is harmonious and
based on a subtle but strong social code
of courtesy between Christians, Muslims,
and traditional tribal groups.
While CBC does not currently have GO Partners
in Tanzania, it is a country where God is
clearly working; CBC would like to be a
part of His plan through national workers
such as Bishop Mgullu Kalimba, who founded
Christian Mission Fellowship in Dar es Salaam
in 1995.
The prevalence of AIDS/HIV among adults
in Tanzania is approxiamtely 6.5%, leaving
over 1.1 million AIDS orphans. Sub-Saharan
Africa has just over 10% of the world's
population, but is home to almost 64% of
all HIV infections, with an estimated 21.6
- 27,4 million people living with HIV. In
2005, an estimated 2.3-3.1 million people
in the region became newly infected, and
up to 2.3 million adults and children died
of AIDS-related illnesses.
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