Wat Preah Yesu

Wat Preah Yesu, វាត្តព្រះយីស៊ូ is a children's orphanage, school and church located outside the town of Siem Reap in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. As of January 2007 it cares for around 120 children. Many of the children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS, and some of them suffer from the syndrome themselves. The orphanage is run by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The children are grouped into "families" of up to 16 children together with a married couple who serve as "house parents". As of January 2007 there are four duplex houses, with a total of eight planned for the future, which will allow for the accommodation of 250 children. The title is in the Khmer language of Cambodia, where "wat" means temple, "preah" means sacred and "Yesu" means Jesus; with an overall meaning of "Jesus pagoda". [ [http://www.tagnet.org/saltministries/about.htm about ] ] The school is known as the Cambodia Adventist School-Kantrok and is situated on the same property. Accommodation is also given to a small number of boarding students who have a home elsewhere.

History

The 19 hectare property was purchased in March 1996 for US$ 10,000. A health center operated for several years but was closed due to government/council regulations.

Staff and volunteers

The staff at Wat Preah Yesu are considered volunteers, and include teachers, house parents and general staff. The leaders Tim and Wendy Maddocks are Australian citizens. Groups from Marienhoehe College [http://www.marienhoehe.de/seiten/startseite.php] in Darmstadt, Germany; and the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists [http://www.collegedalechurch.com/home.php] at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee have regularly contributed voluntary service. In December 2006 a team from Avondale College in Australia also provided volunteer service.

In December 2007/January 2008, a team of 40 volunteers from [http://www.kellyville.org.au Kellyville Seventh-day Adventist Church] in Sydney, Australia attended the orphanage and helped complete the construction of another house. The team raised $50,000 to help pay for building materials with excess funds being used to purchase an additional generator and much needed everyday items for each home.

References

* http://www.tagnet.org/saltministries/orphanage/index.htm
* http://www.tagnet.org/saltministries/about.htm