JLMM Mother's Center Opening

There are several lay mission groups working in Cambodia. Maryknoll Lay Missioners has the largest numbers but the Japan Lay Mission Movement has been increasing their presence in the last few years. Today they had a formal opening and blessing of a new center for young mothers who have lived and work on a large dumpsite on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

The project to give employment and a steady income to young mothers is very much a part of the Catholic church's ministry in Cambodia and so Bishop Olivier was invited to offer a blessing for the new building which will be a center from which the young mothers will work. Many friends of JLMM from the local Japanese community also attended. Every civic function in Cambodia must start with the national anthem. Usually it is the same tape recording that is ubiquitous in Cambodia but the staff at the mothers' center had taught the anthem to their children who sang it with real gusto for a pleasing change of routine. Miyuki Asano is a fine young Japanese lay missioner, low-key and in the background, but really committed and the driving force behind JLMM's presence in Cambodia. Bishop Olivier said a few words to the assembly before offering a blessing upon the new center building and all the staff. He worked in Japan as a seminarian so he repeated his remarks in Japanese to the delight of the Japanese visitors. The site of the center is on the edge of a dumpsite which was officially closed a year or so ago. When the dump was closed, the many mothers and children who used to make a living from picking through and recycling the garbage were without an income so Miyuki developed a program of selling food on the streets from a fleet of carts. The new building has a large kitchen for preparing food, offices, and workrooms and rooms for the children. The project started selling various types of fast food in carts several years ago. One of their best creations is rotty, a thin fried-bread-like creation containing powdered chocolate drink mix and sweetened condensed milk. It is quite good! A newer product, one which generates more income and profit, is ice cream in cones. Miyuki talked to a famous ice cream producer in northern Japan and he came to Cambodia and taught the women to make a Cambodian copy of his popular treat. These are three of the women, young mothers, in the program, smiling because they have someone who cares about them and helps them with steady employment for their families' survival.

Go to Cambodia Church page
Go to Charlie Dittmeier's home page