World Vision (WV) first entered Cambodia in 1970 in response to the government of Cambodia’s international appeals for assistance. WV International President, Dr. Stan Mooneyham, led a convoy of trucks carrying US$100,000 worth of medicine and supplies from Saigon to Phnom Penh.

WV stayed in Cambodia and, in the following five years, carried out various relief and development activities. This included building the National Paediatric Hospital, constructing schools, sponsoring children, building housing units for refugees, remodelling and staffing medical clinics, conducting emergency feeding and distribution programmes for refugees and holding leadership-training seminars for the Khmer Evangelical Church.

During this time, Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge forces continued to widen their control over the countryside. Refugees flooded into Phnom Penh seeking shelter and protection. In April 1975, WV conducted Operation Lovelift, transporting food into the capital city from Bangkok and Los Angeles. Phnom Penh needed 750 tons of food each day to support its surging population.

Cambodian and expatriate staff continued to serve until the siege of Phnom Penh by the Khmer Rouge in April 1975. Subsequently, all expatriates and several national staff member were evacuated. All WV programmes ended. The Deputy Director of WV Cambodia, Minh Tien Voan, elected to stay and was later killed.

In 1979 WV re-entered Cambodia with the Vietnamese overthrow of the Khmer Rouge. Only three of the original 270 WV staff members survived the genocidal Khmer Rouge reign.

The initial focus of WV’s return to Cambodia included meeting emergency needs, assisting in restoring social services, rehabilitating the food producing sectors of the economy and restoring the National Paediatric Hospital which had been used as a torture and execution centre for political prisoners by the Khmer Rouge.

From our early humanitarian relief efforts to today’s integrated, community-driven development approach, World Vision International in Cambodia has remained a trusted partner in the country’s journey of transformation.

Working closely with government institutions, donors, faith leaders, civil society, communities, and children themselves, we focus on sustainable solutions that address the root causes of poverty and vulnerability.

Together, we are helping children grow up healthy, educated, protected, and empowered—building brighter futures and resilient communities across Cambodia.