Stories

Kampuchea people

For decades, Cambodia has carried the weight of a violent past and the scars of systemic poverty. Entire generations were born into a country still reeling from war, foreign occupation, and one of the most brutal social experiments in modern history. When the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975, led by Pol Pot, they envisioned an agrarian utopia inspired by remote hill tribes. These communities were self-sufficient and untouched by money, religion, or modern influence. To replicate this vision, the regime emptied cities, abolished currency, religion, and education, and forced millions into rural labor camps. Families were separated, identities erased. The infamous S-21 prison, formerly a school, became a place of torture and execution for over 17,000 people. Only a handful survived. Even today, the shadows of that time stretch into the present. Many children grow up in marginalized communities, surrounded by poverty and limited opportunities. Access to education, healthcare, and clean water remains inconsistent. Corruption and foreign dependency still influence daily life, creating a cycle that is difficult to break. Yet among broken classrooms, muddy roads, and improvised homes, there is resilience. A child's glance through iron bars, a barefoot step in the dirt, a handmade toy pulled through the floodplain. These images speak not only of hardship, but also of endurance, memory, and the quiet hope that change is still possible.