Our Story
Beginning in 2000 Wes Lindquist and Rick Warren took a medical team into CC1 prison. As they built a relationship with the prison Chief he opened up and told of the awful conditions and asked for some classes that would help bring about moral improvement.
Wes's drive and compassion for Cambodian prisoners became the DNA that PFC still caries today. In serving the needs of these prisoners, they were often asked why they wanted to help the prisoners, this lead to an opportunity to share their faith that compelled their actions.
In 2001 Wes returned to the USA and Linda Chisholm began leading this team of dedicated volunteers. In the same year the team became a Prison Fellowship International affiliate and Prison Fellowship Cambodia was born.
Prison Fellowship Cambodia is the national affiliate member of Prison Fellowship International chartered in 2002.
Prison Fellowship Cambodia registered Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), Royal Kingdom of Cambodia. PFC is also singed MOU with the General Department of Prisons (GDP) of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) as well as the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans, and Youth Rehabilitation.
PFC is one of the long-outstanding supporters to the General Department of Prisons (GDP) across the Correctional Centers and Provincial Prisons since 2000.
The new 2021-2025 strategy for PFC is to re-affirm the commitment of restoring the lives of those affected by crime and imprisonment by holistically addressing their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.
PFC aims to strengthen the governmental actors from the Ministries and Departments of Education and Vocational Training as well as the Ministry of Social Affairs, to become empowered partners and to support in-prison activities. Furthermore, PFC re-focuses on promoting livelihood projects for the families of prisoners so that they will be able to sustain a reasonable standard of living, in the future.
Over the last 20 years, PFC has substantially impacted and restored hundreds of prisoners, their families and especially their children. PFC has a good reputation and is in good standing with the Royal Government of Cambodia at national and sub-national levels and churches involved in prison activities and communities.