Wednesday, July 15 at 12:00 noon via ZOOM

Patrick Booth is a United Methodist missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries serving as the co-director of Project ARK (Advancing Resilient Khmer).

With a background in counseling, Mr. Booth has worked with young adults dealing with substance abuse and has provided adaptive skills for adolescent refugees. He enjoys building rapport and strengthening relationships with the community. He has participated in mission trips to Latin America and Africa, as well as serving with Asian refugees in Texas. He has compassion for those transitioning and taking steps toward healing from human trafficking and other issues.

Human trafficking is a worldwide epidemic and a grave violation of human rights. Cambodia is a source, transit and destination country for men, women and children subjected to forced labor, forced marriage and sex trafficking. Its human-trafficking problem is rooted in economic vulnerability, exacerbated by environmental and educational realities, and encouraged by cultural pressures. Cambodian adults migrate to their regional neighbors of Malaysia, Thailand and China, as well as to the Middle East, in search for higher-paying jobs and alternatives to subsistence farming.

Many survivors of human trafficking return to Cambodia having incurred extensive debt. Project ARK's mission is to tackle poverty as a culprit of human trafficking by equipping and restoring livelihood and dignity through the construction trade while introducing quality, affordable family homes into the Cambodian real-estate market.

As a missionary with Project Ark, Mr. Booth's task is to work with other missionaries from Global Ministries and partner agencies, the Methodist Church in Cambodia and local leaders to provide leadership and supervision for the endeavor.

See https://umccambodia.org/ark/ to learn more about Project Ark.