Southeast Asia consists of two geographic regions: Mainland SoutheastAsia: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia, and Maritime Southeast Asia: Brunei, East Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore.
In these regions there is well over half a billion people, most of whom live without the material benefits that we in the west enjoy. But more importantly, 80% do not enjoy the blessings of knowing Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
Southeast Asia is also home to hundreds of ethnic minorities, each of which has its own customs, dialects and traditional dress. Getting the perspectives of local people is recognised as the most successful method of determining what works well and what doesn’t. It also tends to make international aid efforts more effective and more accountable. Part of the success of my* mission is due to the time spent identifying good local partners and maintaining effective relationships with them.
By using people in the local communities the context is better understood and the response is faster and more effective. While working through local partners is intended to increase the speed of emergency response and support local capacity and ownership, long-term success is achieved through effective partnerships that are built on trust and respect. This is a hallmark of the work of my* mission.