Partnership Program

Mr. Nop Sokha, Staff Mentor and Partnership Program Manager

I coordinate our partnerships with community peacebuilders and organizations. I also provide Conflict Counseling & Mediation services, teach Peace Education courses, and train with the Peace Bridges’ Training Team.

The Cambodian people and I have met so much physical and mental difficulty and our country still suffers from too many years of war. I remember a proverb, “Even fire, turned to ash, makes you black when you touch it.” With the Cambodian situation, we find it is difficult to escape from the ash or coke. The war that has the fighting zone was finished, but the war still continues in our life and in our mind every day by the issues that we face.

We can say that someone is at peace when he is at peace with his body, peace with his mind and peace with his faith. Those with injuries to their body from the war have many difficulties, but they also have many services in Cambodia. But for those whose have injuries to their mind or their heart face great challenges finding help, because these services are still small and not yet trusted. The mental problem of Cambodian people is still alive with us now.

In 2003, I participated in the ‘Conflict Counseling and Mediation’ course provided by Peace Bridges (formerly Christian Peace Building Services or CPBS). Not only did I learn new skills, but I also received healing for myself. Starting with this training, I have had the opportunity to provide this service to other people who need my help. For me ‘Peace Education’ is important because there are many lessons that can coach us to manage anger and support our mental health as we learn to respond to problems peacefully. These reasons encouraged me to work with Peace Bridges in 2004.

In addition to serving as the Staff Mentor & Partnership Coordinator, Mr. Nop Sokha is a member of Peace Bridges’ Management Team and the EFC Executive Committee. He is an assistant Pastor at Light Life Free Methodist Church in Phnom Penh and has many years of experience working in government departments, companies and NGOs.