In the days following the displacement of several hundred communities by the border conflicts between Cambodia and Thailand, Jesuit Service Cambodia (JSC) organised emergency relief operations in Banteay Meanchey Province, working alongside other Jesuit groups like Xavier Jesuit School, Jesuit Refugee Service, and Fe y Alegria (FyA). Rice and other basic food items were provided to 199 families, or 645 people, across three districts:

• Bos Thom Primary School, Malai District: 24 families, 85 people (44 women)
• Ta Pho Pagoda, Svay Chek District: 112 families, 397 people (214 women)
• Sdao Pagoda, Thma Puok District: 63 families, 163 people (89 women)

These locations were identified through on-site assessments and close coordination with school principals, village chiefs, commune leaders, partner organisations, and pagoda abbots. Many of the communities had received little or no aid prior to this intervention.

Three decades of engagement with grassroots communities enabled Jesuit networks to organise a swift but well-discerned response. Fr Manoj Kumar Ekka SJ, JSC National Director; Fr Minh Do SJ, JRS Project Director; and Fr Tuan Nguyen, JSC Finance Director, were present during the relief distribution, assisted by long-time JSC staff members Vicheka Hom and Soun Kim.

The Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang, headed by Msgr Enrique Figaredo SJ, who has shown dedication to serving those in greatest need there for the past 25 years, also mobilised relief through its wide-reaching community networks, supported by the Karuna Battambang Organization (KBO).

In addition to being able to respond urgently to basic needs, these initiatives were also opportunities to assess the situation on the ground. This played out significantly since many news reports had been ambiguous or inconsistent.

The recent Cambodia–Thailand border conflict forced hundreds of families to flee their homes and seek refuge in temporary shelters or with relatives in other parts of rural Cambodia, who themselves also have little to go by. Internally displaced families are currently staying in pagodas, school buildings, and villagers’ homes—often overcrowded and lacking basic facilities. Many of these sites are remote and difficult to reach, but the close collaboration and communication across the Jesuit networks, as well as their shared commitment to the most vulnerable, helped facilitate aid delivery.

Jesuit Service Cambodia also provided donations to the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Department of Social Affairs to distribute essential supplies to other displaced groups across the province. This partnership ensured that aid would reach more families in hard-to-access areas, thereby extending the impact of the emergency response.

While some Jesuit organisations like Jesuit Service Cambodia and Jesuit Refugee Service, as well as affiliates like the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang, are better able to leverage resources for relief goods, other newer Jesuit organisations in Cambodia like Fe y Alegria have also been keeping close watch over the situation, preparing to address longer-term needs, including education for children in camps, should the crisis continue. Jesuits at Xavier Jesuit School in Svay Sisophon, just 40 kilometres from the Poipet border, have also readied their campus to host displaced families should the need arise.

As of this writing, the conditions in the area are no longer as intense as they were in July when the fighting first broke out. The situation remains uncertain, however, and tensions remain high at the border areas despite the 28 July ceasefire. While members of Jesuit Mission Cambodia are hopeful for longer-lasting peace, they remain vigilant and committed to serving those badly affected—all of whom were already living in vulnerable situations of poverty and marginalisation long before this conflict.

Interestingly, beyond the care packages and staple food items, people at the camps have shown deep appreciation for the simple presence offered. FyA Asia Regional Manager Pilar Lopez Dafonte-Suanzes observed how teachers at one of the government schools—now serving as a temporary shelter—were overjoyed to welcome her and FyA Assistant to the Director Rany Phlam, one of their mentors under FyA’s teacher training programme. The teachers did not expect Rany to reassure them at a time when many avoided the conflict zone.

These modest efforts at serving and accompanying those displaced by the conflict have been deeply meaningful. They are concrete ways by which Jesuits and mission collaborators show their commitment to stand with displaced and marginalised peoples, even when other organisations have had to temporarily pull out or halt operations due to the dangers of the situation. Jesuit organisations are prepared to continue serving and accompanying these communities, perhaps even more so, during these difficult times. As Fr Indon Oh SJ, Xavier Jesuit School Director, reminded his staff, “We were sent here to be with the people. We are here for the community. And we are here to stay, even if others will flee.”