Wesley Zaidan is engaged in the establishment of a vocational training center for Cambodian youth, in collaboration with the Korean NGO Bridge of Hope, the Scranton Women’s Leadership Center, the United Methodist Church, General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) Asia Office, and the Methodist Church in Cambodia. Construction of the center began in September 2023 and has now been completed. It is officially named “Hope Vocational School.” The opening ceremony was held on October 17, 2024, and three board members of Wesley Zaidan attended the event. 

The center aims to help young people who have been unable to attend school due to poverty and other circumstances secure stable employment and income. 

It does so by providing opportunities to acquire vocational skills—such as barista work, beauty services, computer programming, and practical skills in English and Korean. 

In the summer of 2024, the Mission Service Work Camp was held at the very site, and participants engaged in construction work for the center. Although the floors had not yet been concreted and the staircase was still under construction at the time, the building has now been completed on schedule. The school building has classrooms designed to resemble cafes and beauty salons, where students can learn practical skills. We found a beauty classroom with a plaque bearing the name “Wesley Zaidan” displayed at its entrance.  

At the opening ceremony, young Cambodian men from Project ARK (Advancing Resilient Khmer)—an initiative of the GBGM Asia Office — were invited. Project ARK aims to equip those who have been victims of trafficking and exploitation with construction skills by placing them in the construction industry under the guidance of skilled professionals. These young men had been involved in the construction of the center, and the camp participants worked alongside them. They remembered the participants, showing us photos and sharing their memories. Even while still under construction, the center was already functioning as a place of learning. 

In addition, we visited the following facilities 
 
・A facility for children in an underserved area in Phnom Penh (CSCFO) 
・Susanna Wesley House, a dormitory for female university students 
・A seminary of the Methodist Church of Cambodia 
・A Christian elementary and junior high school in Kampong Chan city 

Through these visits, we realized again that people in Cambodia need various kinds of educational support, including vocational training. 

Wesley Zaidan has three pillars of its mission: Women’s Empowerment, Developing the Next Generation, and Humanitarian Work. The Hope Vocational School project is the intersection of these three pillars. We look forward to the opening of the school next year.