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Dressed in neat uniforms, 520 children stood in perfect rows in front of their new school. When Samaritan’s Purse staff and guests arrived for the dedication ceremony, nearly 2,000 community members had lined the streets, smiling as the trucks passed by.

For the village of Oandong, a poor community on the border of the Banteay Meanchey province, the construction of the school has a two-fold meaning. It represents the hope of a brighter future for the community’s children, and redemption from a violent past.

The school was built from the remains of an old building used by the Khmer Rouge, a brutal Communist regime founded by Pol Pot that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. More than 2 million Cambodians were killed during their reign of terror.

“The pain of the past is gone, and we have a new school for the children to learn and grow,” said a teacher who has been living in Oandong for 28 years.

A pastor from a nearby church prayed a blessing over the school. Having a representative of the Christian community at the opening ceremony was a significant opportunity to show the love of Jesus Christ and His special concern for children.

A student named Dew Jan Ly expressed thanks to Samaritan’s Purse on behalf of his classmates.

“We love our new school, and we promise to learn very hard,” he said. “We will take good care of this school.”

As Samaritan’s Purse-Cambodia plans for the construction of another new village school near the Cambodia-Thailand border, the journey of giving children hope for a better future continues.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, NIV).