Punlok Thmey Men is our outreach to young men in the male brothels of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. These men were just like you and me-doing the best they could to provide a living for their families. They once came to the big cities in hopes of making it big, but those plans were somehow derailed, and the big cities led them down this much darker path of shame, secrecy and pain.

Punlok Thmey Men offers these guys a way out of the darkness. Through our English programs, our Friday Fun Days, and lots of just hanging out and building relationship, these young men are regaining their dignity and finding love and acceptance they have never experienced before. Some of the men in our program still live in the brothels but come to us daily, and others have decided to leave the brothels of their own volition and join our employment program. No matter what stage of life these young men are in, they can walk into Punlok Thmey Men and be part of a family.
Our employment program offers men a new lease on life through two different businesses in partnership with our professional friends in the US. Right now our guys are training hard to open a restaurant in 2017 and a hair salon in 2018. There is a big buzz around the center as we prepare to launch these men into their dreams.

Relationship is key to restoration, healing, and wholeness in the life of a these men that are exploited sexually! Our staff value relationship with the Men above all programs we offer. It is only through community and relationship that an exploited men will share there story with us. All of our programs exist to further and deepen our relationship with the men, in hopes that they will trust us with their stories, that we may go on the journey of healing and restoration.

HOW WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE

 

Dignity restored. Hope found. Future recognized.

English

Young men come to us in shame and secrecy, employed by several male brothels in Phnom Penh. Their own families often do not know what they do for a living. Their self-worth has been stripped away, and they are desperate for new skills and a new start, daring to hope that there could be life outside of the darkness they live in. The way out of this darkness begins with our English program. The young men want better life skills, so they come to us to learn English. Being able to speak English in Cambodia gives one a certain clout and increases their chances at a higher paying job. At Punlok Thmey Men, the guys come to learn English but gain so much more! They are unconditionally accepted and loved by our staff, and that acceptance and love give them a taste of the freedom they long for.

Discipleship/Life Skills

The young men who come to us from male brothels have never had someone to believe in them. They’ve never known healthy relationship. They’ve never realized the God-given potential, hope and future that lies inside of them. Through our discipleship and life skills program, they are learning that their lives have not ended on the dark road they started on. They are realizing that they belong to God, a God who loves them just as they are. They are practicing problem solving, conflict resolution, financial management and so much more in a warm, loving community that feels like family.

 

Job Training Program

Dignity restored. Hope found. Future recognized. . We show the men a way out of the shame through job opportunities that open up a whole new world to them. Currently we offer two tracks to the men, both hand-chosen by our leaders who were former victims of the sex trade. These two tracks are a career in the restaurant business and a career in the hair salon business. We provide training so that our young men can enter either business at a variety of levels-as a chef, as a stylist, as a dishwasher, as a cleaner. While in our Job training programs they are able to to learn skills that help them to be leaders, dreamers, visionaries, and entrepreneurs.  As our Job Training Program grows, we’ll be able to offer freedom to more and more young men trapped in the lifestyle of the male sex trade.