Who we are
We’re Mike and Kirsten Belloni, founders of Love for Cambodia.
Our love for Cambodia began in the summer of 2011 with a short-term mission trip—an experience that redirected the course of our lives.
Just two years after that first trip, we sold our home, left our jobs, and moved to Cambodia for a year of service, living out Proverbs 16:9: “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
With professional backgrounds in education, mentoring, and administration, we spent years working alongside Cambodian teachers and school leaders. During this time, we developed Teach Like a Christian, a Biblical Integration training program designed to equip educators to teach with a Christ-centered worldview. Alongside this work, Kirsten’s background in fine-art photography has shaped our approach to storytelling, documentation, and relationship-building—using visual narrative to honor people, culture, and faith.
Today, we travel between Alaska and Cambodia three times a year, partnering with Christian organizations to provide teacher training through Teach Like a Christian. We currently serve eight organizations, over a dozen schools, roughly 200 teachers, and nearly 3,500 students.
At the heart of Love for Cambodia is a commitment to education, creativity, and long-term partnership—investing in teachers, students, and communities for lasting impact.
What we do
Our work is grounded in faithful service, long-term relationships, and responsiveness to where God leads. Through education, the arts, and everyday acts of care, we serve individuals and communities in Cambodia with compassion and purpose. Our ministry takes shape through teacher training and leadership development, photography-based storytelling, and practical support for individuals and families as needs arise. While each project is distinct, all are rooted in the same calling: to walk alongside others in faithful obedience, using our gifts to serve, connect, and share hope.
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Through Teach Like a Christian, we equip Cambodian teachers and school leaders through consistent training, ongoing support, and intentional follow-up. We partner with seven organizations and twelve Christian schools across Siem Reap, Battambang, Kampong Thom, and Phnom Penh, helping educators integrate faith and learning in their classrooms. Our work includes tailored trainings, mentoring, leadership development, curriculum resources, and annual workshops, supported by Khmer staff and educator teams from Cambodia and the U.S.
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Each January, we lead the Pictures with a Purpose Photography Tour, equipping photographers to use their craft for service, learning, and meaningful storytelling. The tour blends hands-on instruction, cultural immersion, and relationship-centered experiences across Cambodia, emphasizing ethical engagement with local communities. Participants grow artistically while creating images that honor people, place, and purpose.
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This part of our ministry is grounded in everyday faithfulness, responding to the needs God places before us and the relationships He entrusts to our care. We serve in practical ways—walking alongside the elderly, helping provide food, clothing, medical access, and hands-on support for individuals and families as needs arise. Rather than operating within a fixed program, we remain attentive to the Lord’s leading, allowing our work to take shape through presence, service, and compassion.
Why we do this work
Cambodia’s history is marked by both remarkable cultural achievement and profound suffering. From the majesty of the Angkor Empire to decades of war and instability, the nation endured its deepest trauma during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979), when schools were closed, teachers were targeted, and an entire generation of educators and leaders was nearly erased. The effects of this loss continue to shape the country today.
While education and opportunity are slowly rebuilding, many teachers and schools still lack training, resources, and consistent support. Without strong foundations, cycles of poverty, exploitation, and vulnerability persist—particularly for children.
We respond through multiple expressions of service: equipping teachers through ongoing training and mentorship, using photography to honor people and tell stories with dignity, and practicing everyday faithfulness by meeting needs as God places them before us. Whether in classrooms, communities, or through creative work, our focus is on presence, relationship, and long-term impact.
As followers of Christ, we believe service takes many forms but shares one purpose. By investing in education, ethical storytelling, and faithful, hands-on care, we seek to protect, empower, and affirm the God-given worth of each person—planting seeds of hope and healing that will bear fruit for generations to come.
Contact Us
We’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re interested in the Pictures with a Purpose Photo Tour, feel called to assist with teacher training, are prayerfully considering financial partnership, or would like to invite us to speak about a life of service, we welcome you to reach out. We’re grateful for your interest and look forward to connecting.
loveforcambodia907@gmail.com
(907)312-0934
