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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Mel of Cambodia

The Mel of Cambodia, numbering approximately 3,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a people of Cambodia They are an Indigenous people, in the Mon-Khmer people cluster of the Southeast Asian Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Buddhism - Folk. They primarily speak Mel-Khaonh.

Mel in Cambodia photo
Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Mel

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
Country: Cambodia
People Cluster: Mon-Khmer
Primary Language(s): Mel-Khaonh (hkn)
Primary Religion(s): Buddhism - Folk
Population: 3,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG047855
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Pray for the Mel of Cambodia

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Buddhism - Folk
Religious Affiliation: Buddhism

%
Buddhism - Folk Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Mel-Khaonh
Language Family: Austroasiatic

%
Mel-Khaonh Speakers

Media Resources in Mel-Khaonh:

Films:

No entries found for: Mel-Khaonh(hkn). Help build some!

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Bible Resources in Mel-Khaonh:

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Mel-Khaonh bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

Next steps for the Mel

The Mel are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Mel

The Mel are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Mel

The Mel are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Mel of Cambodia

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
readJohn 14:6

Pray that those who don't know Jesus will recognize Him as the only way to the Father and follow Him in faith.

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
readActs 13:48-49

Pray that the gospel will spread throughout this whole region and that many will believe and embrace the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
readColossians 3:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.
readEphesians 6:18b-19

Ask God to give believers He sends to the lost of this people group the boldness and clarity to proclaim the mystery of the gospel in a way that people can understand.

Mel (ROP3 - 115223) reported in the following countries:

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Definitions page.

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