The Don Bosco Foundation of Cambodia is a non-profit organisation whose aim is to give educational opportunity to young people living in extreme poverty and facilitate the schooling of marginalised children. It’s run by the Salesians, a worldwide religious congregation of men and women founded in 1891 by an Italian priest, Don [Father] Bosco.
Over 100 years on, the Salesians of Don Bosco are established in Cambodia to provide technical education, vocational training and social support to marginalized youth and impoverished children. Based in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Poipet, Kep and Battambang, they operate kindergartens, technical schools, orphanages, and outreach programmes focused on skill development.
DON BOSCO AGRICULTURAL & TECHNICAL SCHOOL
The school is based outside Battambang is a good example. It offers a two year course covering Machinery, Electricity and Welding. In addition, the students study technical English, computer skills, technical drawing, graphics, agricultural planning and morality.
The Head Teacher for the last 15 years is Mr Thoeun Senghai, an amiable and obviously very competent man, who visits all prospective students at home in their village before accepting them on the course.
About 80 students apply each year of whom only half get a place. All the students are sponsored by foreigners but the families have to contribute something, eg: $50 or 200 kilos of rice which goes to support the student community.
There are only four teachers here, each specialising in one skill. Don Bosco School is the only facility in the area offering such a comprehensive,
across -the-board training: as Mr Haiee pointed out, “agricultural mechanics require all the skills, not just one”.
After the first year, students may specialise in one skill: currently both our Support Cambodia-sponsored students are specialising in Electricity.
On graduating, students receive not only a qualification from the School but also a government certificate and a guarantee to secure their first paid job. Because of their excellent company connections, the Don Bosco School has a 100% employment rate for their graduates!
Great care is taken to place students as near to their home area as possible so they can continue to support their families.
Training provision includes a large workshop, classrooms, dining room, sports facilities, rice fields, greenhouse, ponds, rice mill and composting area. There is also a hostel for those students whose homes are far away. Mornings are spent in the classroom studying theory and the afternoons are for practical work.
Over the last four years, Support Cambodia, through the Bob Maidment Educational Support Fund has helped sponsor 6 students at Don Bosco, two of whom have graduated and are working, two are coming to the end of their course and two left early because they were called up to the Army. Bob would be delighted to know the charity has been able to help these young people. We hope to continue sponsoring students at Don Bosco.
There is also a Don Bosco School in Phnom Penh. Going forward, Support Cambodia hopes to be able to sponsor some boys in this location as an alternative to Battambang.
DON BOSCO SALESIAN SISTERS
The Salesian Sisters came to Cambodia in 1992 to help the reconstruction and development of the country after Pol Pot. The Sisters saw the need for education, youth development, primary education and skills training , especially for children and young women.
At present the Sisters are based in Battambang [pictured below ]and Phnom Penh, running three Vocational Training Centres for Girls, four Kindergartens, two Elementary Schools and one High School for grades 7 -11.
One such course is FOOD TECHNOLOGY AND HOTEL SERVICES (FTHS)
This is a special 2 year vocational education training course in Phnom Penh which prepares girls to work in the best hotels and restaurants.
These girls, mostly between 17 and 22 years old, come from poor families in different provinces. Most of them also live at the centre because it’s too far to go home. Every year there are approximately 65 students, who learn different skills: cooking, dining service, housekeeping, baking and flower arrangement.
You can read more about the course at http://www.salesiansisterscambodia.com/p/teuk-thla-hfm.html
Currently, Support Cambodia are sponsoring our first student here. Her name is Srey An and she’s doing very well! Hopefully, we will have more students here in future.
