She was the only Cambodian representative at the recent 18th conference of the Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities, held in Bangkok.

Following are her reflections on the conference, the education situation in her country, and how her newly opened St. Paul’s institute is serving Cambodian students:

The conference of the Association of Southeast and East Asian Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU) in Thailand Aug. 26-28 focused on Caring in Truth: Catholic Perspective in Education Challenges. We discussed the issue of care because Catholic educational institutions have to be at the service of the Church. We are called to be guides for young minds and to care for the next generation.

Discussions at the conference were relevant to the situation in Cambodia, one of which was the challenges posed by globalization.

Cultures and traditions are all being affected as economic activities have become more profit-driven with the focus on manufacturing, technology and services.

In many places, the traditional reverence for persons and the human body has disappeared. The person has now become a commodity, and if we can earn money by selling things, then the human body is no different.

We Catholic educators should explore new avenues in serving the truth and in promoting the dignity of the human person.

Here in Cambodia, we see that young people crave for modernity even though their parents don’t have money. For example, they want to study in Phnom Penh because they are attracted to the modern lifestyle and many entertainment outlets in the city.

That is why we opened St. Paul’s institute in a suburban area.

We realize young people here want to study but they don’t have the chance. Most are from farming families. Many drop out after junior high school because it costs lots of money – school fees, study materials and accommodation, food and water etc – for higher studies in the city.

If their families want to support them, they must sell their property such as cows or rice fields. Many thus choose to stay at home and work in the fields with their families.

Because of these difficulties, we are trying to help young people receive higher-level education so they can enjoy more job opportunities.

Here in Takeo, the Catholic Church has a new high school – St. Francis’ – and an institute – St. Paul’s.

Our mission is not only providing skills but also help foster love and a fraternal spirit among students. We also try to teach students solidarity and honesty, which make us different from other schools.

St. Paul’s institute, which started in 2009, has classes of 80 students each in its agricultural science and information technology programs.

The school also provides free hostel accommodation for poor students from other provinces.

After they graduate, they can earn up to US$300 per month, which is good enough to lift them from poverty. With this they can support their parents and siblings, or continue studies in the university.

But we are not free from problems. For example, within the first few months of enrolment, more than 10 students dropped out due to various reasons.

We have not started moral education classes yet. But we talk to students and explain the importance of studying in the local area rather than migrating to the city.

Next year, we are going to teach two more subjects – tourism studies and English language. And we are going to start a weekend course leading to a bachelor’s degree in agriculture.

No related posts.

Photo Samphy

UCAN- A project to encourage villagers to grow their own organic food supply and increase their family income, has been a huge success, Caritas Cambodia says.

“Global warming is causing problems in agricultural production in many areas … Planting vegetables in their gardens provides food security,” said Chai Meng, Caritas’ community empowerment program manager in Kandal province.

The social service arm of the local Catholic Church launched its Home Vegetable Garden project at the start of this year in Kandal Stueng, south of the capital.

So far 19 families are involved in the program, in which Caritas provides technical and financial support, Meng said. Each family’s vegetable plot can measure up to 100 square meters, depending on the amount of land they have. “Many kinds of vegetables such as wax melon, long beans and cabbage are being grown,” Meng said.

Not only can they eat what they grow, they are boosting their income by selling the produce as well, he said. “Their produce is sold in villages and some markets in Phnom Penh and many people are buying them.”

Caritas advises on the proper seeds to use and provides each family with US$25 – US$50 with which to start their vegetable garden.

“We encourage the use of organic fertilizers like compost and natural insecticides,” said Chab Rosekdey, a Caritas official.

“My family’s living standards have improved so much. We have organic vegetables to eat, which do not damage our health,” said Klot Sareth, a 35-year-old villager.

The program has also seen a fewer people migrating to Phnom Penh to look for work, which reduces the risk of human trafficking, Meng said.

Caritas is now planning to help villagers expand the production of organic vegetables on a more commercial scale, he said.

No related posts.

UCAN- The Church in Cambodia says its first ever faith formation program for youngsters during the extended school break was a great success.

“It was important for the Church to teach kids how to live as Catholics,” said Father Nget Viney, the pastor of Kompong Thom in Battambang apostolic prefecture.

Around 230 children 7-18 year old joined the month-long program which ran July 29 to Aug. 21 in Kompong Rothe and Kompong Kor parishes.

Attendance during term-time Sunday catechism classes was not that good, said Father Viney. Sometimes youths came, sometimes they didn’t, hence the need for this program during the long school vacation, he said.

The formation program ran from 7:30am to 11:30am Monday through Saturday. The kids, including several non-Catholics, learned about Jesus’ life by watching movies, Bible reflection, and praying together.

Those who lived far away from the two parish churches stayed in the church compounds to save them traveling every day.

We were surprised so many turned up since the school vacation is a busy time for the children and their parents, Father Viney said. Many children have to help in the rice fields, so “we had to ask permission from their families to let them come and attend.”

“It was an enjoyable experience despite the church not having enough teaching materials,” said student, That Sreymom.

“However the teachers did their best and were good role models for us,” he said.

It was good so many parents let their children come, said Nouet Diet, a catechism teacher. “The example we adults set, especially parents, is very important for faith formation in children.”

No related posts.

Cambodian young people

UCAN- A Church-run leadership camp for young Cambodians has given them a greater sense of self-worth and team spirit, say participants.

“I learnt to be more confident, to be responsible, to forgive others, and to enjoy working with other people,” said Chhor Sampho, 17, who attended a recent Maryknoll-run Youth Camp in Kep, southern Cambodia.

Sampho was one of more than 100 Cambodians aged 16-18 who attended the Aug. 13-15 camp. Most of them were beneficiaries of Maryknoll projects in the country, including some with HIV.

“When I am here, I feel that I am not alone. I can make new friends and they are all kind to me,” said a 16-year-old participant living with HIV and who is receiving care under a Maryknoll program.

“We want to promote our young people to be leaders and people who can take initiative,” said Cosmeden Tan, a Philippine Maryknoll lay missioner and coordinator of the recent camp.

The program aims to build solidarity among participants, who are of various religions, and teach them values such as love and forgiveness, she said.

Participants took part in group sharings and projects and also played games together during the camp.

Tan said it is hoped that the program, which is held annually, will help the youths identify their own goals and mission in life.

No related posts.

LaValla School located in Prek Reang village

UCAN- A primary school run by Australian Marist brothers outside Phnom Penh is giving disabled young people hope for a better future.

“If this place did not exist, I might have been a beggar on the streets,” said 22-year-old Chaim Put Kieng, a student of LaValla School located in Prek Reang village.

Eighteen-year-old Bun Saophear, a polio victim, echoes his views.

“Here, I have hope for life, food to eat, clothes to wear … so I need to study hard to show that my disability does not prevent me from doing what others can do,” said the sixth-grader.

Students at LaValla School

LaValla School was established in 1998 for Cambodians suffering from disabilities. Ninety mostly teenage students now live and study in the school. Many suffer from polio, others have mild cerebral palsy or are amputees who had stepped on landmines.

The school aims to give them a future through education and training programs, said director Brother Terry Heinrich at a recent ceremony to mark a term break.

Another important goal is building up self-confidence, he said.

“Knowledge is one thing but confidence is very important. We know it is a great struggle for handicapped youths to get a job in Cambodia where even able-bodied people find it difficult to do so.”

The Marist brothers also have a program to support students through high school and university, provide them with vocational training, or help them look for jobs through an NGO called Yodifee.

There are seven students being supported through university presently, said Brother Heinrich.

Kieng says he is encouraged by some LaValla graduates who are able to secure jobs but he also realizes there are many who find it difficult to do so.

The LaValla program has support from overseas and organizations in Cambodia such as the Jesuit Service Cambodia and the Maryknoll Missioners.

No related posts.

Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler (middle)

UCAN- A rural parish in southern Cambodia, with only 99 members, has set up a women’s group and a new Marian grotto.

Some 200 guests, including Buddhists, attended a celebration on Aug. 8 to mark these developments in Our Lady of the Smile Parish in Chamkar Tieng village, Takeo province.

The parish was set up in 1997.

Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, coadjutor apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, blessed the women’s group and grotto during the celebration.

The newly formed group comprises 16 women who clean the church and also cook for students of St. Francis High School, which the parish runs, as well as visiting priests.

“We hope to be a model to other women around us,” said Moung Sopheap, 27, a women’s group leader.

The main achievements of the parish have been education for children and youths, and building good relations with the majority Buddhist people of the village, said Kol Cheang, 56, the first person in the village to become a Catholic.

He is now a leader in the parish committee.

Cheang recalled when he became a Catholic, “the people here asked me why I had to adopt the religion of the Vietnamese.”

Most Catholics in Cambodia are ethnic Vietnamese.

“But I tried to explain and show my faith through my action,” said Cheang. “I started a small prayer group in my house and we got a priest to come once a month.”

The parish’s 99 Catholics now attend monthly Mass at the church and also come here every day for prayers.

Other villagers are now also joining them for prayers, said Cheang.

The parish presently runs a kindergarten as well as the St. Francis High School, which aims to reduce the number of young people leaving the village to study and look for work, Cheang said.

No related posts.

Child Jesus Parish in Phnom Penh has since October 2009 been working with Italian NGO Il Nodo to train orphans and youths from poor families in silver and bronze work.

Eight students, aged 17-25, are now learning to make Khmer-style bracelets, necklaces, pendants and hairpins on weekdays.

The project is not only to provide marketable skills to disadvantaged youths but also to help them imbibe a love of Khmer art, said  Father Ghezzi Mario, the parish priest.

Poor youths learn how to make Khmer jewelry

“Metalwork is an easy skill that can be learned by anyone, even if they are uneducated. What it requires is effort and lots of practice,” said teacher Such Thinyi.

She said it would take one to two years for the students to be qualified craftsmen.

“Not many Cambodians are interested in learning these skills but there is a market for them,” said student Lun Panna. “So this is my chance,” said the young man who dreams of opening his own arts and crafts shop.

The training is also relatively easy, says Sien Vannak, 23, the only woman on the course.

In addition to metalwork training, the parish also provides literacy classes “because some of our students don’t know how to read and write Khmer,” said Father Mario.

He said the parish also plans to hold painting and carpentry classes in the future.

No related posts.

Peace dancing performed by a group from Ta Hen Parish

UCAN- The Cambodian government should sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions as these devices continue to kill people, say participants at an event marking the convention becoming international law.

“I want our world free from cluster bombs,” said Youen Sam En from Kratie province in northeastern Cambodia. “All governments should sign this convention, especially countries that produce” these devices, he said.

Sam En, who lost his arms and eyes in 2004 to a cluster bomblet, was one of hundreds who gathered at the Jesuit Refugee Service, Cambodia center in Siem Reap for the Aug. 2 event.

Participants, who included Buddhist monks, NGO representatives, cluster bomb and landmine victims, were celebrating the convention becoming international law the day before.

The convention prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions. Cambodia is not among the 108 countries that have signed this convention. Of those that have signed, 38 have ratified it.

The Cambodian government should sign the convention, said Buddhist monk Venerable Loun Sovath.

After decades of civil war, Cambodia still has many landmines and other unexploded ordnance that continue to kill people daily, he said.

The Catholic Church has been very active in the campaign to ban cluster bombs, said Monsignor Enrique Figaredo Alvargonzales, apostolic prefect of Battambang. “I hope Cambodia will sign [the convention] in the future.”

He said the convention becoming international law is “a step toward peace-building.”

Event coordinator Sister Denise Coghlan said she will continue to campaign for Cambodia to sign the convention.

She will do this with the help of the Cambodian Red Cross and also lobby for it at the convention’s First Meeting of States Parties in Vientiane Nov. 8-14, she said.

No related posts.

Mr. Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch

UCAN- Thirty-five years in jail for a former Khmer Rouge prison chief found guilty of murder, torture and crimes against humanity is simply too short, say Catholic Cambodians.

“Duch should be in jail for his whole life,” said Eung Try, 60, whose six brothers and sisters died during the regime’s brutal 1975-1979 rule in Cambodia.

Duong Savong agreed. “Compared to other criminals, Duch’s verdict seems too short,” said the catechist.

Sixty-seven-year-old Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, and the former chief of the infamous Tuol Sleng or S-21 prison, was sentenced by a joint UN-Cambodian court today.

He was found guilty of war crimes and causing the deaths of more than 14,000 people.

“I think justice has been meted out to him and the victims,” said Salay Sangkhem, 58, whose family members died during the regime’s rule.

“It is an international court with Khmer and international prosecutors, so I think the verdict can be accepted.”

Duch was arrested by Cambodian authorities in 1999. At that time, he reportedly claimed to be a “born-again” Christian. He was formally charged and detained on July 31, 2007.

His trial was the first international tribunal on atrocities committed under the regime.

About 1.7 million people died from starvation, torture and in labor camps during its rule.

Other Khmer Rouge leaders awaiting trial are Nuon Chea, former president of the National Assembly; Khieu Samphan, former head of state; Ieng Sary, former foreign minister; and Ieng Thirith, who was in charge of social welfare under the Khmer Rouge.

No related posts.

UCAN- The many Cambodians dying daily from unexploded ordnance is one reason why the country faces development problems, says a Buddhist monk.

Religious and civic leaders must fight for a universal adherence to the UN Mine Ban Treaty, which came into force in 1999, says Venerable Vy Sovechea.

Leaders must also work toward supporting landmine survivors and the clearing of unexploded ordnance, said the monk at a July 23 gathering in Samlot, a district in western Cambodia heavily affected by landmines due to past civil war

Public pressure on governments to ban and destroy landmines is crucial to their eradication, he told the 500 people at the event, which aimed to spread awareness of the dangers of unexploded ordnance.

People disabled by landmines were among those present at the gathering, which saw the participation of NGOs such as the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS),  Buddhist monks, teachers, students, police and social activists.

Cambodia is one of 156 countries that ratified the Mine Ban Treaty, which came into force on March 1, 1999.

However, Cambodians still continue to be affected by these devices. From 2007 to June 2010, 1,025 people were reported killed or injured by unexploded ordnance.

The recent gathering allowed victims to share their thoughts on what has been accomplished as well as the challenges ahead, said JRS official, Kosal Sang.

JRS has been involved in landmine awareness activities since 1994 “and today we are working with other partners … to eradicate the danger from these killing devices,” said Sang, who is also Cambodian representative to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

In order to integrate victims into society, JRS has organized vocational training programs, wheelchair production and non-formal education services, said Sang.

No related posts.