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Fr Albeiro Rodas's journey, together with a small representation from Don Bosco Kep began on 7 January with the aim of visiting the hilly areas of northern Cambodia, continued in the following days and took the group to the provinces of Ratanakiri, Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey.
After the Mass celebrated by Fr Rodas at the Sisters of Sen Monorom house, the delegation left for the north, crossing over the splendid hilly views of Mondulkiri. These fascinating natural areas have unfortunately been affected by fires and deforestation. "Our hope is that humanity can come to the full awareness that the destruction of Mother Earth for profit and ambition also means destroying humanity itself" the group said, "As Pope Francis says in Laudato Si‘, ‘ the poor suffer more when the Earth is mistreated .’"
The next day, on 8 January, Fr Rodas and his team arrived in the Bokeo district, where they met Fr Ivan Campana, an Ecuadorian priest who also belongs to the Yarumal Association and parish priest of the extensive parish of Ratanakiri. In his work, Fr Campana is accompanied by Korean priest Fr Kim Joon, of the Korean Missionary Society (KMS), and by two Cambodian nuns: Sister Tharin and Sister Lai, of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. In this district, priests have created a kindergarten serving ethnic Jarai families.
Many young Jarai from Ratanakiri and other indigenous groups such as Tampuong, Kreng and others, then joined the Don Bosco Kep Technical School starting in 2011. Among them is Rochom Lvan, a Media Communication student who accompanied Fr Rodas in this experience, helping with video footage. Rochom, in fact, joined the Salesian "Brother Sun" program as a child and is now about to obtain his degree.
The group then moved to the village of Som Kaninh, where they met the family of another young man who is making the trip, Sev Dom, a computer science student. This meeting offered the opportunity to spend the evening in a traditional Jaraihouse, getting to know customs and traditions up close. Already in 2013, Fr Rodas, together with Fr John Visser and Fr Roberto Panetto, had visited this area, almost on the border with Vietnam, to evaluate the offer of a potential benefactor willing to make 10 hectares of land available to the Don Bosco Foundation to build a technical school at the service of young indigenous people. The agreement eventually broke down, but since then many young indigenous people from Ratanakiri decided to join Salesian schools.
The following morning, on 9 January, the small delegation visited the Saom Thom high school in the district of O’Yadao, near the village of Som Kaninh. Here they met the students and explained the opportunities that Don Bosco Kep could offer. The latter is located about 700 kilometres from Ratanakiri, but the Salesians are ready to offer help and support to students in this area who want to study there.
Finally, the group visited the family of the late Brak Khoy, who disappeared on 29 November 2024 at the age of 73. Tha Brak Khoy had participated in the development meeting of the indigenous Don Bosco Voices of Indigenous Peoples" program a year ago, in January 2024 in Kep, and left a beautiful memory of wisdom and commitment to the formation of the new generations.
On the same day, the long journey continued from the town of Banlung, in the province of Ratanakiri, to the village of Chou Chey, the district of Chey Saen and the province of Preah Vihear. This is a 200-kilometre route, from east to west, crossing Stung Treng province and the Mekong River, very close to the border with Laos. The final destination was the village of origin of another student who participated in this experience, Seth Lay, belonging to the Khuy indigenous populations and beneficiary of the "Brother Sun" program.
His is a story full of hope, which allowed this poor young man to pursue his dream of studying. Seth first attended Don Bosco Poipet, intending to study electricity, but since he did not finish the twelfth class, the teachers sent him to Don Bosco Kep. He said he traveled alone from Poipet to Kep, knowing nothing, until he arrived at the gates of the school.
The group then continued for another 200 kilometres, crossing the province of Oddar Meanchey, in the district of Trapeang Prasat, where the Salesians help many local children. The situation is not very different from Preah Vihear, but in this place there is a special young man, who years before was a computer teacher at Don Bosco Kep and who is a former student of the Saint Paul Institute of the Cambodian Catholic Church. Van Bophai, as is his name, created a computer centre to teach local children, which over the years has become a special place where school education is integrated with lessons in computer science, English, mathematics and the Khmer language. It is also attended by Khuy children, whose parents live in a very fragile economy or work on plantations.
On 10 January Fr Albeiro Rodas and the rest of the group left for Siem Reap, where they visited Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, getting to know the archaeological wonders of their country.
Finally, on 11 January, the delegation left Siem Reap for Kampong Thom, where it visited the home of teacher Sean Chea, former director of the Aspeca orphanage in Kampong Thom, as the last stage of this significant missionary journey and for the educational development of poor Cambodian youth.
"Along the way, some humble families from the villages donated rice and fruit for school. For us, these donations are sacred, full of love and tenderness: they gave hope to this journey with our young people, the indigenous and rural populations of Cambodia", the delegation testified.
Source: ANS
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