Australian student volunteers facilitate activities while learning about their host country

(MissionNewswire) Students, along with staff from several Salesian schools, traveled to Cambodia this summer to take part in the Salesian Australia-Pacific Province’s international volunteer program. Volunteers provided activities at schools and also took part in cultural activities.

The first destination was the Don Bosco Salesian Technical School in Phnom Penh. Volunteers facilitated dance activities, arts and crafts, sports, games, and English lessons with the aim of sharing special moments with young Cambodians. The volunteers also helped repair the school’s roof, which offered them hands-on training.

When the work was done, volunteers engaged in cultural activities to learn more about the country. They visited the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum where they were able to reflect on the impact that armed conflicts had on a nation.

Next, volunteers visited the border town of Poipet with a short stop to visit the two Salesian schools in Battambang. In Poipet, volunteers facilitated similar activities as they did in Phnom Penh. They also had the opportunity to visit the city of Siem Reap.

A Salesian noted, “At the end of the trip the volunteers shared their feelings and thoughts about the experience. Despite the short time spent in Cambodia and language difficulties, young Cambodian and Australian students have created a lasting friendship.”

Salesians in Cambodia provide primary and secondary schools along with technical education so youth have an opportunity to gain an education and develop the skills for employment. These educational services are bolstered by social development programs that help youth have access to basic needs like food, shelter and life skills training.

According to the World Bank, poverty continues to fall in Cambodia. The country has lifted 50% of the total poor out of poverty in the last seven, according to the latest United Nations Development Programme Country Programme Document 2024-2028. Multidimensional poverty fell from 36.7% to 16.6% and the number of people living in poverty dropped from 5.6 million to 2.8 million.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS) 

ANS – Cambodia – The Australian Salesian Province’s Cagliero Project Immersive programme

Salesian Missions – Cambodia

World Bank – Cambodia