International Day of the Disabled and Graduation Day were two major events for the students of Banteay Prieb and JRS-Singapore came for a visit.
The students of Banteay Prieb joined other handicaps in commemorating the International Day for the Disabled on December 3 at Wat Botom, Phnom Penh. For most of the students, this was their first time to visit the capital city – something they never dreamed of before Banteay Prieb. The students’ great enthusiasm made Banteay Prieb win many of the prizes in the games and races held.
A team of seven members from JRS-Singapore, led by Mr David Lau, visited from December 7 – 13, to understand the needs of landmine survivors in Cambodia and how Jesuit Service Cambodia was helping them. Their stay at Banteay Prieb was most fruitful, enabling the team to interact with the handicapped students and interview landmines survivors who had found "new lives" through the vocational school at Banteay Prieb. Mr Klieng Vann, a second batch (1992) electricity student is now the director of the vocational school. Ms Ket Sokleng is a literacy teacher to the current students.
The team also joined Fr Oh In-don (KOR) and Mr Maen Yuth on a visit to Kampong Cham Province as part of Banteay Prieb’s Outreach Program to former students, Cheth Preong, Chon Chaeu and Doen Saron. The Outreach Program was of great interest to JRS-Singapore, which sees such continuing support as an integral part of helping landmine survivors.
Even before the Graduation Day on December 19, many of the 21st batch of students of Banteay Prieb were emotional about leaving the place they had called home, living in small communities in cottages, cooking their own meals, doing household chores and everything else independently. Most of them were made to believe these were not possible until their coming to live and study in Banteay Prieb.
There was the joy of receiving the certificates and then celebrating with their fellow students, teachers and new Cambodia friends, the members of MAGiS-Cambodia whom they had formed bonds with during MAGiS08 Experiments at Banteay Prieb in July 2008. The memories of the year in Banteay Prieb were shared in a slide show after the dinner cooked by the teachers. The laughter that broke out at funny scenes told how those "Banteay Prieb moments" will be treasured.
Many wheelchair-bound students found themselves left out of the evening dancing, until their MAGiS-Cambodia friend, Ms Phon Sonai, rolled them into the circle of dance, and got them to move their hands, if not their feet, to the music. And when the night’s celebration came to an end, MAGiS-Cambodia member, Mr Gneb Gnuen chose to stay the night with his "brothers" in Cottage No 5.
Tears flowed easily, even for those who would return to work at Banteay Prieb in 2009, as students left for home the next morning. They certainly felt the hope that Banteay Prieb had given them.