Banteay Prieb, a training centre set up by Jesuit Service Cambodia for Cambodians maimed by the war or by landmines, celebrated its 20th anniversary on December 20, 2011.
The Centre of the Dove, as it is called in English, is located in a former military communication centre, prison and Khmer Rouge killing field. But the centre has transformed the former place of fighting and killing into a place for peace, justice and reconciliation.
In the beginning, most of students were former soldiers from four different groups who had been physically disabled during the war and went to Banteay Prieb hoping to learn technical skills. Upon arriving at the centre and finding that they had to live with their opposition in the same place, all their anger and fear came back. It was not at all easy for them to live with their enemies. But the reality of all of them being physically disabled made them slowly start talking and eating together and they eventually became good friends.
Today, as Cambodia has slowly found peace and there are fewer and fewer victims of war and landmines, the centre mostly takes individuals with physical disabilities due to accidents or diseases such as polio.
More than half of the students are polio victims, many from poor families across Cambodia. During the 25-year civil war, most children were not able to get the polio vaccine and so contracted polio, which is why the centre considers polio victims to be indirect victims of war.
Although Cambodia is developing rapidly and the people have more opportunities for education and work, those with disabilities are still the most marginalized people in the country. For example, 40 percent of the centre’s students are illiterate, and the average education level is below high school.
Twenty years after its establishment, Banteay Prieb continues to be true to its original purpose, which is to serve the poorest among the poor. Everything in Banteay Prieb is dedicated towards the realisation of peace: personal, family, communal and national, and the Khmer characters beautifully integrated into the wing of the dove in its logo mean “Everything for Peace”.
The anniversary was celebrated with alumni, staff who are mainly former students, and other supporters. It also marked the graduation of 100 students − 27 women and 63 men all with physical disabilities. They received certificates, both from Banteay Prieb and from the Cambodian Ministry of Social Welfare, acknowledging their completion of a full year of training in Electronics, Mechanics, Sewing, Agriculture and two years of training in Sculpture.
The anniversary was an occasion to reflect on what has been done, what is being done and what will be done in the future.
Steps into the future began the next day with the opening of Craft Peace Café, a social enterprise project to create more jobs for graduates of Banteay Prieb. The Café will sell products made by the Banteay Prieb staff and students in the school, and provide a platform for interaction and the exchange of life-stories between artisans with physical disabilities and customers.
For more information on Banteay Prieb, go to www.banteayprieb.org
For more information on Jesuit Service Cambodia, go to www.jesecam.org