JSC
News Letter vol.03
Jesuit Service Cambodia
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Contents 4
Reportage
JSC wheelchair beneficiaries
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Rush to the scene
Make our class to a conversation - Teacher Training in Xavier Jesuit School
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Special Letter 1
The stories of Children at Light of Mercy Home
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Staff Relay
Our People, Our Future. Sam Sokha
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Letter from Banteay Prieb
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JSC News
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Photo story
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Cover Story photo by. Byunghoon Oh
Savy(alias, 36) & Sokvy (alias, 26) Sisters in Kampong Thom -Brain lesions, Users of Mekong wheelchair offered by JSC “We are running a small shop in front of our houses. I’m happy to be with my families, especially with my sister Sokvy. We can sincerely understand each other.” - Savy “My dream is going to Ankor Wat someday. Of course, with Savy! Maybe we could look around Ankor wat in wheelchairs.” - Sokvy
JSC News letter vol.3 Publisher In-don Oh, SJ Design&Editor Dawoon Chung Copyright in JSC
Photo Credit Dawoon Chung, Gwanseok Lee, Yongguk Jeon, Byunghoon Oh,
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Reportage - wheelchair beneficiaries
Dancing o
Three Whe
The story of JS Mr. Sray Phon in Siem Reap Katdai village in Siem Reap Province is a remote village, 45km far from Siem Reap city. Mr. Sray Phon (55), who was born and has been living in this village since then, lost his two legs due to a mine accident in 1995. At that time, he was a government soldier and was in a battle against Khmer Rouge army in the mountains around his village. This village was a fierce combat area causing many disabled people in return, most of them from mine accidents. When he lost his legs he was only 35 years old, a time to start a family and plan a happy life. Since the accident, he came back home and cried every night with his wife. “Many times I thought that I wanted to give up my life because of my desperate situation. However, we had 5 young children. I couldn’t let them down. I had to carry on.” He makes cooking tools made of wood and sells them. These days he is making tools to make juice of fruits or other food. His wife works in a farm raising many crops. Mr. Phon says that he feels so sorry to his wife who is suffering to work for family. He wanted to be more helpful to his wife, but the recent drought in this country makes his family’s condition even worse. It is then Mr. Tatang, one of the JSC staff members who is in charge of this area, recommended Mekong wheelchair to him. A Mekong wheelchair designed for him was delivered to his house in 2015. “I couldn’t go on the bumpy road with the previous wheelchair. So I didn’t go outside much. Mekong wheelchair has 3 wheels so I can go around anywhere even on the bumpy ground. Now I go shopping to the market instead of my wife.” The JSC staff, Tatang visits this village every 3 months to check up the wheelchairs and to repair them. He also became disabled due to a mine accident. Mr. Phon appreciates that he is not just a person who takes in charge of the wheelchair program, but also a close friend to the Mekong wheelchair beneficiaries.
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“From the first time that I requested my wheelchair, the JSC staff explained very well and they measured my body size to make the wheelchair. I was really touched by them because of their way to think of disabled people. They work considerately about feelings and situations of the disabled. Actually, people with disabilities are easily intimidated by discrimination of the society. But we also have a strong will to live just like people without disabilities. I hope more people know that we are the same people who have same worth.”
Reportage - wheelchair beneficiaries
on the
eels !
SC wheelchair users Ms. BoPha in Kampong Thom Ms. Bopha who is lives in Kok Ngo village, Kampong Thom province has a beautiful smile. She has used the Mekong Wheelchair for a long time after she had polio in childhood. She lives with her mother and elder sister. She likes to go out in her wheelchair to meet friends in the close villages. She is famous in her village for having many friends even in a long distance. “I am used to be in a wheelchair. Especially, Mekong wheelchair is much easier to ride than other wheelchairs. So I can travel far. Once I tried to go to the market with sudden confidence. It was such a big challenge and was very hard. When I arrived at the market after the long travel in wheelchair through the extremely hot weather, I felt such a sense of achievement. But I couldn’t do my shopping at all because I was exhausted. From then, I decided to go to the market by a tractor or a truck.” The reason why Bopha goes to the market is special. She goes to the market to sell her needle works or make her work to a frame. Since she left the school because of her disability, she started embroidery as a hobby. She first started it by picking up the skills from her mother and the other artisans in her village. Now embroidery became her main job and she is recognized as an outstanding artisan for her works which are sold at over 200 dollars. Yet each work takes more time for her than others due to her weak hands. Recently she started to upload her works on the internet with her relative’s assistance and to sell them to the people who live far from her place. “To finish one artwork, it takes a long time from 3 months to 1 year. This job requires extreme concentration so I have a cramp in my hands very often. Nevertheless, I forget all those troubles when people come to buy my work. It is thrilling.” When she first found her interest in needlework, she thought about learning sewing in a technical school. Later when she saw one of her close friends entering Banteay Prieb (a vocational school for PwD), she thought about it again. However, she still has not enough confidence to live far from her family. “Well, now I feel stable and happy to do my work and to be with my family. Sometimes I can go out to meet my friends and chat with them in a wheelchair. The most important thing for me is to spend more time with people that I love. I can enlarge my world more and more in my wheelchair which is my best friend.” 5
Special Letter - XJS
Education is Interaction!
Teacher Training Program of X
As school holidays have begun in Xavier Jesuit School (XJS), 21 teachers gathered every morning instead of the students. They are the participants of the teacher training program of XJS. 11 teachers from XJS and 10 teachers from other local schools attended the teacher training courses including the introduction of new teaching methods and how to build school curriculums. This teacher training program was conducted by Ms. Lucia from Hong Kong, the teacher training manager in XJS and Ms. Dierdre from Ireland, the assistant of teacher training program. Ms. Lucia, who has been working in Cambodia for 17 years as a lay missionary serving for education in Cambodia, started her class by saying, “The aim of this teacher training program is to make a children-centered classroom.” During the workshop the participant teachers were divided by the subjects and learnt how to make curriculums of each subject such as Khmer, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, Music and Visual Arts and etc. The program gave teachers knowledge of the theories and principles of effective teaching and learning, and let the teachers develop their 3-month curriculum on their own. The most important part of the program was teaching them how to communicate with students horizontally. One practical approach adopted in the program was that the participant teachers deliver their class to other teachers trying out various methodologies, then receive critiques from them. In this way, they could learn from each other. Ms. Dierdre, a volunteer from Ireland who prepared this teacher training program said, “Education is Interaction. Even though the teachers have a beautiful curriculum for children, if the children cannot understand, it is useless. Children should be centered in every conversation in the classroom. Children do not learn only to get the knowledge. They should learn how to think about the knowledge and they should learn how to act, how to interact and how to ask. The heart of Xavier 6 School’s education is not to teach ‘One plus one is two’, but to teach children to think about Jesuit
Xavier Jesuit School it and ask themselves or others, ‘What is one plus one? Why is it two?’ For this, our teachers need more experiences to train themselves. Making a teacher takes a long time.” To provide our teachers an opportunity to learn various teaching methods, XJS had an education workshop in Thailand from 24th to 30th of July. Our teachers visited Mater Dei Institute in Bangkok and they could see the way they teach and also all of our teachers attended their classes as a teaching assistant. They could experience a new method of education for all levels from kindergarten to high school. Every day they went to different schools and saw the teaching environment of those schools, then took a time to reflect on themselves. Most of them said that the most impressive activity was “Open book time” in which teachers give a question and children find the answer on their own with any methods e.g. books, internet and asking to others. “Children picked up one question card among many others given to them and they found the answer of the question they picked using the internet or books… or they asked other teachers to get the answer. I’ve never seen this kind of teaching methods in Cambodia. I was shocked. The children seemed very active.” - Ms.Kunthea (A teacher of XJS) Many of our teachers said they were impressed by the caring and open relationship between the teachers and the children. In the last meeting in Thailand, they discussed about how they will make the ideas they learnt here to be realized in Cambodia. Although they still have concerns about Cambodia’s cultural and environmental bases for education, through this workshop they also showed more confidence and sense of responsibility in their roles. To become a real teacher, all of the school team members work together and learn everyday with a strong will to develop themselves! ← At the education workshop in Bangkok, Thailand
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Special Letter - The stories of Children at Light of Mercy Home
Sun Borei (21, Blind)
Overcome a hurdle,
Special Letter for Lig
In Light of Mercy Home we can see many children playing football game or puzzles, listening music or playing piano. And then, we can meet one girl who is sitting in a corner and reading a braille book. And also, it can conveniently be seen at a glance that the girl is severely disabled. She is a blind and a deaf. Her face is covered with a big scar and her position is always squatting with a curved spine. Her name is Sopichasar. She was abandoned in a forest when she was a newborn baby. She got severe disability since she was attacked by beasts in a forest. Jesuit Priests listened about her story and brought her from a small orphanage to take better care of her. After then, she had surgery many times in Korea. Now she got over and now she lives in Light of Mercy Home. When she meets someone, she touch them and feel their faces, arms and the warmth. Then, she hugs them with open arms. In a dark, in a silence, she hugs strangers with all her strength. Upon this, she memories all the people she has met before by touching. Now she can read braille books by the help of the Sister and many friends in the center. She likes reading books, playing with number blocks and she loves the dog. Recently, she started to learn Khmer 8 coconut dance.
Borei cannot see the world. But he has the beautiful world of sound. He can listen to music, sing a song and chatter with his friends. He has brilliant auditory memory. He is the best in English class of the center. When guests of various nationalities come to the center, Borei communicate with many of them fluently. Sometimes he makes people surprised by imitating Korean, Japanese and French very well. Especially, He likes music. These days, He is enjoying listening music on Youtube by the help of other friends who cannot listen. His favorite song is ‘You raise me up’ by Secret Garden. When he sings this song with the beautiful voice, we can see his big smile lighting up the center as well. He wants to be a singer. He said, “Everyone says, being a singer as a blind person in Cambodia is impossible, but I think there is nothing impossible. Before, My parents thought that I cannot do anything alone. But look at me, I can eat, sleep, communicate with others, clean up my room, speak English and sing a song. I can do many things with my friends. It’s a blessing.”
See the potential
ght of Mercy Home
Chea Sopichasar (15, Deaf & Blind)
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Our People, Our Future
SAM SOKHA JSC Organizational Development Manager
W
hen did you start to work with JSC?
I started working at JSC in January 2015. I’ve been working here for 1 year and 7 months. Before, I worked at Caritas Cambodia for 8 years. I was in charge of the financial department of Eye hospital in Takeo province. When I decided to move to here, I was a bit tired of paper works with numbers only. And I realized I was getting used to it and feeling comfortable with those financial works. I wanted to seek for a new experience and to learn something new. So I moved my workplace to JSC.
H
ow is working at JSC different from before?
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Actually, here I have to work in front of the computer also. However, now I can go and see many developing fields and cooperate with other people. There are more dynamics than before. I like to meet people and learn together through activities about what we can do for the development of this country. With all these experiences, I want to improve myself.
W
hat is your assignment in JSC now?
Here in JSC, my first task was started with reviewing and revising the JSC policies. I added many other necessary points that was implemented but never been written in the documents. Also I
Staff Relay - Mekong Wheelchair
prepared all the official forms and templates such as employment contract, leave form, work permission form and etc. I’m still trying to upgrade the policy based on current condition and situation in Cambodia. This is on high priority as it is for our human resource development.
W
hy do you think that the personnel policy is important?
This job is helpful for our staff members. Every staff is important because they are the ones who carry out our projects. Without the policy, the essential relationship between 3 parts of our project works - Employer, Employee and Administrative system – cannot make a balance. We can understand our rights and limitations through the policies. Nowadays I’m preparing the policy of finance. I want our staffs to read our policy and give us some feedback. Then I can revise it because the recent version of our policy may not be perfect. Our staffs should communicate and talk freely about the policy which deals with their rights and the rules they need to follow.
W
hat is the future of JSC that you expect?
I hope that JSC will have a good, proper and standard policy in place to be followed. I believe this will be fulfilled step by step. I also hope for our staffs to be joyful in their workplace and to participate actively in the society development by helping the poor in our community. I want them know that our job is to make our people happy, help them to live a better life in better conditions and raise future leaders of Cambodia by providing proper education. Lastly, I hope that not only JSC staff but many more people are aware of the situation of this country. We should keep going forward.
11 @JSC
Letter from Banteay Prieb
Letter from Banteay Prieb
Story of Intellectual Disability Class Story o
A Parents Training Day On March 10, the parents of the students with intellectual disabilities came to visit Banteay Prieb. A seminar was given to the parents by Phalla, the Special Education teacher. Later, the students cooked lunch by themselves for their parents, and they ate it together. The students also gave vegetables which they have cultivated to their parents.
Photos of the Parents Training day
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1 2 3
A special seminar was given to parents Students making food for their parents Students giving vegetables to parents
Letter from Banteay Prieb
Story ofofIntellectual Disability Class of the Parents Intellectual Disability Class Story of Intellectual Disability Class A Parent Interview: Chivorn's mother A Parent Interview: Chivorn's mother Chivorn is a 34-year-old student who entered to he likes to wash and clean himself. Also, when he theChivorn Banteay intellectual disability class last is aPrieb's 34-year-old student who entered to year. mother comes to Banteay Prieb every the His Banteay Prieb's intellectual disability class last week to His bring him home fortothe weekend. On every May year. mother comes Banteay Prieb to bring him homewith for the weekend. On May 19,week we had an interview Chivorn's mother to we had an interview with Chivorn's mother to ask19, a about a few questions. ask a about a few questions. Hello. Could you please introduce yourself? Hello. Could youTha'. please yourself? -My name is 'Uon I'mintroduce from Derm Trang Village, -My name is 'Uon Tha'. I'm Kandal from Derm TrangDistrict, Village, Onlong Romeat Commune, Steung Onlong Romeat Commune, Kandal Steung District, Kandal Province. Kandal Province. Could you please introduce your son, Chivorn? Could introduce Chivorn? -Yes. He you hadplease a disability fromyour theson, birth. It was not -Yes. had a disability from the birth. It was not from anHe accident. I have 4 siblings, and Chivorn is the from an accident. I have 4 siblings, and Chivorn is the oldest. Actually, 3 others also have the same kind of oldest. Actually, 3 others also have the same kind of intellectual disability like Chivorn. intellectual disability like Chivorn. I heard you come to Banteay Prieb to pick him up I heard you come to Banteay Prieb to pick him up every weekend? every weekend? -Yes. I come every weekend. -Yes. I come every weekend. May I ask why? May I ask why? -I take him home -I take him homeevery everyweekend, weekend,because becausehe heneeds needs to to clean his beard and clean his beard andalso alsomeet meethis hissiblings. siblings. I see. Is there any change I see. Is there any changeafter aftercoming comingtotoBP? BP? -Before coming here, -Before coming here,heheused usedtotostay stayatathome homeevery every day. HeHe used totoget day. used getup, up,eat, eat,sit, sit,see seethe theneighbors, neighbors, andand gogo around the house. around the house. However, After However, Afterstudying studyinghere, here,he hewants wantstotohelp help me me cook byby cutting cook cuttingvegetables vegetablesand andcleaning cleaningthe thehouse. house. somethingatathome. home.Unlike Unlikebefore, before, now now HeHe cancan dodo something
comes homeand onclean everyhimself. weekend, hewhen mentions he likesback to wash Also, he his Banteay names like Ravi and Lihour comes back Prieb homefriends' on every weekend, he mentions for times. alwaysnames talks about them, his many Banteay PriebHe friends' like Ravi and because Lihour forreally many likes times. He always talks about them, because he them. he really likes them. What is the happiest thing for you? What isChivorn the happiest thingtofor -When first went BP,you? I was worried if other -When Chivorn first went to BP, Istudents was worried if other normal (physically disabled) here would normal him (physically here would bother or makedisabled) violence students to him. But now I feel bother him orbecause make violence Butthe nowteachers I feel comfortable, I know atolothim. about comfortable, because know a lot thealong teachers here and I see that IChivorn is about getting with here and I see that Chivorn getting along friends here well. Now I knowisthat Chivorn canwith cook friends here well.things. Now I This knowmakes that Chivorn cook and many other me feel can happy. and many other things. This makes me feel happy. When Chivorn graduates from BP next year, what When Chivorn graduates from BP next year, what do you want him to do? do you want him to do? -In the future, I want him to live actively. I hope not -In the future, I want him to live actively. I hope not that much, just cooking by himself will be enough, that much, just cooking by himself will be enough, because I feel very happy for Chivorn now. I used to because I feel very happy for Chivorn now. I used to think Chivorn could could not notdo domuch, much,but butnow nowI do I do think that that Chivorn know he can can do domany manythings. things. know that that he Do anythingelse elseto tosay? say? Do you you have have anything -I-I want to praise praise Banteay Banteay Prieb Prieband andthe theteachers. teachers. want to They been very very good good and andnice. nice.Also, Also,when when They have have been Chivorn went to to visit visit his his uncle, uncle,my mynephew nephewcalled called Chivorn went me said "Chivorn "Chivorn isis much muchbetter betterthan thanbefore! before! me and and said Now have aa conversation conversationwith withus! us!He Hecan can Now he can have ask, and talk!" talk!" I'm I'mhappy happythat thatChivorn Chivorngot got ask, answer, and improved much in in his his communication communicationskills. skills.Thank Thank improved much you. you.
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JSC News
JSC NEWS
Construction of the Primary school is started! XJS) On the 7th of May, we started to drive in the 1st piles for the foundations of Primary school building which will be constructed in the North-West corner of our land. The construction schedule indicates a completion date in November but now we estimate it will be in next January.
XJS Cup football Competition! On the 13th of May, Xavier Jesuit school hosted a soccer competition for the 4 primary schools near Teuk Thla strict. 6 Teams from the 4 schools(Banoy, Teuk Thla, Phnom Bak ans Keap). Victory was for the Keap team!
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The 1st Xavier Scout Group Camp! On the 30th of April to the 1st of May, the Xavier Scout group held their 1st weekend camp. Our French volunteers, Francois and Marie, worked with our Khmer volunteers, Yeat, Rike to run this program. The Scout was installed into the ground and the young leaders were formally invested by a public profession of their scout promise in Khmer.
BP the annual picnic to Kampong Som beach! On the 17th of June, All the students in Banteay Prieb went to the annual outing to Kampong Som beach. It was the 1st time for most of the students to see the sea. They all had a great time playing in the water together!
BP Production participated in the ‘Seoul International Handmade Fair’ Banteay Prieb Production participated in the “Seoul International Handmade Fair 2016” in Korea in the name of “Craft Peace Cafe” to introduce and to sell the textile products of BP! We appreciate many people who visited and supported for the Fair!
The graduation of phone repairing class and make-up class The graduation of Phone repairing class and make up class which are 6-months courses were celebrated on July 1st. In BP, there was a small farewell party for the students. Many blessings on their journey onwards!
New books from JS Book Production, Feb-Jun 2016 ‘A Black’
JS Ecology team’s online movements on Youtube! JSC Ecology team started uplode the videos they made about Environmental movement on Youtube channel! Ecology team makes videos of the current ecological issue in Cambodia, the activities of JS team and also the new campaigns. You can see the videos on Youtube channel, ”Ecology Program, Jesuit Service - Cambodia”.
2 libraries run by Phnom Penh office are moved and extended! JSC Phnom Penh Office moved 2 libraries in Kampong Speu Province to the better places collaborated with JS Book Production Program. The 2 libraries newly built are located in Ra village and Tmov Keo village. Those librries are managed by passionate librarians and there are many children who are visiting. And also we have a trusting relationship with the local schools in those villages. By opening the new libraries, now we can provide more books to more students!
‘The little elephant with a long trunk’ ‘A weekend at grandma’s farm’ ‘The magic pencil’
‘I have a sister my sister is a deaf’ ‘What does caterpillar eat?’
Great collaboration between Ecology team and Ear Clinic On the 27th of June, the mobile ear clinic was held in Phatsanday secondary school where is one of the most activated place for the movement of Ecology team. . Many ailments are due to swimming several meters underwater, causing ear drums to succumb to higher water pressures.
‘Powerful words’
‘Journey’
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or y t S to o h P
Photo Stor y #1
Banteay Prieb Yearly Outing to Kampong Som photo by. Yongguk Jeon
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Photo Stor y #2 The Journey to build a new library in Ra village photo by. Dawoon Chung
August 2015, The JS library in Ra village
February 2016, Beginning of construction
April 2016, Completion of construction
July 2016, New library in Ra village (Kampong Speu Province)  17
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O’Khun Chran!
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“O’khun Chran” means “Thank you very much” in Khmer language