By Fr. Albeiro Rodas, SDB
Kep, Cambodia, October 24, 2015 - H.E, Kem Satha, Governor of Kep Province, opened the works at the National Road 33A in the area of Thmey Village, Prey Thom District, the so called “Educative Town“, because it is the sit of the Department of Education, primary and secondary schools, the new Kep Vocational Center and the Don Bosco Technical School Hatrans. The short ceremony started at 8AM on the same road, right behind the heavy machines that are putting asphalt to the old Provincial road, just in front to the Don Bosco gate.
Governor Setha has started an active role in improving the Provincial infrastructures such as roads, beaches, the regulation of water treatment and others to improve life conditions in this farm and fishing region of Cambodia – the smallest Province in the Kingdom – that is becoming a tourist destination with ecology as the main frame. He said:
"It is our duty to preserve ecology in this beautiful region and I believe education is very important. I thanks the role of Don Bosco in that way. We started to develop all these infrastructures in 2011 and it was the same year when Fr. Samnang [Fr. Albeiro Rodas] came to the Province to open this Technical School we can see here at the right. We can see his students always with handsome uniform and a good discipline. It became a good example. I am happy that we can start the works right in front to this school area, so children and youth can study in a good environment."
The Provincial leader mentioned also the different Technical programs of Don Bosco such as social communication, graphic design, electricity, hospitality, office administration, fine arts and the kindergarten. “All those programs fit our expectations for our Cambodian development… thanks Don Bosco", he said.
The National Road 33A goes around the Province, separating from National Road 33 and bordering the Kep sea coast that makes a small peninsula. Although an old road starting from the beginning of the 20th century, when the French colonialist built it to establish resorts in this coastal area, the local government has decided to wide it as an authentic high way that goes along with a macro-project that includes to connect Bangkok (Thailand) with Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) with a high way crossing the coast of Cambodia. Kep is just 20 kilometers far from the Vietnamese border and its sea boundaries touch also Vietnam.
The terrain of Don Bosco Hatrans belongs to the Salesians since 1999, but it was until 2011 a place of meetings and a small tailoring workshop. As the region of Kep, Kampot and Takeo were lacking enough professional centers where its youth could continue studies, creating problems like illegal migration into Thailand, the Salesians decided to convert the lonely land of Kep into a Technical School under the direction of Fr. Albeiro Rodas, here known as Fr. Ly Samnang. Thanks to different donors, including persons like Mr. Gerard van Hall and organizations like Stichting Scholenproject Cambodja ‘Rotterdam’, Sawasdee Foundation, Kindermission, Misereor, Salesian Missions of New Rochelle, Don Bosco Bonn and many others. The Don Bosco Kep Children Fund is the other program to support very vulnerable children not to abandon schools. At the moment 100 children are attending 4 schools in the provinces and it includes also the repairing of local schools, disabled children and children from ethnic minorities even in Ratanakiri, 700 kilometers at the north of Kep.
