A PROJECT BY THE POOR FOR THE POOR
Don
Bosco said “An oratory without music is like a body without a soul.” At Don
Bosco School in Teuk Thla, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the students used music not
only to enrich their school, but to also enrich the lives of their fellow
students in Cambodia.
On
May 28, 2016, the students of Don Bosco put on their first ever Charity
Concert. The goal: to raise money for a poor school out in Kompang Cham
Province called Tuolvihear. The idea was
first presented by a few 9th graders, but quickly the whole school
was on board, being led by the students of the Choir and Band SYM groups.
Beginning in January, students participated in all the necessary preparations.
This included gathering donations, selling tickets, preparing their programs,
making items to sell, and readying the entire campus to welcome the more than
800 people that would be attending the event. The students were not alone in
their endeavors however, as the teachers, staff, parents, volunteers and
Sisters were all working hard to assist in all that was necessary to make the
concert a success. The whole school, from Kindergarten to High School and even
the Food Technology and Hotel Services vocational program, was a buzz with
excitement about the concert. Not only were they looking forward to the
concert, but they knew that their mission was one full of value and it was
going to be something that stayed with them forever.
The
concert was a huge success in many ways. It was a 3-hour long event filled with
many talented singers and dancers, the majority of whom were students and past
pupils of Don Bosco! Even the Sisters got involved and sang a number at the end
of the concert. The concert venue -the hall of the high school- was overflowing
with people as all 800 available tickets had been sold, not to mention all of
the performers, crew, teachers, and staff that were in attendance! When all was
sung and done, the concert efforts had raised over $3,000.00! This included
ticket sales, food sales, donations and the generosity of several international
benefactors. This was far and beyond what was anticipated and simply meant that
Don Bosco School was going to be able to do so much more for Tuolvihear School.
The
money raised had originally been designated to assist in the building of 2 new
toilets for the school. Up to this point there had been only 1 toilet for the
teachers and 1 toilet for the 300 students! However, the fundraising efforts
allowed Don Bosco School to go above and beyond simply the building of new
toilets. The funds were also allocated to the painting of the walls in the
classrooms, chairs and tables for the kindergarten, and plants and flowers for
around the school building. On June 24, 2016 students, teachers, parents and
Sisters of Don Bosco School trekked out to Tuolvihear School for a day of
cleaning, planting, singing, dancing, and playing games.
On
January 7, 2017, Tuolvihear inaugurated its new buildings, including 3 new
classrooms that were sponsored by Singaporean benefactors; a new library
sponsored by the organization Room to Read; and the new toilets sponsored by
Don Bosco School. It was a beautiful day. Not only did Tuolvihear get to celebrate
its new resources, but joy was shared among all in attendance knowing that education
was being encouraged and assisted throughout the regions of Cambodia.
The
beauty and power of this Charity Concert is that it was a project carried out by
poor children of Cambodia for poor children of Cambodia, empowering each
other and encouraging each other through education. Don Bosco envisioned
education for all students, and I am sure he would be delighted to see that his
vision was being realized by the students themselves. Thank you to all who made
this event a reality, and may God continue to bless all the children of
Cambodia through charity, faith and hope.
