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About 35 participants attended the Religious Youth Service project in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The project involved building an additional classroom and, thanks to TOPE paint company in Thailand for donating paints, we were able to repaint the inside and outside of classrooms and install new toilets at the Qamaruddin Al-Islamiyan School.
The Qamaruddin Al-Islamiyan School in Siem Reap is located beside the mosque. The community was very grateful to RYS for helping their community, and in return they provided free lunches for the participants during the working days, December 23-25, 2007.
We also had the opportunity to go inside the mosque, and a community leader explained the history of the mosque. Funds for the mosque were donated by some Muslim soldiers from Bangladesh working with UN Peacekeepers during early the 1990s.
On Christmas Day, we all went to spend time with the children at the Mother Teresa Orphanage. In the evening we also attended the Christmas Eve mass at the Catholic Church.
On December 27, we had our official Closing Ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Emeritus Prof. Pradit Charoenthaiwee, president of UPF-Thailand, participated in the Closing Ceremony together with the president of UPF-Cambodia, Hon. Dr. Son Soubert.
Dr. Ronald Burr, Senior Advisor and Educational Director of this RYS project, gave his reflection and declared that this project was successful beyond his expectation.
Some Cambodian Members of Parliament, including H.E. Khieu San, welcomed RYS participants.
The most memorable experience of our participants was the time they spent with the children both in Thailand and Cambodia. During break times, some of the participants spent their time playing, singing, and dancing together with the children in the nursery school in Samut Prakarn and also with some children in Cambodia. They all planted seeds of love in the hearts of the children. At the same time, the organizers helped participants promote a culture of heart and good character among the RYS participants.
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