The Hands of Don Bosco - The volunteers are persons who want to share their skill and science with those persons in the world with less opportunities. They are often associated with organizations or institutions that promote it. Throughout the history of Don Bosco in Cambodia, since 1991, many persons have come from different countries to be with us since two weeks to years, just to train our youth. There are not words to thank their effort, sacrifices and love for humanity. Their work is written in a very big book in Heaven. 

Home |About Us | Sections | Past Pupils | Campus | Benefactors | Contacts | Languages

Yulth Ferney Oyola Bustos  was born in Bogotá, Colombia on November 14, 1980. His formation: Business Administration in the Universidad de Cundinamarca and Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD). On March 6, 2007 arrived in Bangkok traveling to Don Bosco Technical School Sihanoukville, Cambodia. He came to work as a volunteer in the Social Communication Department of Don Bosco Sihanoukville as administrator of that section and other projects related with human resources, a support for Don Bosco Children Fund and the Youth Center.

How has been the experience until now?

It has been a very important experience for my life and personal and professional formation, because I can give a help to the children and youth in a country like Cambodia that has had a war of such dimension. 

What have you done in Cambodia?

Organization of the Brother Sun House Youth Center: administration, events, relations with other NGOs and support to the production of social communication means like PowerPoint's, Website, brochures and things like that. For example I prepared an exposition on HIV/AIDS directed to the students of Don Bosco Sihanoukville. 

In these three months studying the language, culture and history of Cambodia, what do think are the main problems of this country?

For me I think a big problem is corruption, lacking of education, prostitution especially with underage persons and HIV/AIDS.

What do you think about the Cambodian youth?

I think they are clever, but they need more opportunities. They come from the countryside looking for big urban centers but after they get studies they do not want to return to countryside, so I think the Cambodian countryside must be better attended, for example, with more education and opportunities. 

How can you compare the reality of Cambodia with your own country, Colombia. Is it the same? What is different?

Cambodia is behind Colombia about some decades. Colombia has excellent means of communication. In Cambodia modernity is coming in an way they did not expect. They were in a slow process of development, but modernity came in a stumbling way that surprised them. In Colombia children and youth in general have better privileges like education and health, but in Cambodia we have to talk of only two social classes: rich and poor, while in Colombia at least there is a middle class.

What are the main problems in Colombia?

The high production of drugs, although it is not a "only Colombian problem", this is a very complicated problem that involve the international community: there is production of drugs because there is a market of consume and Colombia is not a first consumer. But this problem has affected the Colombian reality in many ways and has caused a big harm to the Colombian society: that is the biggest problem. 

If Colombia has so many problems like drugs, violence and also corruption - for example, according to the United Nations, there is a population of more than 2.5 million children working in Colombia -, why to do a volunteer work in a country like Cambodia? Why not to do a volunteer in Colombia?

When we go abroad, learn how to see the reality of Colombia. When you are inside the country, sometimes you do not realize well the problems of the country. This is a good experience to share with youth and persons to do similar experiences of volunteers in Colombia. 

What is the meaning to be a volunteer in Colombia and to be a volunteer in Cambodia?

Being a volunteer in Cambodia means you are working for a childhood and youth that have the consequences of a war. This situation makes that any thing we do requires more time, because they are deeply harm by the former war. For example, I see sometimes there is a lack of initiative, to say, to look for alternatives to their own problems. A good thing of them is that Cambodians know how to be friends and kind and this is a very beautiful point and hope. Also they ask very much about Colombia, other countries and it means openness to the world. The Cambodians count on you all the time and you become involved in their situations and ideas.   

Being a volunteer in Colombia means that the youth is more aware of the national reality, because Colombians have more means of communication. In Colombia the youth and even the children, are able to propose solutions to the problems. The Colombian youth are interest in listening to you what you think about situations and how they can do about it. They learn very easy and quick. 

How do you see the future of Cambodia?

If the country does not come into a process of self preparation for the globalization process, the country will be even poorer that would have only foreign investment and Cambodian workmen force with low salaries and with a society of economic survival. But, if Cambodia get well ready for the globalization, we would have a Cambodia with a great power in tourism, education and industrialization to be able to challenge the international market.

How should Cambodia be ready to the globalization?

End corruption. Create a national plan at the short and long period of time. Full education for children and youth (since basic to professional education). A society with an excellent education, zero corruption and a national project, the country will go ahead very well. 

How do you the future of Colombia?

I think there are coming good opportunities for Colombia. The reason? Because Colombia is becoming important for the world: good ports, international economic agreements with big economic regions, the going back of Colombians from abroad and Colombia will be the example in Latinamerica in education and economics. The reason: there are results nowadays, we are growing, we are seeing foreign investment while the local enterprises are getting strong. 

But we can see now problems as a real genocide committed by Paramilitars and other crimes against human rights. How we can say that Colombia would be a model for Latinamerica?

I think that as for any country, it is a terrible problem for the human rights, but in Colombia the people could realize at due time and it is being denounced at the present moment. 

Therefore, how we can combine economic growing with the human rights subject?

It is a duty to denounce the problems of human rights to the international community. The penalties to it must be applied by the international community. That would be an excellent example of justice and so, economics will bright. It will state forever that in Colombia any violation to human rights is judged by international organizations. Only in this way, we could make as in Cambodia, to make the war just a museum and all the enterprises that belonged to Mafias, come to the hands of the State and become a space of generation of employment and clean economics.

What could be offered from a country like Colombia to Cambodia?

Education, health, enterprise initiative.

What could be offered from a country like Cambodia to Colombia?

Hope after war.