Born into poverty and guided by a dream at age nine, Saint John Bosco devoted his life to uplifting abandoned and at-risk youth—not with punishment, but with compassion, education, and hope. His vision gave rise to the Salesian mission, which now reaches across continents, including Cambodia. Here, his legacy lives on in schools, training centers, and outreach programs that empower young people to rise above hardship and build dignified futures. “It is enough that you are young for me to love you,” Don Bosco once said—and that love continues to shape lives today.
The Salesian presence in Cambodia began on May 24, 1991, when Br. Roberto Panetto and Fr. Valter Brigolin arrived in Phnom Penh to begin their mission. The date coincides with the Solemnity of Mary Help of Christians, a Marian devotion central to Don Bosco’s spirituality.
Key milestones followed: the Don Bosco Technical School in Phnom Penh opened on January 31, 1994, the Sihanoukville Technical School in 1998. The mission deepened further with the establishment of the Don Bosco Hotel School, inaugurated on February 12, 2007 by His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni.
Today, Don Bosco Hotel School trains students in Hotel Restaurant Management, where they can choose to develop two major skill sets: (1) Rooms Division Management, which covers both Front Office and Housekeeping, and (2) Food Production, where they are taught Food & Beverage and Culinary Arts respectively—equipping young Cambodians with the skills, discipline, and values to thrive in hospitality, continuing Don Bosco’s mission of empowering youth with education, dignity, and care.
