Better Lives for Disabled People:
Working for a brighter future for people living with disabilities in Cambodia
Background Information:
Although a reliable count of the current disabled population is not available, it is generallyaccepted that Cambodia has one of the highest occurrences of people living with disabilities inthe world and that approximately 21% of this disabled population are children. The most commontypes of disability among children in Cambodia are Polio, hearing and visual problems andproblems relating to the brain such as Cerebral Palsy and emotional and behavioral problems.Unlike in many other countries, the Cambodian government has made minimal efforts to helpthose with physical or mental disabilities – providing limited help for the deaf and blind. Very fewchildren born with disabilities have the opportunity to go to school, and unfortunately often their families are unable or unwilling to give them the help they desperately need and deserve. Sadly,a large percentage of people in Cambodia, a predominantly Buddhist country, believe thatdisabled people were born with problems because of bad deeds they committed in a former life.As a result the community often has little desire to help them, for fear of becoming disabledthemselves in their next life. Even those who view Cambodia’s disabled with a kinder eye, thinkthat it would be better for them to die, in hopes that they will be reborn into a better situation or physical body. The effect of this point of view is that many are forced to exist separated from therest of society.
Project Objectives:
The Sao Sary Foundation (SSF) believes that with the right support, young disabled people canbecome independent members of society.SSF’s goals are to assist young disabled people using therapeutic techniques to help them live amore independent, better quality life.Our approach is a holistic one, working with patients on both mental and physical levels, aimingto improve the all around quality of life. As well as improving these young people’s physical well-being and movement capacity, therapists also teach relaxation techniques and basic literacy.Another important aim of the project is to raise awareness and educate the families andcommunities that the young disabled people live within, in order to change the negative attitudescurrently held about disabled community members.
Pilot Case:
Recently, SSF has hired physiotherapist Pongaphotra In, who has committed much of his freetime to trying to educate the poor communities in Kampong Speu about the realities of physicaland mental disabilities.Pongaphotra In is working with Socheat, a sixteen year-old girl with cerebral palsy, as a pilotproject in the Kampong Speu province to demonstrate to her community that she can be assistedto improve the quality of her life. Since meeting Socheat in March 2008, he has sought torehabilitate her using a Japanese form of therapy called Do Sahou which works with patients onboth a mental and physical level, improving their motivation and movement control.The work that Pongaphotra In has been doing with Socheat has so far been extremelysuccessful, over the past year he has seen a huge improvement. “At first even her family did not
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