Good News New Humanity’s Newsletter

E d i t i o n 7 , F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1

Summary

Introduction - A tank that arrives far 1

ECCE - Learning by others: visit to the Salesian Sisters 2

Training of teachers - Learning how to educate 2

The ancient art of riding - Hyppotherapy lands in Thailand 3

Emergency for lack of medical staff in Myanmar - One health care professional every 800
persons 4

Among tradition and modernity - Trip to Mondolkiri, in the periphery of Cambodia 5

Myanmar, an other step forward - A new Parliament after 22 years

Introduction - A thanks that arrives far

An ancient Cambodian proverb says: “The im- best at school. 400 Cambodian families decided
mature rice stalk stands erect, while the ma- to send their children to NH kindergartens, recog-
ture stalk, heavy with grain, bends over.” This nizing the importance of early childhood educa-
is an invitation to live simply, to abandon our tion in order to enhance the entrance in primary
presumption and to bend over, listening to the schools, and dedicating their free time to help the
others. Only in this way we will be able to pro- teachers.
duce great results. We want to thank all of them. Thanks to their
In 2010 our projects grew and we have achieved determination and their passion we find the moti-
some important results. vation that enables us to renovate our commit-
2.500 farmers took part in the agricultural training ment.
organized in Cambodia, creating more than 200 And we also want to thank all the people who
model farms in 140 villages. As many farmers in work to make it possible. All the special need
Myanmar attended the trainings teachers of the CBR centres, who
on cultivation and transforma- challenge prejudices and help
tion of agricultural products and disabled children to affirm their
visited the 2 model farms in the dignity. And all the teachers, al-
Country. Some cooperatives of ways eager to learn. An all the
farmers have been created, members of NH staff, Cambodian
among which we remember the and Burmese, who smiling say
passionate “Tomato group”, that “NH is like a family”. We want
that is experimenting the culti- to thank the enthusiasm with
vation of the tomatoes in the which they welcomed Julia, the
mountains regions of Myanmar. new Country Director in Myanmar,
Moreover, 95 disables in Cam- and the passion that transformed
bodia obtained great improve- the annual evaluation held in
ments thanks to the activity Phnom Penh into a moment of
organized in the Community real joy.
Rehabilitation Centres and And obviously, we also want to
more than 200 disabled chil- thank all of you. With your interest
dren benefited from phisyother- A volunteer mother in a
kindergarten, cooking for the and your support you make it pos-
apy sessions and gave their sible!
Associazione New Humanity
Early Childhood Care and Education
Learning by others: visit to the Salesian Sisters
NH has been working in the field of
Early Childhood Education for several
years and actually manages 20 kin-
dergartens in Kompong Chhnang and
Moldol Kiri. Stil, you always have
something to learn!
That’s why at the end of December
NH organized a school visit trip to
the Kindergarten managed by the
Salesian Sisters’ and located in
Phnom Penh. 5 new preschool teach-
ers from Kampong Chhnang province,
3 teachers from Mondol Kiri province
and 2 Field Officers took part in this
trip, accompanied by education train-
ing officer and education advisor.
Such a visit is important because it
offers chances to new service teach-
ers, as well as to field officers, to ex-
plore other ways of providing knowl-
edge to children.
Training of Teachers
Learning how to educate
“With the utmost effort
Not only children, but also
and perseverance of the teachers and parents have to
teachers, we hope that learn. Parents, who often didn’t
have the opportunity to go to
more Cambodian chil- school, have to learn why pri-
dren are benefited and so mary education is so important
for their children and how to
do Cambodian families help them in the learning proc-
itself.””
and the country itself. ess. And teachers have to
learn about how to conduct the
meetings with the parents.
On 20th and 21st of January 2011 New
Humanity , in cooperation with Aide et
Action organized a 2-day training for
teachers in Kompong Chhnang prov-
ince. The aim of the training was to
build the capacity building of pre-
school teachers to be good facilita-
tors on Parenting Education Skill.
At the end of the training the teachers
shared with New Humanity’s staff the
reflection of past experience in con-
ducting Parenting Education and
learnt more about the facilitation and
communication Technique, about
technical inputs of: lesson planning in
February 2011, about technical inputs
Edition 7, February 2011
Teachers and field officers were di-
vided to observe different level of
teaching of children from year 3 to 5.
They all learned more ways of deco-
rating classroom, techniques of teach-
ing/guiding children in different kinds
of activities, classroom management
etc.
They were very happy to see different
world working on the same factor like
this. They promised to do their best to
share what they have seen with other
teachers, and to start doing the same
things in their individual class after the
trip. It was a fruitful trip for them to
gain experiences from others to de-
velop their own classes.
Mr. Narem Ngoy
Education Training Officer
NH Cambodia
of family and parenting and about
technical inputs of Education for Girls.
18 preschool teachers, 3 ECCE field
officers, 2 ECCE-MCH field officer, 1
ECCE-MCH program officer, 1 SAD
program officer took part to the train-
ing.
During the training, the participants
tried so much to involve all the activi-
ties. They tried to answer the ques-
tions, to discuss during the group dis-
cussion, to present what they have
discussed.
Mr. Veasna Cheung
Education Program Manager
NH Cambodia
 Associazione New Humanity Edition 7, February 2011

The ancient art of riding - Hyppotherapy lands in Thailand

Thiri, the physiotherapist of NH in Myanmar, is now in Thailand, where she has attended a professional training
about Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy at Rjanakarindra Institute of Child Develop-
ment managed by the department of Mental Health, under the Ministry of Public Health. There she got a chance of
observing and trying various rehabilitation techniques, and in particular she discovered Hippotherapy, that is very
popular in Western country. In Thailand, they have been organizing it for 2 years and
it is especially used for Autistic children, in collaboration with the Military service.

What is Hyppotherapy?
Hippotherapy, also named Aloka, is a form of physical, occupational and speech ther-
apy in which a therapist uses the characteristic movements of a horse to provide
carefully graded motor and sensory input. It is used to improve neurological func-
tion and sensory processing which can be generalized to a wide range of daily activi-
ties. It’s very useful for children with autism.
Hippotherapy is a Greek Word meaning therapy aided by a horse (=hippos). The ear-
liest recorded mention of the word “hippotherapy” is in the ancient Greek writings of
Hippocrates. In 1960s, when it was not yet developed as a formalized discipline, it
began to be used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in addition to traditional physi-
cal therapy. The first curriculum has been formulated in the late 1980s by a group of
Canadian and American therapists after a visit to Germany. The discipline was for-
malized in the United States in 1992 by the American Hippotherapy Association
(AHA). AHA established official standards of practice and formalized therapist educa-
tional curriculum processed for Occupational, Physical and Speech therapists in the
United States of America.

The experience in Thailand

In Thailand the experimentation of hyppotherapy was set up on 6th February 2008
thanks to the collaboration with RAJANAGARINDRE Institute of Child Development (RICD), Packsquadron Chaing-
mai, the Ministry of Defense of Thailand, Royal Thai Army and Autistic’s parents. It’s organized every Wednesday in
the spaces provided by Packsquadron Chaingmai.

How to organize Hippotherapy?

In order to organize hyppotherapy, it’s fundamental to have trained teachers,
skillful in horseback riding and who also have a knowledge in Autistic and de-
velopmental stimulation. It’s also important to prepare autistic children and
their parents for understanding the programs, to train parents as a teacher’s
aid for safety purpose and developmental stimulation during the programs and
to do the assessment of the autistic children before and after 12 sessions of
Hippotherapy. In addition, you obviously need tame and well trained horses
and very broad areas.

Which are the benefits?

The rhythmic and multidimensional movement of horse provides variable repetitive sensory stimulation to patients.
The stimulation can be varied and manipulated by a trained therapist to fit a patient’s needs and stimulate improved
functioning of daily living. Hyppotherapy thus stimulates the rider and help enhance balance, good posture, mobility,
co- ordination and strength. It aids mental functioning and it improves mood and self confidence as well.
It is indicated for children and adults with mild to severe neuromuscular dysfunction and it is good for impairments
such as abnormal muscle tone, poor balance, poor co-ordination, sensory dysfunction, postural asymmetry, poor
postural control and decreased mobility. It can also be widely used to treat Cerebral Palsy, developmental delays,
traumatic brain injury, stroke and autism.
In Thailand it’s in particular used for autistic children.
Thiri Nwe, Physiotherapist, NH Myanmar
 Associazione New Humanity Edition 7, February 2011

Emergency for lack of medical staff in Myanmar

A health care professional every 800 persons
The second edition of the Forum on human resources for
the health sector, organized by the World Health Organi-
zation and held in Bangkok at the beginning of February,
highlighted that Myanmar is facing an emergency due to
the lack of human resources in the health sector.
57 Countries are facing the same problem nowadays. Ac-
cording to the WHO, the minimum rate required in order
to cover 80% of deliveries and vaccinations against mea-
sles is 23 healthcare professionals every 10.000 persons.
Myanmar just counts 13 doctors or midwives/nurses
every 10.000 persons.
In the rural areas of Myanmar, where the 70% of the 58
millions of inhabitants live, basic health structures are lack-
ing. Patients have to travel for hours, even for days, in or-
der to reach hospitals or healthcare centres, located only
in the main cities. In order to compensate this emergency,
many NGOs offer medical care for free, but the demand
overcomes the supply.
In Myanmar there are 14 public universities with 3.780
students enrolled in medical disciplines, but medicine stu-
dents all come from rich urban families and aren’t avail-
able to work in poor rural areas. Wages in rural areas are
discouraging and the majority of healthcare professionals
prefers to work in the main cities, where private hospitals
and healthcare centres pay higher salaries, while others
prefer to leave the Country and to work in richer Asian
Countries.
In general, half of the world population lives in rural areas,
where less than 38% of nurses and of 25% of doctors
work.

Among tradition and modernity, the struggle to survive

Trip to Mondolkiri, in the periphery of Cambodia
What does it mean working in “remote areas”? “We have to reduce
You begin to understand it after an hour spent in a people’s dependence
car, over dusty and uneven roads across the for- on the forest” explains
est, without seeing any other car nor people. It serious Socheat, Pro-
becomes clear when you arrive in a village where gram Manager of New
time seems to be stopped. This is Mondolkiri, a Humanity in Mondolkiri,
Cambodian region located near the borders with Phnong himself. He
Vietnam, extremely poor and isolated. Besides the explains us that about
Bamboo pile dwelling you can still see the tradi- 20 foreign enterprises
tional huts typical of the Phnong, the ethnic minor- are working in the terri-
ity that lives in this region. There are no hospitals, tory with an explorative A teacher working with 2 classes in Mondolkiri
only small healthcare centres that are closed most mandate. They have the permission to conduct
of the time. There aren’t enough teachers and researches for the next 2 years and, if they find
classes host a huge number of children, often a something, they have the permission to expropri-
professor teaches to two class of students of dif- ate lands. “It’s fundamental to support education - New Humanity
ferent ages at the same time. he says - because only education can help to works in the region
of Mondolkiri
This place seems to be forgotten by everyone. But preserve Phnong culture. Our children won’t supporting primary
it’s well bore in mind by someone. The foreigner inherit the forest: the access to education is education and
enterprises that are exploiting the forest and the thus a priority if we want to offer them an alterna- organizing training
for farmers
natural resources of the region don’t forget Mon- tive”.
dolkiri. The Phnong families, that have always Working here means exactly this: bearing this
lived in the forests trusting on hunt and nomadic people also in our minds and help them to find the
agriculture, are thus obliged to abandon their terri- tools to revendicate their rights.
tories. Francesca Benigno, NH Italia

Myanmar, an other step forward

A new parliament after 22 years
Myanmar has undertaken the last steps in the roadmap pointed by the junta, created the 2 new “Huttaws”, the
towards democracy, tracked by the regime held by Gen- bicameral Parliament.
eral Than Shwe. First, on the 31st of January the opening The new Parliament elected then the new President
session of the new parliament (after 22 years), as formed Thein Sein, former general now retired and prime minis-
in the election in November. About 660 Parliamentarian - ter in Than Shwe’s government, who will appoint the
mostly former officials of the army - and 166 generals ap- members of the government.
 New Humanity is a volunteer, non profit and apolitical humani-
tarian organization, founded in 1992 in order to work in South-
Eastern Asia.

New Humanity’s vision is a society where everyone, according

to his needs and capabilities, can receive the appropriate edu-
cation and assistance and can contribute to the development
of his own community, whether rural or urban.
Associazione New
Humanity New Humanity’s main commitment is the promotion of educa-
tion as a fundamental weapon in the crusade against poverty
and social exclusion, thanks to the affirmation of the dignity
and the rights of every man.

Currently New Humanity works in Cambodia and Myanmar

through the implementation of programmes aimed at promot-
Via Mose Bianchi 94 ing the social and human development of the whole popula-
20149 Milano tion. New Humanity’s activity focuses on education, rural de-
velopment, health and professional training.

New Humanity works in the respect of the principles of subsidi-

Tel.: 02 4382373 arily, reciprocity, joint responsibility and cooperation, promot-
ing local capabilities and implementing its programmes in step
E-mail: info@newhum.org with development plans of local authorities and international
agencies.

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