The Cambodia Trust was pleased to welcome His Excellency Andrew Mace to the Cambodian School of Prosthetic and Orthotics in (CSPO) Phnom Penh in June, 2009. This was the Ambassador’s first visit to the Cambodia Trust since his recent appointment as the British Ambassador to Cambodia. Mr. Mace was given a tour of the CSPO clinic and workshop by Lecturers Heang Thearith, Teap Odom and Helen Cochrane.
“It’s wonderful to meet the students and see their motivation for helping persons with disabilities; the work they are undertaking is desperately needed in Cambodia. I was particularly encouraged to see so many female students, as well as a number of students with disabilities, showing that Cambodia Trust is drawing on the widest possible pool of talented candidates,” commented the British Ambassador.
The Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK government has supported the Cambodia Trust on various projects for a number of years. Says Dr Mary Scott, Cambodia Trust Country Director, “Persons with disabilities are often amongst the poorest of the poor. Physical rehabilitation is a first step to ensuring that they have access to poverty reduction programmes. Our vision is equal rights for persons with disabilities in an inclusive, barrier-free society. To accomplish this in Cambodia we are:
- Training Prosthetist Orthotists from Cambodia and other low income countries to international standards,
- Providing physical rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities in our three centres, and
- Through a Community Based Rehabilitation programme, ensuring that children with disabilities have access to education and adults with disabilities have opportunities to develop income generating opportunities.
Support from international donors such as DFID is very important for us to be able to provide those services.”
The Ambassador also commented on Cambodia Trust’s localization process:
“The Cambodia Trust is doing exactly what they set out to do: build local capacity, so that Cambodians are helping Cambodians. Also it is impressive to see that Cambodia is developing world-class expertise in this area, and is sharing this with other low income countries by providing internationally accredited education to students from more than 10 countries from as far away as Iraq and Papua New Guinea.”
By the end of 2009, the school’s lecturing staff will be completely localised. The Cambodian Lecturers all hold international Bachelor degrees in Prosthetics and Orthotics, while Assistant Lecturers are graduates of CSPO.
Student Kheng Dara met Mr. Mace as he toured the workshop. “He was interested in the device I was working on at the time, and encouraged me to study and do well” recalled Dara.
The staff and students of the Cambodia Trust looked forward to meeting Mr. Mace again at the CSPO's graduation ceremony on September 10, 2009.
Photo: British Ambassador H.E. Andrew Mace at the Cambodia Trust Rehabilitation Clinic, Phnom Penh. From left to right: Heang Thearith, Teap Odom, H.E. Andrew Mace, Heang Houng, Hak Eng.
