We're proud to announce that the Cambodia Trust has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the first school of prosthetics and orthotics in the Philippines, in partnership with the Nippon Foundation and the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center Inc. (UERMMMCI). The Philippine School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (PSPO) is the first training centre of its kind in the country. PSPO is the fourth school established by the Cambodia Trust in partnership with the Nippon Foundation.
The establishment of PSPO was formalized at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 20t October 2010 by UERMMMCI President Romeo Divinagracia, Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa and Cambodia Trust Executive Director Carson Harte. The MOU covers a 10-year, $7 Million grant for the PSPO curriculum.
Cambodia Trust Executive Director Carson Harte said, “This is a major step forward in building sustainable, locally-run rehabilitation services for the estimated 1.62 million Filipinos with disabilities who need prosthetic limbs or orthotics to improve their mobility and enable them to access their rights to education and employment opportunities.”
The Cambodia Trust, supported by the Nippon Foundation, also runs training schools in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Jakarta, making the NGO the biggest provider of prosthetics and orthotics training in the world. “Graduates from PSPO will make a positive impact on reducing poverty amongst people with disabilities in the Philippines,” added Harte. “We are delighted to be sharing our expertise in another country, extending the reach of our organisation and bringing the chance of mobility and self-suffiency to more people with disabilities.”
For photos of the PSPO MoU signing ceremony, please visit our Flickr photostream
