It has always been the goal of the Cambodia Trust to share its expertise in other low income countries. The Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (CSPO) began accepting students from outside Cambodia in 1998. Students from more than 15 different countries, including Sri Lanka, have now been trained at CSPO.
For intake 1999, CSPO welcomed the first two students from Sri Lanka. Since that time a total of 10 Sri Lankan students from the Ministry of Defence and local organisations have graduated from CSPO as Prosthetist-Orthotists.
However it was clear to the Cambodia Trust that this approach was not enough to cover the needs of people with disabilities in Sri Lanka. This island nation is emerging from more than thirty years of civil conflict and consequently needs to plan for the rehabilitation of victims - both military and civilian - from both sides of the conflict. As well as people affected by conflict and the tsunami, Sri Lankans are affected by the usual disabilities related to age and diseases such as diabetes, cerebral palsy, and stroke.
The Cambodia Trust was invited by the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka to establish a new training school, SLSPO, modelled on the CSPO exemple of prosthetics/orthotics education and management. 
In 2004, after several years of planning, SLSPO was established with signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Health, The Nippon Foundation and The Cambodia Trust. SLSPO would like to thank the Nippon Foundation for its huge financial support of our work.
Read more about the Nippon Foundation on the Foundation`s website
Sustainable Development and the SLSPO Board
SLSPO is a locally registered non-profit organisation and works closely with the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka, other NGOs and people with disabilities to encourage the development of prosthetics and orthotics services for persons with disabilities.
The Cambodia Trust is a partner organization in the roles of project manager, facilitator, board member and technical advisor. This structure means that at the end of the process of development, the school will be locally owned and run by the Ministry of Health.
Until that handover in 2014, SLSPO is managed by a local Board of Governors representing the Ministry of Health, The Nippon Foundation, The Cambodia Trust and representatives from a broad spectrum of Sri Lankan society.
