Since ADD began work in Cambodia a significant number of disabled people have become aware of their rights and ADD now works in eight provinces in 237 villages and reaches 5,244 disabled people.
Work here currently focusses on building the capacity of district level federations of disabled people to become effective membership organisations. We provide training in areas such as organisational development, disability rights, and advocacy whilst at the same time building up teams of disability equality trainers who will carry on this work in the future. Alongside training we also support federations to lobby for local and national inclusion in important development programs such as poverty reduction strategies, elections, universal primary education and HIV/aids awareness.
In the last elections ADD worked with the National Election Committee on inclusion of disabled people in the electoral process. The leader of National Election Committee, Im Suosdey, declared his commitment to work with the disability movement to respond to the political needs of disabled people.
International Children's Day 2008
ADD Cambodia’s work filmed by News Asia
The News Asia Channel based in Singapore is producing a documentary to be broadcast during Asia Week AW in December. The documentary includes interviews with Vansitha and three disabled persons who she has worked with: Ms Sok Koeun, Ms Song Ratha and Soy Dara.
Sok Koeun is 31 and lives in Kampong Speu province. Sok Koeun lost an arm and an eye in an accident and says that her life felt hopeless because of the ignorance and discrimination shown by her family and used to hide herself in her room to avoid meeting other people. It took Vansitha several visits before she was able to talk to Koeun, now she is like family, but now her life has totally changed. Koeun says: “I would have died already if I did not meet Ms Vansitha”.
39 year old Song Ratha has been blind since birth and lives in Kampong Cham province. Ratha’s parents never allowed her to join in any village activities and thought that all blind people were unable to do anything – so they expected nothing and Ratha stayed at home dependent on the help of here family for everything.
As Ratha grew up she felt very lonely and knew only her blind world. Her neighbours frightened her and made fun of her blindness. “They called me ‘a blind’ and not my name”.
It took four visits before Vansitha was allowed to meet Ratha and when Vansitha shared with her common experiences of disability she faced in her life, Ratha cried and told her the story in tears.
Vansitha helped Ratha become more independent in the home. She taught her how to cook and provided a bar to lead Ratha to the bathroom. Ratha calls Vansitha Mummy and says that she “gave me my second life”.
Ratha become a member of self-help group and was later selected to be a Disability Equity Trainer – so now Ratha is not able to help herself, but she also helps others.
In the beginning Ratha’s parents were not supportive, now her father appreciates the involvement of ADD, especially Vansitha and accompanies Ratha to her training activities. He says: “Ratha’s siblings never valued her contribution at home before. Now when Ratha goes away for her work for a few days the others complain of missing her because they have to cook for themselves after returning from the field”.
He also appreciates that due to ADD’s work Ratha can participate in elections “Blind persons couldn’t vote freely in the past, but the tactile ballot assists blind people to vote privately”.
Soy Dara’s father says that Dara is not lonely any more, schoolchildren visit him everyday after school. Most evenings he takes Dara to the school play ground so that Dara can meet and play with schoolchildren.
By Son Song Hak
ADD Cambodia
8th August 2008