Community Disability Support for 240 Children

Respite Care Has Launched!

Children In Families' (CIF's) Enhancing Service Provision (ESP) team has been hard at work, and the new community-based Respite Care Services were launched at Jesus Loves You Church (JLYC) at Kraol Kou Commune on February 2, 2026. Prior to the launch, ESP coordinated with JLYC to help in preparing the facilities to be child-friendly and accessible for children with physical disabilities. JLYC was able to identify volunteers to provide the respite services and CIF vetted and trained them. So far, twelve families with 14 children who have disabilities have enrolled. Volunteers provide full day respite services two days per week and snacks and lunch are provided. The children practice hygiene skills with support as needed, and engage in activities throughout the day to develop social skills, communication skills, cognitive skills, and motor skills, and other self help skills. The CIF ESP team are providing ongoing coaching and support to the volunteers. 

“The Lord Answered My Prayers”

For many years, Mrs. Puth Theany, a devoted church leader in Kraol Kou Commune, carried a quiet but powerful dream in her heart. As she served her community through the Jesus Loves You Church, she had long prayed for a way to support vulnerable children—especially those living with disabilities or chronic illnesses. She dreamed of turning her church into a safe place where these children could receive care, comfort, and inclusion.

 “I always prayed for a way to convert my church’s space into a place that could support vulnerable children—those living with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or children without parents,” she shared. “I believed that God had a special purpose for this space.”

Despite her strong desire, Theany did not yet know how or when this dream could become real. The church building stood ready, and her heart was open, but the right opportunity had not yet arrived.

That moment finally came when CIF introduced the idea of establishing a respite care center in Svay Rieng Province to support children with disabilities and give their caregivers much needed rest. When Theany learned about CIF’s vision, she felt an immediate kinship and believed her prayers had finally been answered.

“When I heard CIF wanted to establish a respite care center, I felt it immediately—this is what I have been waiting for. I decided to volunteer my church building without hesitation.”

Other activities since our last report: 

While Theany's commitment is exemplary, the ESP program staff are seeing such a fantastic level of participation on the whole from the communities in which we have been engaged for this initial stage of the project. 

Disability Awareness Training Workshops 

In our last report we shared that CIF had coordinated with the Provincial Department of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (DoSVY) of Svay Rieng and Disability Support International (DSI) to deliver the first in a three-part series of capacity training workshops on disability awareness and disability-inclusive support services for children. With continued support from DoSVY, sessions two and three were provided to over 50 participants including government officials, health center staff, and education staff covering multiple districts of Svay Rieng province. 

Session Two Training, supported by the Organization to Improve Communication and Swallowing Therapy Services in Cambodia (OIC Cambodia):

• Supporting children with communication impairments

Session Three Training (CIF ESP Team):

• Typical infant and child development
• Supporting learning through play
• Positioning and motor activities for children with physical impairments.  

National & International Disability Day Event 

CIF collaborated with DoSVY in Svay Rieng to host the 27^th Cambodian Disability Day and 43^rd International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Bavet Municipality under the theme:“Disability Inclusion in All Sectors to Promote Social Development.”

Family Peer Support Groups Launched 

CIF's ESP team launched five peer support groups in two different districts and facilitated the first meeting for all of the groups and a second meeting for one of the groups. These groups will be used to empower families and provide a forum for them to share experiences and resources.

Community Mobilization

In addition to allowing families to share experiences and resources, the peer support groups provide an opportunity for specific needs of families to be brought to the attention of their local communities. Community Mobilization events are then planned to engage the community, using local resources whenever possible, to help in meeting those needs. ESP hosted one such community mobilization activity to provide a wheelchair for a teenage boy who had never had one before. ESP staff also visited several other families at their homes to help in identifying needs for other potential community mobilization projects in the future.

Community Dialogue and Respite Care Site Visits

ESP staff hosted and facilitated a community dialogue in order to strengthen community understanding of disability inclusion and provide a forum for community discussion about building stronger support systems for children with disabilities. Respite Care site visits were held concurrently with the community dialogue, followed by time for sharing reflections. Attendees included local, district and provincial government staff with representatives from social welfare, education, and health departments. 

So, it's been a busy few months thanks to the continued support we have received from Amyas Valora Foundation. That short-term funding is nearing an end, however, so your support through GlobalGiving is especially critical. Thank you so very much to those who have contributed so far. So far we have raised $9,329.00 of our $150,000 goal. Every dollar you give makes it possible for us to continue building the capacity of the current communities while also expanding into more communities.