Therapy Services for 80 Cambodian Families

When Lisa, co-founder and technical advisor to ABLE, moved to Cambodia in 2012, she came because she had heard Cambodia had one of the highest rates of physical disability in the world and, as a physical therapist, she felt that had something to contribute. Few services and programs existed in Cambodia to address the needs of people with disabilities, especially in more rural areas. As a result, babies born with disabilities or chronic illnesses were often abandoned or sent to orphanages for care.

Those who were raised at home had parents who received little to no support or training in how to care for their needs, leaving many of the children trapped in their homes with little interaction. The stigma around disability and illness, also created shame in the parents, which added to their sense of being overwhelmed.

While CIF’s ABLE program grew, helping hundreds of children with disabilities in Cambodia grow up and even thrive in loving families, Lisa and her team found the need to expand the work even further. With incredible vision, Lisa has spent the last two and half years on an off-shoot project, Enhancing Service Provision for Children with Disabilities (ESP), which we shared about in 2022. 

The purpose of this project was to build capacity in local communities to support children with disabilities and their families. Because families who care for children with disabilities need to be equipped to succeed. While government policy states children should be in their own families, the supports to make that successful still need to be better implemented throughout the nation to prevent their relinquishment to residential care.

ESP’s focus included: awareness and advocacy; resources and availability; and training and coaching staff working with people with disabilities in community roles.  The project also focused on building relationships with subnational and local authorities, helping to increase their awareness of the needs of children with disabilities and their families in their communities, and connecting authorities with what resources are available locally and regionally. 

One government participant in Phnom Penh said, "Today's site visit (to Exceed Worldwide, an organization providing physical therapy and prosthetics/orthotics) made me aware of a lot of information related to the services of people with disabilities that I did not know before." Another stated, "I would like to see more such sharing sessions in order to help and provide services to people with disabilities, especially children with disabilities, in a timely and effective manner."

There was an incredible amount of work poured into this two-year project, but the feedback was encouraging. CIF’s leadership realized that it was only the beginning of the shift in Cambodia toward inclusive and holistic care for people with disabilities.

In addition to supporting more than 66 children with disabilities and their families through the ABLE Program, CIF will continue to focus on ESP’s work.

Because children with disabilities are some of the most vulnerable to abandonment, trafficking, abuse, and neglect, CIF’s leadership has assessed it as a key focus behind CIF’s goal that all children belong in a loving family.

While we celebrate the incredible work of Lisa, Srey Ny, Savorn, Thavy, Dany, Vanda, and Marijke in ABLE and ESP, we know we could not have done this without the support of our donors and partners. Thank you so very much for your contribution to strengthening families who care for children with disabilities.