Physiotherapy - Cambodia

Product Details

Qualified physiotherapists and occupational therapists are needed to support a busy centre for disabled people in Cambodia. Many of them are landmine victims, others suffer from polio and club foot. You would be asked to work alongside semi qualified Cambodian staff offering guidance and advice so they can work independently after your departure.

Veterans International (VI) are a well respected, American funded, non government organisation (NGO). They won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for their campaigns to abolish landmines. They specialise in the rehabilitation of young, disabled Cambodians back into 'normal' life. Many of these people are landmine or polio victims, some have been involved in traffic accidents or suffer from clubfoot. Veterans International provide them with artificial limbs and wheelchairs that are made at one of their centres. They provide full physiotherapy and occupational therapy and the invalids are allowed to stay at the centre until they are fully mobile again. VI also run training programmes so that the youngsters can learn a useful skill that will allow them to earn a living when they return to their villages. These include learning English, computer skills, art skills, mechanics, making wheelchairs and silk weaving.

Responsibilities and activities

Up until 1999 there were no trained physiotherapists or occupational therapists in Cambodia and nobody to run training programmes. The need however is extensive particularly in the areas of prosthetics, amputees, polio, cerebral palsy, clubfoot and rehabilitation. Once treated these people need help adjusting and coping with life in the villages which is always difficult for the disabled.

Each of the VI centres have physiotherapists but their training is brief and their skills can be limited. For this reason we need british physiotherapists and O.T.s to help them. This might involve setting up a system to diagnose patients, carry out proper treatment, offer them support at home and record the above properly. It is hoped that in addition to treating individuals you would be able to teach the young staff and therefore provide help to the disabled on a long term basis and leave a legacy of therapists in Cambodia who could continue your work. The teaching would be done in English. You may also have the opportunity to teach 'disabled' sports and games, which is considered to be an important part of the rehabilitation process.

This is a project that provides enormous scope for volunteers interested in working with partially disabled young Cambodians from poor, rural backgrounds. It would be ideal for compassionate volunteers with an interest in aid work or for any enthusiastic person with good common sense, masses of energy and a desire to work with humble, young Cambodians who need all the support possible. Several qualified volunteers have now offered their services to VI and the progress is considerable.

Accommodation, food and time off

VI have three centres: two in provincial towns, Prey Veng and Kratie, and one in Phnom Penh. Accommodation would be in a private house with other Outreach volunteers or in a local guesthouse. In all cases this is very comfortable. Meals would be taken communally with the other staff. The standard of cooking is excellent and is normally done by a Khmer cook. Weekends are free for travelling and exploring on bicycle or motorbike. You would become a central figure in the social life of the community and would be invited to weddings, parties and to people's houses for meals and to meet their families. In this respect it is a very social project and you would be given an unusual insight into traditional Cambodian family life. Volunteers would receive a Khmer language course and orientation in Phnom Penh before beginning the project.