Help the speech impaired

available on request.available on request.About This Project

Our research shows that there are over 600,000 individuals in Cambodia with a communication or swallowing difficulty. The implications of not treating these disabilities are severe - people with untreated swallowing disorders are 13 times more likely to suffer premature death than those who are not. This is because they are at risk of aspirating (food or liquid entering the lungs) and hence contracting a pneumonia (chest infection). People with communication problems face isolation and low opportunities to participate. Mental health is also majorly impacted.Unfortunately, these people have been overlooked majorly at a policy level both internationally and in Cambodia.

Although we believe that the best solution is for government to provide services for people with disabilities, we recognise that no amount of advocacy and awareness raising can work without first showing that the concept can work in context.As such, we are looking to pilot a Speech Therapy curriculum in the areas that we already work in, measuring the impact of the curriculum, and using it as a working example that this form of therapy can provide benefits in Cambodia.

Once this occurs, we will train other organisations and individuals working with people with communication and swallowing difficulties, so that they too can have the skills necessary to help them improve their own lives.

Finally, we hope to help initiate a Speech Therapy degree in Cambodia. Fully Cambodian owned, initiated and run. This is the only way that Cambodia can reduce their dependency on outside expertise and funds, and address the situation
in a comprehensive manner.

NB. We have lots more information, and we recognise that you cannot get a full picture of what we have already done, or are planning to do, from a few paragraphs. We are more than happy to supply the following upon request.

1) Our full costed budget

2) Our concept note

3) Our situational analysis report

4) Our strategy document

Use Of Funds

$12,000 TIPPING POINT GOAL

We are an NGO (non-governmental organisation) that aims to do good, but it cannot run without funding. We do our absolute best to keep our spending low. For example, all staff use motorbikes to visit the poor villages instead of expensive all terrain vehicles. Despite temperatures reaching the high 30s, none of the offices have airconditioning and most are shared with government or other NGO staff. This means that your contribution, big or small, can go very far.

Funds will be used for the costs associated with activities, such as training our staff on how to have basic Speech Therapy skills, training local teachers in schools to cope with the needs of those with communication and swallowing difficulties better, gathering information from government and other NGO partners on how we might build a sustainable Speech Therapy solution together, learning from a Vietnamese university about how they managed to set up Speech Therapy in their country.

Ultimately, funds will initiate the final goal, which is setting up%2