We provide practical support for disadvantaged disabled people to enable them to participate in education, employment and community life. Our clients are men, women and children affected by landmines, polio, club foot, leprosy, cerebral palsy, traffic accidents and diseases such as diabetes.
In Cambodia, we run 3 rehabilitation centres, a community-based rehabilitation programme, and a regional school providing accredited training for Prosthetist-Orthotists (specialists who prescribe and fit artificial limbs and braces) from across the developing world. Our rehabilitation centres are entirely staffed by Cambodians, trained to international standards.
Cambodia has a large disabled population, as a result of thirty years of conflict, the destruction of the health service and millions of landmines. There are an estimated 43,000 landmine survivors and 50,000 people affected by polio. In a country where the average income is less than $1 a day, disabled people are among the poorest of the poor. Discriminated against at every level of society, they are seen as 'useless?; a burden on the family, and the community. Excluded from education and employment opportunities, they remain dependent; trapped in the cycle of poverty. Disabled women and children are particularly disadvantaged.
In Timor Leste (East Timor), one of the newest nations in the world, we have established the first national rehabilitation centre for disabled people. There are at least 6,000 people in Timor Leste who need artificial limbs or orthopaedic braces, including many people affected by leprosy. Until now, with few Prosthetic and Orthotic resources in Timor, these people have been isolated and dependent. Find out more at www.asserteasttimor.com
In Sri Lanka, we have established a national training centre for Prothetist-Orthotists. There are around 160,000 disabled people who need artificial limbs and braces in Sri Lanka, including many landmine accident survivors, victims of conflict and survivors of the tsunami. However, there are only 2 trained specialists in the whole of the country (both graduates of our training school in Cambodia). Sri Lanka needs a minimum of 115 Prosthetist-Orthotists to meet the needs of the disabled population. Find out more at: www.slspo.com