By Deb Sloggett, Foundation Chair, International Committee – Rotary Club of Keilor East
Being disabled in Cambodia is hard. It is thought that 60% of disabled people live under the country’s poverty line, and most live in rural areas where access to support is non-existent or cost-prohibitive. Children with disability don’t attend school, as there is no suitable infrastructure. Significantly, most families are unaware of any support that they could access.
However, there is an NGO reaching out to change this.
Safe Haven, a therapeutic and medical outreach centre (NGO), is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Its mission is to create lasting change in the lives of children with disabilities and medical issues. The staff members provide holistic and culturally appropriate support suitable for the individual child and family. This program is so good that word of mouth is one of the main referral arms.
The Rotary Clubs of Keilor East, Prahran and Passport Melbourne joined together to source and send valuable and much needed disability equipment for the program. So many people will benefit from every bit of equipment that can be sent. I have seen the need, visited the centre with fellow Rotarians, and was thrilled when Rotary People of Action stepped up.
Included with the equipment donated were 50 wheelchairs from Wheelchairs for Kids. Safe Haven has the expertise to fit these to the individual child, as well as maintain the chairs.
Equipment included a range of large items to aid physical support to ‘toys’ to aid fine motor skills development, all donated from various sources and stored at Donations in Kind. A 40-foot container was then organised before equipment was packed and sent. It’s not easy to pull all this together and there were a few hitches along the way, COVID-19 being one. Collaboration in this type of project is crucial and without the help of all those involved, the task would have proved impossible. From inception to reception it took just over one year.
On arrival in Cambodia, the container was sent by road from the port to Siem Reap where it was unloaded by a fantastic team of helpers from Safe Haven, Cambodian Rural Students Trust (NGO) and Green Gecko (NGO). Safe Haven’s In-Country Director Jessica Whitney and a member of our very own Rotary Passport Club of Melbourne shared some of the comments from Safe Haven staff:
“It’s like Christmas…Rotary is our Santa Claus…Jackpot…I am so HAPPY! So many useful things…Oh my God, I can’t believe it!”
The impact that Safe Haven has on changing lives through their work is amazing…the part Rotary has played in it just has to be shared!
Appreciation must go to Rotary Clubs of Keilor East, Prahran, Passport Melbourne and Hawthorn, DIK and the other unsung heroes who were the right people at the right time to see this project through to its successful conclusion.
Safe Haven is a registered RAWCS project: 53-2018-19