Promoting Education, Empowerment and Inclusion for children with disabilities on Koh Dach Island.
COVID-19 has been catastrophic the world over. For many of us, we have had to turn our kitchen tables into an office space and classroom. The pandemic has taken its toll on all areas of life.
The presence of the virus has brought unprecedented effects to human life and economic devastation to Cambodia. Garment factories have laid off workers due to a decrease in demand from Europe. Travel bans and the closing of restaurants have caused huge job losses across many sectors in Cambodia. For families on Koh Dach Island, the pandemic has been particularly damaging as the island relies heavily on tourism. Families working in the tourism industry have turned to fishing, farming and construction, but the pay is considerably less pushing families into extreme poverty.
As the mighty Mekong river banks overflow in the wet season, flooding and destruction is common across Koh Dach. These new problems have only exacerbated people’s profound day-to-day issues. For families are currently living in extreme poverty, caring for disabled children is even more back-breaking with pools of water destroying homes and providing any sort of education near impossible.
Currently, 77% of Cambodians do not have access to safe water and sanitation facilities. Due to the flooding, the EmbraceAbility team are already reporting cases of typhoid and other water borne diseases due to unsafe drinking water.
The EmbraceAbility team have provided emergency relief for the families on Koh Dach Island since March 2020. We now need to take our response further by providing long-term solutions to combat poverty for disabled households on the island.
Building blocks to education
The opening of the Community Daycare and Rehabilitation Centre on Koh Dach island will mean disabled children have access to inclusive education, accessible healthcare and families will make sustainable steps towards combating poverty alleviation.
Over 3 million children in Cambodia have been affected by school closures. The scale of the COVID-19 impact threatens to roll back years of progress and leave the most vulnerable deprived of key services.
The response to the pandemic has highlighted weaknesses in the education system. Families living in poverty have been unable to access online classes and low literacy and numeracy rates mean adults are unable to support their children at home.
Disabled children are less likely to attend school after the pandemic and we must ensure they are not left behind. Without the opening of our daycare and rehabilitation centre, disabled children are at risk of falling through the cracks. We will offer a safe space for disabled children to access education with the support of trained Special Educational Needs (SEN) professionals.
Community-based healthcare
Disabled children need access to specialised, community-based healthcare. There is currently no access to therapy for disabled people on Koh Dach island. Travelling to and from the island to healthcare facilities in the capital city is expensive and means families miss the opportunity to work.
Access to therapy is essential for disabled children to participate fully in everyday life. The centre will act as a safe and inclusive space for disabled children to make friends with their peers and thrive in the community.
The centre will also provide opportunities for inclusive sport to increase the children’s abilities, strength and mental health. The opening of the daycare and rehabilitation centre will ensure 32 disabled children will finally have their basic human rights met.
Poverty Alleviation
The families of Koh Dach need a full-time service for disabled children to be cared for while carers look for paid employment. The team are aware of the scant employment opportunities on the island. That’s why we have partnered with companies offering families new opportunities to start their own businesses. For example, we have partnered with the fabulous Lilypads who provide reusable sanitary pads to women for sale building opportunities for small enterprise and extra income. EmbraceAbility will also be providing financial literacy classes to manage household debt and promote business planning.
One step at a time, we are slowly paving the way for a sustainable path out of poverty for the disabled households in Cambodia. As little as £6 will ensure a disabled child will have access to therapy, education, two hot meals and a snack for one day.