Speech therapy in action

Communicating with other people is at the centre of our everyday lives. During my experience working in Cambodia and Viet Nam I met many people who have a communication or swallowing disorder. However, health services for them are nearly non-existent and many people are cut off from their families, friends and the rest of society,

In Cambodia, more than 600,000 people have a communication or swallowing disorder and there are very few places individuals can receive therapy. OIC are working to solve this silent crisis in Cambodia, the small team based in Phnom Penh work towards ensuring people receive the help they need to communicate with those around and lead full and happy lives.

OIC goal is to make speech therapy available to all those who need it in Cambodia. OIC is arguably one of the most sustainable organisations in the development sector, the team have a fourteen-year plan, including an exit strategy, after which OIC will leave Cambodia. The target is for 100 Cambodian speech therapists to be employed by the government by 2030.

Locally trained speech therapists are desperately needed, with no trained speech therapists in the country many children are left isolated or in some cases abandoned. In 2015 alone the social work at Angkor Hospital for Children responded to 20 cases of child abandonment.

Sorya who was born with cerebral palsy was abandoned at Angkor Hospital for Children when he was roughly nine months old. His family left the child due to their lack of confidence to care for him. According to the social work unit lead by, Mr. Sokchea, there are many factors that influence a family to leave their child in the care of another. Reasons include poverty, social norms, lack of information about support services available to the family, violence or the belief that a child born with disabilities will bring bad luck to the family.

Luckily the local team have worked tirelessly with a family who has fostered Sorya. The team have partnered with Safe Haven Medical Outreach, which provides ongoing physical therapy, play therapy and feeding training to Sorya and his foster family.

Speech therapy is so important not just for communication, speech therapy is extremely important and life-saving. When a child has a swallowing disability, common in those with cerebral palsy, food and liquid can go into their lungs. Consequently, they can contract pneumonia and even die.

Ensuring local communities, schools and families are educated means that children with communication or swallowing difficulties can be spotted quicker. Some teachers and parents usually assume their children are 'slow learners'. However with disabled workers heading out to communes and villages working with teachers, government officials and local non-governmental organisations more children will have access to the therapy they need.

Organisations such as Safe Haven Medical Outreach and OIC are working out in the field to ensure children have access to basic speech therapy. OIC go to many rural parts of Cambodia working with children with a range of disabilities ensuring they are able to communicate with their families, have access to education and are able to participate in the local community.

Without their campaigning efforts, advocacy and push for developing and training courses to create jobs for speech therapists many children such as Sorya would be left isolated. 

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