AAD musicians performing in Siem Reap

 

AAD musicians performing in Siem Reap

 

SOURCE: http://www.peaceofangkor.com/about.html

Travel to Cambodia: Health and Safety Tips

Health and medical:

Cambodia is a hot humid tropical country with a few specific health issues.  Most health problems are caused  by  heat, dehydration and  food hygiene.  In the last few years medical facilities have improved; with new clinics and hospitals catering for tourists and expats. 
A stay in hospital can be very expensive if you are not insured.
In Phnom Penh and Siem Reap treatment is generally good, with less need to be flown out of the country in the case of an emergency. In rural areas  Cambodia has a  long way  to go in terms of treatment for locals. Western organizations like IMPACT  are giving valuable medical treatment to those in rural areas and on the Tonle Sap Lake.
For visitors to Cambodia there are no compulsory inoculations; however some vaccinations are strongly advised. Below is just a brief guide. You should consult your Doctor or local travel clinic for specific advice. 

Video by the People for Care & Learning

Video Source: People for Care & Learning
This is a great organization that People For Care and Learning supports. It is dedicated to teach the physically disabled a skill so that they can earn a sustainable income.

Watch in HD mode: http://vimeo.com/40540671

Contact information

Inventor hammers out a de-mining machine

Friday, 29 April 2011

Inventor hammers out a de-mining machine

Gary Christ poses alongside his homemade de-mining machine, The Peace Hammer, on his farm in Illinois.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

via CAAI

Friday, 29 April 2011 15:00Michael Sloan

FOUR years of work on a homemade de-mining machine has paid off for “part time” Siem Reap expat and US inventor Gary Christ, with a new version of his apparatus shipping out from Chicago next month bound for Phnom Penh, where it will undergo field testing aimed at securing funding to roll out the machine nationwide.

Land mine victim hopes to help others with agriculture project

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Thu, 26 February 2009

Kyle Sherer

Photo by:
kyle sherer

Gary Christ (background) and Sem Sovantha. 

WHEN Sem Sovantha was crippled by a land mine while on patrol with the Cambodian Army in 1990, only the efforts of his fellow soldiers stopped him from shooting himself on the spot.

Now Sem Sovantha, founder and director of the Angkor Association for the Disabled, is ensuring that Cambodia's land mine victims have options beyond a bleak life of forced dependency and begging.

The organisation is raising funds to prepare a farm in Siem Reap that would allow 20 disabled Cambodians to support themselves.

The slogan of the NGO, adapted from Sem Sovantha's personal motto, is: "We don't want to beg. We want to work". But before disabled Cambodians can enter the workforce, they need to be provided training and physical support, he said.

Gary Christ, agriculture adviser to the Angkor Association for the Disabled, told the Post that in Cambodia, "Once you step on a land mine, you're on your own. There are many disabled beggars with no wheelchair, no prosthetics, nothing".

Sem Sovantha told the Post that after seeing "many disabled people living on the streets, I wanted to provide them with jobs, and skills.

When we registered in 2004, we started a music group, which performs at hotels and the temples for donations".

But in 2009, Sem Sovantha wants to decrease reliance on tourism, and make the centre and the 25 families who live there more self-sufficient. "The farm is the best long-term plan," he said.

The association has secured five hectares of land 50 minutes from Siem Reap town, but needs US$5,000 to construct a fence and cover transportation costs. When the farm is established, it will support up to 20 people.

A previous attempt to begin a farm in Battambang province was aborted last year due to its distance from Siem Reap and -  ironically - problems with clearing land mines.

"We have to support the disabled, many of whom are homeless," said Sem Sovantha.

"The farm could provide them with jobs, and food," but funding for the project still needs to be secured.

"I believe that Sovantha is a leader, and has a great vision," Christ said.

"He just needs support to keep the wheels turning."

SOURCE: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/siem-reap-insider/land-mine-victim-hopes-help-others-agriculture-project

Disabled But Not Handicapped

by Maxine Lim Jen Ai

The Angkor Association for the Disabled (AAD) is tucked away in a quiet spot by the river with trees shading it from the hustle and bustle of the busy street not far from Popular Guesthouse, the place where we're currently staying in Siem Reap. Bonna, our trusty student guide led us to the place, situated on the other side of the river.

As we waited for Sem Sovantha, the Director of AAD to arrive, the sound of children's shrieks and laughter filtered into the hall. Hort Hark (pronounced Huat-Hak) who is in charge of selling the various hand-sewn items by the residents of AAD explained that the organization is currently housing more than 10 families behind the main building.