Disabled children do not need just medical support
Cambodian teacher Em Kan lives in the Trapeang Raing village in the Takeo province. He has five children and for additional household income he and his wife grow rice and breed animals. In 2011, he fell from the top of a palm tree and broke his hip. Because of his injury, he has understood more than anyone else the need for a project to support children with disabilities.
The terms "disabled" or “with handicap” are not common in Cambodia, nor are their definitions very clear. The organization Catholic Relief Service (CRS), together with Caritas Czech Republic and supported by Caritas Vietnam, began to explain these terms on the Ministry of Education level in 2010. Then teachers and representatives from selected villages participated in training about inclusive education, and about letting children with disabilities attend school. Em Kan joined the project as a member of the Working Group in November 2010. He went through training and together with other members of the group visited Vietnam, where a similar project has been running for few years.
A year later, in September 2011, Em Kan understood firsthand what it means to be identified as a person with disabilities. After a hip injury, he had had some surgeries and expensive treatment for three months. He even had to sell a part of his property. He felt useless and had been upset because he had to walk with a stick. He moved just for a food, going to the toilet and minor walking around the house. Some of his friends and neighbors stopped inviting him among themselves. As the others believed that he could not walk at all, they did not invite him to social events. He asked himself what it must be when a person is disabled from birth or childhood. "What would my life be like?" He understood a lot. He knew why Caritas Czech Republic was working on a project specializing in helping children with disabilities.
In time, Em Kan was able to handle all of his difficulties. With self-motivation and support of family, whowent through training to learn how to deal with the reactions of others, he returned to school. Students and colleagues, who are more familiar with the issue, warmly welcomed him and gave him words of comfort and support. The accident did not become the reason for Em Kan to grieve, but rather helped him learn a lot about the facts and life experiences in a subject in which he had been recently trained.
Em Kan acknowledged that learning about something in theory is one thing. Finding themselves in a real situation and exploring everything for yourself is quite another. He says that one can never know how people with disabilities feel and suffer, until they become one of them. Support and motivation, which they receive from them mean a lot. Em Kan does not wish that everyone should experience what he or children with disabilities do. He just says, "Children with disabilities do not need only medical support but also emotional, physical and financial support – all of that can greatly help them."
He firmly believes that many changes will come in the future. Children with disabilities will be able to learn in classrooms with classes adapted to their disability. Teachers will pay more attention to these children. Everyone will understand children with disabilities learn as well as others. Their rights are respected and recognized. In addition, children will get a good education, they can find a good job and be able to help their parents. Finally, he hopes that the number of children with disabilities will continue to decline.
He evaluates the CRS project as a great program and sees that it works to fulfill the actual needs of communities and children with disabilities. In conclusion, he adds: "Helping people with disabilities is helping yourself."
