On 9 December 2016 the Caritas Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health celebrated their 25th anniversary. Started and directed by Dr. Bhoomikhumar Jegannathan, it is the only mental health facility for children in the country and has done wonderful work.
Every ceremony in Cambodia starts with a blessing dance. What was unusual this day was having dancers in wheelchairs. Just as young girls in the United States dream of being a cheerleader, so young girls in Cambodia want to be an apsara dancer but that is not an option for most young women with disabilities. These women are fortunate to be connected to the Jesuit program for disabilities in Battambang Province.
Bishop Kike, the head of Caritas Cambodia, speaks to a young woman who has participated in the church’s program for people with disabilities.
After the not-too-long presentations, all the guests and the children at the center with their parents were invited to a lunch served in the center’s well-designed center courtyard.