Category: Deaf

People and activities in the Cambodian deaf world

Musica Felice Concert

Sunday evening we had the Musica Felice Charity Concert and part of the proceeds were designated to assist the Maryknoll Deaf Development Programme. Organized by Ms. Miwako Fujiwara, the concert filled the large ballroom of the Sofitel hotel both with people and beautiful music.

Before guests arrived Thuch Sophy (left) and Sau Soknym, both of our management team, set out DDP brochures for the concert-goers to peruse.
DDP staff helped to welcome guests and punched their tickets. Understandably, not many deaf people attended the concert. I suspect some of our deaf staff came just to experience what a concert might be like for hearing people.
Miwako and several of the singers are members of our English Catholic parish and it is very satisfying to see them participate in community events such as this.
Afterwards the DDP staff gathered for a photo with Miwako Fujiwara.

Musica Felice Concert

Ms. Miwako Fujiwara is a professional musician and the organizer of Musica Felice, a choral group of Phnom Penh singers. Their series of benefit concerts was interrupted by Covid-19 but today held a concert at the Sofitel hotel in Phnom Penh with the Deaf Development Programme as one of the beneficiaries. More than twenty DDP staff attended. Most of the concert was not interpreted but at the intermission Miwako made some introductions. Unfortunately, our sign language interpreter offstage didn’t hear her name called, and when she didn’t appear I stepped in for some impromptu interpreting. (More on the concert tomorrow.)

Getting ready for graduation

Today at the Deaf Development Programme, deaf staff and Sign Language Project staff prepared a banner to be used for the graduation ceremony for sign language interpreters class next Friday. The banners have pictures of the present king and his father and mother and then the name and date of the event. Such banners are a mandatory part of every ceremony in Cambodia.

Changes in the Education Project

Today Srey Mom started her new job as school counselor and moved her desk into the office of the Education Project which meant rearranging everything and moving some materials out of the office. Here the education staff ponder the placement of cabinets and tables while Srey Tin cleans up some of the books to be stored.

Kimhorn’s wedding

Julie and Sophy, DDP staff


Today, Kimhorn, a staff member of the Sign Language Project at the Deaf Development Programme, married Sophors, a former student at DDP when Kimhorn was studying there also. Click here to see some photos from the happy occasion.