Charlie Dittmeier's Home Page
People and activities in the Cambodian deaf world
Colin Allen in 2001-2002 was an advisor for the Maryknoll Deaf Development Programme in Phnom Penh. Now he is president of the World Federation of the Deaf and president of the International Disability Association. Here he is with Ms. A. Muhammed, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations.
Colin Allen is the president of the World Federation of the Deaf which represents deaf people to the United Nations. He is a real organizational genius, just the type of advocate leader the deaf community needs–and he was just recognized for his abilities by made a member of the Order of Australia in the most recent Queen’s List.
Coincidentally the guard at our Maryknoll office in Phnom Penh showed up wearing an old Colin Allen shirt! Maybe fifteen years ago we made up some shirts for a birthday party for Colin when he worked at the Deaf Development Programme here–before he got to the big leagues. I doubt the appearance of the shirt at this time was intentional–I have no idea how the guard got it and I’m sure he has no idea who Colin is–but it was a fortuitous alignment of events!
This week we had another farewell at the Deaf Development Programme as our social worker, Tay Vannarith (R), bade farewell to the rest of the DDP staff. Vannarith set up our social work program eight years ago and has been a faithful and dedicated source of help to the deaf community that will be sorely missed.
The visitors returned from Siem Reap this evening and we went to a final dinner together. Click here for a photo from the restaurant. Tomorrow morning early they fly back to Malaysia.
[Somehow, somewhere the photos from Thursday and Saturday have been misplaced! If I ever find them on my computer, I’ll let you know!]
On their first full day in Cambodia, our visitors from the Catholic deaf program in Malaysia visited the Deaf Development Programme. Click here to see some of those pictures.
The past three days we have had a visit from members of the Catholic deaf community in Malaysia. Click here to see their activities on Sunday. Photos from their first three days will come later (when they are found!)
Today we at the Deaf Development Programme had a visit from Ms. Ikumi Kawamata (second left) from the Nippon Foundation in Japan. Here she is with our Sign Language Project staff and her interpreter John (far right).
On the weekend the deaf community had a Khmer New Year party. Today the DDP staff in Phnom Penh had a simple but delicious and fun lunch together. Click here to see what it was like.
April13-15 is the official Khmer New Year but the deaf people will go to their home provinces then so there was a new year celebration today at the Deaf Development Programme office in Phnom Penh. Click here to see the activities.
The Finnish Association of the Deaf and Maryknoll Cambodia jointly sponsor the Deaf Development Programme serving the people of Cambodia, and every year Johanna Karinen, FAD’s representative, comes to Phnom Penh to listen to reports and to plan for the year ahead. This year her visit is from 18-25 March.