Category: Deaf

People and activities in the Cambodian deaf world

UNDP Validation Workshop

The United Nations Development Programme has been conducting an analysis of the situation of deaf people in Cambodia. Today there was a workshop to review the initial findings and offer comments and corrections.

Mr. Sit Song, a director at UNDP, welcomed all the participants from the deaf community, NGOs, and government offices.
Nino, an external consultant hired to conduct the analysis, presented the preliminary findings.
Charlie offered an observation about the role of government after part of the presentation.

Power Cut at DDP

We have intensive Deaf Leadership Training going on at DDP but it was interrupted Friday by a power cut.

The leadership training couldn’t continue with their agenda that required a projector but Soknym, our director, met with the group outside.
The Year 1 and Year 2 classes also moved outdoors. The power was off about an hour.

Sharing expertise

Today a group of speech therapists from the UK visited the Caritas Deaf Development Programme to learn about deaf people in Cambodia and what DDP does. DDP uses only sign language and has no oral training and so there are few intersections between the work of the two NGOs but it was good to talk and learn.

Trouble above

When we came to the Deaf Development Programme this morning, we found that a large section of the ceiling had collapsed in our training room. We were planning to have a large meeting there Friday so I got on the phone to arrange for us to use a meeting room at the Catholic church near us.

NSSF

This week an official from the National Social Security Fund came to DDP to explain to our staff about the rather new social security program in Cambodia. He spend three hours explaining the fund with a sign language interpreter for the deaf staff. The beginning of a social security program is a BIG step forward for Cambodia.

FAD/DPF Visit (Day 7)

On Finland’s final day in Cambodia, they went to the Russian Market for shopping and then came to DDP to observe the usual weekend activities for the general deaf community. There are usually several active games.
And today there were some handicraft activities, making bracelets and other wearables.
Meanwhile others were preparing lunch for all the hostel residents.
After the games, there was a final meeting and then the visitors had lunch and headed for the airport for the return to Helsinki.

FAD/DPF Visit (Day 6)

Kaisa, the director of the Finnish Association of the Deaf, speaks about future plans.
The Finnish group still working during the break.
A really heavy rainstorm beat down on the metal roof of the meeting room so all the hearing participants gathered at the front of the room, near the interpreters.

FAD/DPF Visit (Day 5c)

Nearby the community hall where we met the local deaf group is the home and barbershop of one of the barbers we trained at DDP. The certificate on the wall behind him is signed by me.
The second stop after the local group gathering was at the home of the deaf woman on the right, another member of the group. She runs a small convenience shop from her family’s home.
Then we went to the DDP office in Kampong Cham town where our group split into for lunch, on restaurant for the vegetarians and another for the rest of the group.
After lunch we spent ten minutes or so in the DDP office before getting back on the road.
The final stop near the gathering center was at the home of another member who also has a barber shop. He also raises chickens. The hay under the stairs is for cows kept by his parents.

FAD/DPF Visit (Day 5b)

About 7:30 AM, we stopped for breakfast in an area famous for its roasted tarantulas. Here one of the Finnish interpreters is buying one ($1.00 each) for a new taste experience. The rest of us had more common breakfast foods.
About 9:00 AM we arrived at one of the local deaf groups funded by UNDP and were greeted by some of young deaf women from the surrounding area.
We were meeting in a community hall in the village which is also used for Buddhist services.

FAD/DPF Visit (Day 5a)

Today was a field trip to Kampong Cham Province where the Finnish Association of the Deaf has funded our community development work.

We left the Finns’ hotel at 6:00 AM and about an hour later were at the bakery owned by Seanghai, a deaf former student of DDP. He is an example of the opportunity the DDP program offers.
Seanghai (back to camera) explained his work at the bakery.
Sophy, Seanghai’s former teacher, tells him which of the baked goods she wants to try.
Our group all enjoying their baked goods purchases.