“OIC’s values and mission closely aligns with my personal and professional goals. This has been the reason I have stayed involved since the organisation launched to recently moving to Cambodia and joining the team.”
Danielle Vellucci – Early Childhood Intervention Speech Therapist – Technical Advisor. I have been working with OIC since February 2019.
I remember attending OIC’s launch party in Melbourne, Australia, in November 2014. Their focus on building a Speech Therapy University Course, building awareness, and having an exit plan made a big impression. Cambodia has a high number of charity and NGO’s, so I was careful and followed OIC’s journey before visiting and volunteering with OIC in 2016. I continued my support from home in Melbourne in various ways, and when the stars aligned, I was able to move to Cambodia and join the team in 2019.
I really appreciate and admire OIC’s commitment to their mission. It takes a lot of strength and belief to persist with the time required to provide a sustainable system with long term impacts. OIC recognises, supports and builds upon the strengths and capacity that already exists in Cambodia. I love the idea that at some point, even my position will be redundant as there will be local speech therapists supporting individuals with communication and swallowing difficulties. These individuals are always at the core of OIC’s work.
I was excited to move to Cambodia, and it has exceeded my expectations. I have felt welcomed and supported by the OIC team as well as being involved in some interesting projects. Using my technical skills within a new system and cultural context has already provided many wonderful learning opportunities and experiences. I am eager to see how I continue to grow personally and professionally.