Transforming Shock to Supportive

It was an uncomfortable feeling for the first week of my work in National Borei” Said Ms. Penh Sreiroath, a young mother, born in Prey Veng province and currently lives in Phnom Penh. Ms. Sreiroath have worked for the National Infant and Children Center – the gov’t residential care institution since 2008. She is currently the deputy director of the center. Ms. Sreiroath actively joined the OIC trainings and workshops.

“I have a 6-year-old daughter”, Sreiroat, she proclaimed. “I graduated from the University of statistics major and also get a certificate from online course in Physiotherapy from Japan.

I felt shock and uncomfortable in the first week of my job at the center because I had never met with children with severe disabilities like at the National Borei Infant and Children center. Then it was touched to my feeling and find out how to support them on communication and swallowing”, she expressed her feeling and thoughts. She continued “It was a little stressful because we don’t understand what the children want to say due to be unable to communicate with us”.

 “Luckily, I was invited to learnt about and applied basic strategies to create supportive communication from OIC Cambodia trainings. Our center is now using some picture communication boards as part of strategies to communicate with children with communication disability in special class, sensory rooms and some daily activities”, she happily exclaimed.

“Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to OIC Cambodia, who funded by Childhood Foundation who provided me not just the training, but opportunity and motivation to become who I am now. I am also thankful to both OIC Cambodia and World Childhood Foundation who reach out and choose National Borei as implementing partner. I wish OIC Cambodia to have longer fund in supporting community and children with communication difficulties and communication delay.” Mrs. Sreiroath concluded.