• Society

Organizations and Professionals for Children with Special Needs Hold a Fair to Reach out to Parents and Educators

• By Michelle Vachon
• January 17, 2023 12:45 PM

PHNOM PENH — According to Kimm Renaud, there has been marked progress in Cambodia in terms of services for children requiring special support.

“In the past, they were mainly provided by NGOs,” he said. “In most cases, individuals such as speech pathologists and occupational therapists would come to Cambodia for six months and then would return to their home countries.

“It’s only recently that there are organizations here in Phnom Penh and in Cambodia that are actually providing long-term and sustainable services to support children and families to be fully included in their schools and in their communities,” said Renaud who is community coordinator for the Special Education Network and Inclusion Association (SENIA) Cambodia.

To let parents, as well as teachers interested in the field, know about those organizations and services in the country, SENIA Cambodia has organized a fair in Phnom Penh held on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at Coconut Park in Koh Pich from 4 pm to 6 pm.    

“[The event] is really so that all our community realizes that these services are here and that they are available and to actually connect people: service providers to families and other professionals such as paediatricians,” explained Renaud.

“The fair was also held so that educators and teachers interested in the field can get in touch with organizations in the sector in the country,” he said. In this 21th century, Renaud added, “[w]e want our communities—and that includes anyone who has an interest in promoting inclusion and ensuring that…all children and families living and working in Cambodia have access to the services—be included and be successful.”

For more information on SENIA: www.seniainternational.org and enter Cambodia in Search