Meet a DSI Partner: Disability Development Services Program (DDSP) in Cambodia

DSI has been working directly in the country of Cambodia since our founding in 2016, partnering with organizations to deliver training and build on the progress already being made by local leaders and teachers. One of our long-term partners is Disability Development Services Program (DDSP).

About DDSP:

Disability Development Services Program (DDSP) is a Cambodian non-governmental organization (NGO) launched in 2003 that is based in Pursat province, about 190 km northwest of Phnom Penh, the capital city.

DDSP is the only organization providing inclusive education and community-based inclusive development activities to children with disabilities, persons with disabilities, and other poor and vulnerable people in the remote and rural communities within the Pursat and Battambang provinces. DDSP serves a population that it describes as having many people disabled from birth, poverty and war. DDSP explains its vision: “that Cambodia is a peaceful country where persons with disabilities live with freedom, prosperity, and dignity."

They work "in areas which used to be battlefields during Cambodia’s civil war, and are still affected by landmines today. Health and rehabilitation services for disabled people are woefully inadequate.”

What DDSP Does:

DDSP fills the gap in health care and rehab services by:

• Helping disabled people access a wide range of services to help them improve their quality of life

• Raising awareness among communities about disabled people’s rights and working towards social integration

• Helping other NGOs and government departments to work with disabled people.
  

As the only disability-focused organization in the region, DDSP's programs are extensive. DDSP attempts to reach all ages and various disabilities to provide services for needs that would be otherwise unmet.

Program areas focus on:

• Mith Komar Pikar (“disabled children’s friend”) Project: A multi-pronged initiative aimed at meeting the educational and rehabilitation needs of disabled children and the socio-economic needs of their families. It includes a day care center, integrated education classes, and inclusive education reaching 111 primary schools.
  

• Inclusive Vocational Training Center: A center for youth, including youth with severe disabilities, that helps young people acquire skills (i.e., English, computer, tailoring, and cooking) that will prepare them to work. DDSP also works to engage local businesses and the local government, providing coaching to support job placements and successful employment.
  

• Community-Based Inclusive Development and Communication and Advocacy for Change: This project provides comprehensive support to disabled people, their families and their communities in 38 villages. A major focus of the project is disabled people’s empowerment - in each village, DDSP helps disabled people to elect village disabled people’s committees that play an important role in carrying out project activities.
  

• Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Rehabilitation: This program works to improve the quality of life of persons with paraplegic and quadriplegic disabilities through access to health, rehabilitation, livelihood, and social inclusion.
  

Learn more about DDSP:

DSI thanks our friends at Advancing Education, who first connected with DDSP on a DSI-coordinated trip to Pursat a few years ago. They created the video below; in the interview, Chan shares what DDSP has done and continues to do for him:

DDSP is an essential lifeline and a community for the people with disabilities that they serve.

You can support DDSP’s work by accessing their profile on our Global Disability Directory and liking and following their Facebook page. To help strengthen DSI’s partnership with DDSP, donate financially and/or volunteer your time and talent.