Inclusive education and vocational training in remote rural areas of South-East Asia

Disability Development Services Programme (DDSP), Cambodia: Implements inclusive education projects in rural Pursat province. Integrated children with disabilities into mainstream schools, increasing inclusive class pupils from 255 to 1,105 by 2023.

Disability Development Services Programme (DDSP), a Cambodian NGO, implements community-based inclusive education projects in the rural Pursat province in western Cambodia. DDSP integrates children with disabilities into mainstream schools by improving the accessibility of the facilities and by conducting multi-day capacity-building courses for teachers, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport. The number of pupils in inclusive classes increased from 255 (2020) to 1,105 (2023), almost evenly split between boys and girls.

Problems Targeted

Children with disabilities and children of people with disabilities in rural areas of Cambodia find it hard to get an adequate education or vocational training.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

Disability Development Services Programme (DDSP), a regional NGO, runs a community centre in the Pursat province and supports people with disabilities in remote and rural communities in that area. DDSP´s community-based inclusive development activities focus on all types of disabilities, including people with severe disabilities. A leading project of DDSP is Mith Komar Pikar (‘Friends of Children with Disabilities’), a multi-faceted project for the education and rehabilitation needs of children with disabilities as well as the socio-economic needs of their families. Mith Komar Pikar maps neighbourhoods to identify children who are currently out of school, organizes community awareness-raising programmes for parents and the community, informs about the rights of children and all persons with disabilities, and provides scholarships. It also builds school ramps, accessible latrines, accessible water facilities and playgrounds, and much more. DDSP also provides technical and vocational education and training through its Inclusive Training Centre, teaching cooking, sewing, motor-bike repair, and basic computer and English skills. The organization’s Inclusive Training Centre and Plastic Recycle project provide skills and knowledge to youth with disabilities, enabling them to find employment or start a social enterprise. In 2022–2023, DDSP supported more than 1,000 children with physical and intellectual disabilities to enter mainstream schools, most of whom attended English classes, and many attended computer, sewing, or motorbike repair classes as well.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

DDSP is mainly funded by individuals and international donors, such as Aide et Action, People’s Action for Inclusive Development, Medical Scientific Aid for Viet Nam, the Governments of Loas and Cambodia, and the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare. Funding of the projects that were active in 2023 amounted to appoximately $50,000. (Awardee 2024)

Pictures

Community-based and inclusive projects improve access to education in rural Cambodia.

Community-based and inclusive projects improve access to education in rural Cambodia.

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