This summer I will be qualifying as a Speech and Language Therapist from City, University of London. Come September I will be moving to Cambodia for three months, as part of the City Cambodia Project.

Speech and Language Therapy is not yet an established profession in Cambodia. This means many children are going without the support they need to communicate, which can have a lifelong impact on their educational attainment, mental health and social inclusion. The City Cambodia Project aims to improve these children’s quality of life by empowering local services to provide speech and language support.

MY ROLE: I will be working 5 days a week for three months on a completely voluntary basis. I will need £3,000 to cover my flights, living costs, travel to and from work and the resources we will develop to make our work sustainable.

I will be volunteering in a clinic for children with developmental disorders (Autism, Downs Syndrome, Hearing Impairments and a whole lot more!).

My role will be: assessing children’s communication needs ; designing support packages; working with caregivers and professionals to deliver support; training medical professionals ; doing outreach work to ensure our project extends beyond Phnom Pehn ; (hopefully) teaching on the first university module of Speech and Language Therapy in the country (arrangements underway..)

Any donations would be greatly appreciated; it really is a case of every little helps!

MORE ABOUT CITY CAMBODIA PROJECT: The project has been running for 11 years and has developed positive, mutually supportive relationships with a number of hospitals and schools. By providing training and having ongoing conversations with the settings throughout the year, the City Cambodia Projects work has been sustained. We are now looking to raise awareness beyond Phnom Pehn, through outreach work and by strengthening links with the university, we hope to make steps to establish Speech and Language Therapy as a profession.

If you have any questions, please get in touch. I could talk about Speech and Language Therapy and this wonderful project all day!

If you want to more about what Speech and Language Therapy is, you can get more info here.