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INTRODUCTION

This research paper seeks to outline the current issues and challenges facing people with disabilities and their service providers in 2004 to allow for decisions on future directions and service delivery models to be developed. The original intent of this research was to define disability within the Cambodian context particularly for children and people living in rural communities whilst analysing World Vision Cambodia’s capacity to engage in service delivery in the area using best practice models and a sectoral gap analysis to determine the most appropriate method. The group of children being focussed on is the age group 0-18 years old. Many of these objectives are answered within this report with the exception of the statistical profile of disability as this is well covered in the Disability Action Council (DAC)/JICA report “Country Profile: Study on persons with disabilities (Cambodia) 2001”.

Main aims of the research project

The aim of this project was to provide WVC with an empirically based, sustainable and realistic approach to integrating people with disabilities into the development of their communities. The terminology ‘people with disabilities’ is used throughout this report to acknowledge the international campaign that requests that the term people with disability should be used as ‘we are people first, disabled second’.

The objectives to achieve this aim are:

Define disability within Cambodia including determining the demographics of disability, the agencies and organisations involved in providing services to disabled people and the unique challenges and opportunities facing children with disabilities and people living in rural communities with disabilities:
Define the current WVC approach to working with people with disabilities who are both staff, beneficiaries and partners including conducting a capacity analysis
Explore the best practice model options for disability mainstreaming at an organisational, project and community level from within Cambodia, the Southeast Asian region and internationally
Through triangulating the information gained from fulfilling the first three objectives, analyse and prioritise the best practice models for use by WVC
Engage the disability sector in the analysis of the options available to WVC for disability mainstreaming during this planning and research phase with information gathered on appropriate ways to continue this relationship post research phase.

Methods and Tools

The methodology used to complete this research report included a review of secondary data sources, a literature review and the following processes:
43 sectoral interviews (with representatives of disability focussed or related organisations within Cambodia),
6 community focus groups in three WVC target areas (one female group and one male group in each target area): Pailin, Kompong Tralach district in Kompong Chnnang province and Kandal Steung district in Kandal province. Attendance at the focus groups was:
- Kandal Steung focus group: - women’s group 28 women and 8 girls (between 13-18 years of age); men’s group 17 men and 8 boys (between 13-18 years of age).
- Kompong Tralach focus group: - women’s group 15 women and 7 girls men’s group 16 men and 7 boys.
- Pailin focus group: -women group 22 women and 14 girls; men’s group 22 men and 14 boys.

The three target areas (2 Area Development Projects (ADP’s) and one Sectoral program target area) that are representative of the range of experience within WVC in the area of disability were chosen following the guidelines below:

One target area that has a strong Mines program presence, who have traditionally experienced activities that worked with people with acquired disabilities resulting from landmine accidents (Pailin)

One ADP from areas that the Mines program has NOT been operational in and that have not intentionally addressed the issue of disability (Kandal Steung)

One ADP with an already identified disabled population (Kompong Tralach)

The rationale for this sampling is that WVC is attempting to determine the most appropriate design for a disability strategy that will address the needs of all parts of the organisation. The Mines program has traditionally had a lot of participation from men with acquired disabilities affecting predominantly lower limbs. This group are definitely a priority for any disability strategy but it is not the only group to be considered. Groups such as children and adults with disabilities resulting from birth trauma, congenital disabilities, age related disabilities, psychosocial disabilities and intellectual disabilities are all important groups to be considered.

An internal World Vision Cambodia attitudes and opinions survey distributed to 107 Khmer employees, a 20% random sample of the 527 Khmer employees with a 71% return rate. The results of this internal survey will determine the training and awareness raising activities that are needed within the organisation. The sampling used was as follows:
14 internal WVC key stakeholder interviews
A Delphi panel survey to provide 43 sector representatives previously interviewed the opportunity to prioritise issues and discuss the future of service provision in Cambodia. The study commenced in January 2004 and was finalised by May 2004. This was to be a sector wide process aimed at identifying important issues and the impacts, consequences and acceptability of options over a four-week period, the results of the first survey determining the content of the second. Due to time constraints and the amount of issues identified during the sectoral interviews it was determined that only one survey would be used.

Data collection from secondary sources encompasses the following:

Statistics describing the demographics of people with disabilities (which includes family structure, gender, race, disability and class as indicators) were gathered from a number of sources, including the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour, Veteran’s and Youth, the Ministry of Planning, various United Nations reports and Cambodian based NGO research and reports.
The sampling frame for the programme modelling phase encompasses those models of service to people with disability that have one or more of the following characteristics: post-conflict, developing country/community status, predominantly rural population with poor access to services, from the SE Asian region, low technology, predominantly Buddhist or a spirituality that reflects the acceptance ethic of Buddhism and/or characterised by a societal structure earmarked by patronage and hierarchical power relationships. Information held by Disability Action Council, the peak body for disabilities in Cambodia, Internet searches, the WVI network and key contacts in Australia in the disability sector contributed to the sampling frame.

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