Archive for the ‘General interest’ Category

‘Access-for-All”

On Friday the 31st of July 2011, Joanna Thomson and her team at Rose Cambodia Rehabilitation Centre (RCRC) are excited to be attending the signing ceremony to receive a $20,000 (USD) grant from the Disability Inclusion Assistance Fund (DIAF). DIAF is a funding mechanism supported by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and managed by the Australian Red Cross (ARC). The goal of the DIAF is to reduce the vulnerability of persons with disability including landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) survivors, their families and affected communities in Cambodia.

The grant will be used to support the “Access For All” project which aims to address the issue of women with disabilities in rural areas being unable to access secondary and tertiary education. The project provides a safe, secure housing solution for disabled women, allowing them to move into the town and live independent, fulfilling lives where they can access educational opportunities. Not only are the beneficiaries able to access formal education but they are also trained in project management and organisational development skills which will enable them to be leaders and manage the project independently long-term.

Through the learning of life skills, taught to them in the supportive home, they will be able to gain confidence and learn to participate fully in the community and to teach others about women with disability and raise awareness and advocate for disability rights. Through the long-term acquisition of skills and formal qualifications they will be able to earn an income and relieve the burden on their families of caring for a disabled daughter in rural Cambodia, increasing the living standards of not only themselves, but their whole family.

This project has been established by inspirational local Khmer man, Mr Ull Meng Hour. Located in Prey Veng Town, this project has been developed by a group of devoted local volunteers with Mr Hour’s leadership. While Jo Thomson is the Project Manager for this project, her role will largely be a consultative and advisory role as the day to day management of the project will be staffed by the women with disabilities who are the beneficiaries of the project. Mr Hour and his supporters will remain very much involved in the project acting as long-term project guardians who will provide training to the project team and will ensure that the project is being implemented in line with the identified objectives.

While this grant covers the basic costs of the project for the next year, more funds will be required to sponsor the beneficiaries’ educational requirements, in particular their University fees. As well, more laptops are required.

If you are able to help with these needs, please contact Rose Charities Director, Sarah Miller – sarah@rosecharities.org.au. For more information on Rose’s Educational Sponsorship program and to see the student profiles of those involved in the Access For All project please see http://roseeducation.wordpress.com/cambodia

I loved my medical elective at Rose Rehabilitation/Rose eye clinic in Cambodia! I sit in clinics now wondering what I would be doing if I was still out there and reminiscing about this unique experience.

Cambodia as a country is amazing, it is full of the friendliest people I think I’ve ever met; everybody is keen to help you and make you feel welcome.  This was no different at Rose Rehabilitation Centre in Takhmao.  It was a slightly awkward moto journey arriving there from Phnom Penh (capital city) but all the angst quickly disappeared once I saw Joanna, Sophak, Rith and the rest of the team.  They were extremely welcoming, friendly and inclusive; even when there were no medical issues for me to be getting on with – Joanna always invited me to visit the rehab patients in the community to take histories, examine them etc and even teach me.  She (and the rest of the team) answered my questions; always allowing time for me.  It was truly extraordinary to see the healthcare running successfully with limited resources and the variety of patients that Rose Rehabilitation deal with; the immense clinical signs really tested my (limited!) medical knowledge and allowed me to see the aftercare involved in a surgical patient – something I rarely see in hospitals back at home.  This was such a great opportunity to really test my clinical skills too and offer some medical tips back to the team.

I have to stress though that this is not always the case for visiting medical students – it just so happened that my visit coincided with Dr. Sarom’s (the head surgeon) visit to Australia and so I was only able to spend about a week with him.  I had applied for this elective because I am highly interested in surgery and did get to see some cool cleft palate repairs, plastics and grafts but never got a chance to assist unfortunately as I believe Dr. Sarom was training a Khmer doctor at that time.

It was lucky for me that I have a keen interest in ophthalmology and so I split my time between takhmao (Rose Rehabilitation) and the eye clinic (based in Phnom penh) where I sat in the clinics for the morning and then assisted – that’s right – ASSISTED in ophthalmology surgery in the afternoons!  The eye centre is run by Dr. Vra (who predominantly performs cataract surgery) and his Ukrainian wife – Dr. Natalie (oculoplasty etc) – the rest of the team are lovely however, language is a major problem.  If, by chance, you speak Russian or Khmer – then great!  You will be fine – but if however, you only speak English – it makes life somewhat interesting…. Of course you pick up little things here and there but you can’t really run the clinic or ask the patients much yourself – without a translator.  I was lucky that Dr. Natalie was so keen to teach and wrote everything in English.  She was also very eager for me to practise my surgical skills and although I’m sure I was the local attraction/entertainment at the clinic – her teaching was invaluable.  The very first day there, she made me do an interrupted suture with tiny thread on a blepharoplasty . It soon progressed to me doing complete operations on my own – supervised of course.  If you’re keen or even interested in ophthalmological surgery – this is the place to be, there is nowhere in England that you will get such experience at our level – it is impossible so I am truly grateful for the opportunity I had to complete my elective here.  However, if you are squeamish, then I suggest maybe just attending morning clinic (start at 8am-12pm) as all the patients are under local anaesthetic only for their surgeries!

Bits of advice/ things I wish I’d known before I came:
-    Bring your own scrubs especially for eye clinic and id suggest taking your own crocs too but they all wear flip flops.
-    If you can get sterile hats then bring them too.
-    I’d suggest staying in Phnom Penh – purely as there’s so much more to do there, and it really caters for westerners.  I stayed in Europe Guesthouse on Street 136, which had the perfect location and was run by the loveliest family!
-    Take a book with you to read if you’re spending time in Takhmao as everything runs on “Cambodian Standard Timing” and you do end up waiting around for patients etc.  There is a medical ward there but the doctors speak only Khmer or French.  Dr. Sarom is excellent and speaks good English however.
-    Getting to Takhmao – if you can arrange for the directions to be written in Khmer and find yourself a nice tuk tuk driver that will do you a deal – take it! I went with a friend of mine (Physio volunteer) from Phnom Penh via tuk tuk there and back and it came to $7 a day but I’m sure it can be done cheaper.
-    At the eye clinic – there is a nice canteen around the back where doctors and other volunteers from the opposite surgical centre eat – lovely dinner ladies and you can eat as much as you want for 2000 riel – that equates to around 25p!
-    Definitely try sugar cane juice when the lady comes around on her moto too.
-    Uniform – it’s so hot (esp. during march-may) that I wore cropped trousers, shorts, and decent tops – there’s no need in dressing too smart as everybody is pretty laid back.
-    Be prepared for things to “go with the flow” – it is not a regimented elective – which I think is good as it really allows you to immerse yourself in Cambodian nature.
-    Ooh if you’re vegetarian – learn the words in Khmer for “no meat, no fish” etc and just re-iterate that when you go to eat. I found it difficult to find vegetarian food – esp. in Takhmao but it’s understandable as it’s not in Cambodian nature to not eat meat!  However, Sophak, Sokney and Joanna all made sure the dinner ladies at Takhmao had some vegetables for me; they really look after you during your elective so just remember to have fun!

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(2011-04-02)

After three weeks have passed since the unprecedented earthquake and tsunami, the climate has become relatively mild from the time when the disaster struck Tohoku and Kanto regions. However, whilst the evacuation life prolongs with the recovery of lifelines stagnant at this stage, more and more people have complained a chronic sick feeling.

Emergency medical needs have decreased as a number of medical teams are now active in the devastated sites. Hence, along with the ongoing medical relief activities, AMDA has begun shifting its target to the highly-demanded elderly nursing from Apr. 1st.

AMDA will be launching a nursing-assistance program in collaboration with a Japanese company specialized in the field. From now on, careworkers will be sent to AMDA’s work site to work with the existing teams; providing the elderly nursing care in rotation.

As of Apr. 1st, from AMDA there are 24 personnel in Ohtsuchicho (Iwate) and 9 personnel in Minamisanriku-cho (Miyagi) respectively.

Iwate Prefecture (the town of Ohtsuchicho):

Along with the regular medical services, one of AMDA doctors started to offer acupuncture treatments at Ohtsuchi High School.

Meanwhile, AMDA and its partners, namely, AMDA Indonesia, MERCY Malaysia, Medipeace (Korea), Bangkok Hospital (Thailand) and Network Chikyumura (Japanese NGO) have decided to launch a scholarship program for the disaster victims.

The scholarship is targeted to the high school students in the disaster-stricken areas who wish to become a doctor in the future. Besides financial assistance for three years, the scholarship aims to provide international cultural exchange opportunities through the support organizations.

Miyagi Prefecture (the town of Minamisanriku-cho):

At Minamisanriku-cho, it is foreseeable that due to the relocation of the residents (1,100 people) the number of evacuees will decrease from now on. At the same time, the medical supplies have been currently fulfilled.

AMDA held a briefing session on norovirus in preparation to the potential risk of breakout as the sanitary condition in the shelter has been deteriorating due to the prolonged evacuation life.

Latest dispatch of AMDA personnel (as of April 1st):

2 careworkers for the nursing-assistance program (Ohtsuchicho, Iwate Pref.) (Mar. 31st)

17th team: 8 personnel (2 doctors, 3 nurses, 1 counselor, 2 coordinators) (Apr. 1st)

Total number of AMDA’s relief personnel as of April 2nd: 108

39 doctors, 20 nurses, 2 midwives, 1 assistant nurse, 3 pharmacists, 2 psychotherapists, 39 coordinators (including assistants and interpreters), 2 careworkers

Dr Nous Sarom, Founder of the Cambodia Surgical Center (Operation FIRST and Rose Cambodia Rehab), is Cambodia’s leading maxillofacial surgeon and a one of the primary consultants in many wonderful Operation SMILE outreach surgical camps.  Smile Train, an equally distinguised parallel organization runs the different policy of supporting currently existing surgical centers to carry out cleft lip / palate operations.  The Operation FIRST Cambodia Surgical Center is one of the foremost Smile Train Centers in Cambodia.  Now, the two organizations (Op SMILE and Smile Train) are joining forces and will in future be known as  Operation Smile Train.  Congratulations to both organizations for this move.

Dr Nous Sarom will be visiting Perth to represent / present at the Operation SMILE international surgical  conference in Perth this month (March 2011) having kindly been invited by the organization. He will then travel on to visit Sydney and meet up with  Rose Charities Australia board members.

Rose Charities Australia supports the Rose Cambodia Rehab Center, the physical therapy arm of the Surgical / Rehab Unit of Operation FIRST at Chea Chumneas Hosptital, Takmau.  The unit is runs under the Ministry of Health of Cambodia, an important aspect in assuring sustainability and proper support of the Cambodian medical system.  It is known by many locals for its kindness and compassion to its patients and staff – an element sadly lacking in at least one other establishment.

Both the Op First Cambodian Surgery Center  and Rose Cambodia Rehab are enormously appreciative to both Operation SMILE and Smile Train for their wonderful and continuing work to help Cambodia and Cambodians in need and support for the Cambodia Surgery Center.  Both magnificent organizations have alleviated an enormous amount of suffering since their inception.

Cambodia

(See also Jess’s blog…click)

During a brief study abroad in 2005, I toured a clinic operated by RoseCharities in Phnom Penh and was impressed by the efficiency and dedication of the medical workers there. In fact, this was the clinic that first sparked my interest in becoming a doctor. It was one of the few NGOs my class visited that offered both immediate and long-term relief to people struggling through the effects of poverty: immediate relief through life-saving medical procedures that would have been otherwise impossible for the clinic’s patients, and long-term benefits through community outreach programs and an emphasis on improving the quality of life in Cambodia.

Even in the few short weeks we spent in Cambodia studying aid organizations, it was easy to become discouraged by the waste, and sometimes obvious corruption, that plagued well-intentioned charities, but the Rose Clinic seemed to stretch every dollar it received. As I saw firsthand in 2005, a $20 donation to RoseCharities can restore a person’s sight, and $50 can repair a cleft palate or give a child the ability to walk. For more information on how to donate to RoseCharities, please see http://www.rosecharities.info/donate.htm.

The organization’s efficiency can be traced to its formation, as outlined on the RoseCharities homepage:

“Founded by aid workers who were disillusioned by the waste and bureaucracy often seen in international aid, we started in Cambodia in 1998. The aim was to deliver effective, sustainable programmes directly to those in need, with minimal bureaucracy, and with transparency at every stage….We are run by volunteers, so administration costs are kept to a bare minimum, with 98% of donations going directly to support our work.”

- RoseCharities

http://www.rosecharities.info/

I contacted Rose last October and asked if they’d be willing to take us in for a few weeks as volunteers, and they graciously agreed. Since then, Bill and Jan Johnston have been bending over backwards to find opportunities to put our random interests and talents to work. We started last Wednesday with a short tour of the gynecology ward in the Chey Chumnas General Hospital in Takmao, the hospital where Rose Cambodia is based. That afternoon we helped enter patient files into the computer (data entry is a rare example of a skill that Danielle and I both possess).

Thursday we traveled to the countryside with Sokny, the physical therapist on staff at the Rose office, to work with a woman who had laid in bed for 30 years after a debilitating bout with encephalitis (for more info visit the Rose Rehab page: http://www.rosecambodia.org/?page_id=12). The physical therapists at Rose have been working with her to help her gain the strength to sit up, and in order to get her hands moving Danielle brought a bunch of art supplies. We made simple shapes for her to paint in, and Danielle taught her a few strokes. Danielle and I were so absorbed in watching her work that it took a while to notice the dozen or so kids from the village in a semicircle around her, jealously watching her paint. It was a great visit. As we left, Danielle hung some of her paintings next to her bed with ribbon.

On the way back to the office, we stopped to visit a woman who had been badly burned on her legs by gasoline, and the physical therapists changed a bandage for her. Apparently a skin graft had failed to take, so there was still a gaping wound behind her left knee months after the accident. While we were visiting her, her neighbors brought another potential patient to see the therapists and placed him on the bed next to her. The man had been in a motorcycle accident and could no longer move the left side of his arm. The physical therapists assessed him and made an appointment to see him later at the clinic.

As we were about to leave, the neighbors convinced the therapists to see a woman next door who was having trouble walking. While the physical therapists did their thing, Danielle and I hung back and smiled shyly at some very friendly older women, who seemed to be staring at us. One of them started talking, half at us and half at the women around her. She then started wiping at her nose, as if to inform me that I powdered sugar on the end of mine, so I self-consciously started doing the same but she just laughed. One of the therapists translated, “She wants your nose.” This seemed hysterical at the time, so Danielle and I giggled about it for a while.

After the therapists had finished their work we got back in the tuk tuk, but before we could go there was some kind of commotion. The lady who couldn’t stop looking at my nose jumped into the tuk tuk and handed us each a coconut and a straw. We very gratefully accepted and drove off.

We made one last stop to see a beautiful young girl who was working with the therapists to build the strength in her arms and legs, and then we took a holiday all weekend (2 working days is long enough…)

Today Bill gave us a tour of the Rose Eye Clinic just outside Phnom Penh in the morning, and Danielle and I returned in the afternoon to observe glaucoma surgeries. We watched for 2 and a half hours as nearly a dozen patients underwent the 20-30 minute procedure. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.

I may move to Cambodia when I’m a doctor just so I can operate in flip flops

More to come on what we’ve been doing with our play time in this wonderful country.

Posted by Jess at 2/21/2011

Rose Charities New Zealand partly runs out of Christchurch. Within the 200 casualties, everyone knows someone who has been killed or injured though all Rose personnel fortunately escaped. The main historic center of the city is devastated. Johnny Veal (Rose NZ Optometrist) says it ‘is like a war zone, but perhaps worse as the shocks continue’.
A lot of aid and resources have been mobilized including international rescue teams. However there are needs which are not met. One such, has been identified by John himself. Many people have lost everything including their glasses. Without them they cannot function, drive, work etc. Most of the optometry clinics have been destroyed. John has stared a small emergency one in a suburb and is being overwhelmed with requests. As there has been so much loss many people now are without financial resources. Rose Charities New Zealand with support from Canada is assisting John in this initiative.

If you would like to donate, please go to the donate section of this website. <DONATE NOW TO ROSE CHARITIES NZ>

Rose Charities Australia is standing by to help where it can with victims of the terrible Queensland flooding. Though a small organization with limited resources, the organizers realize that sometimes people ‘fall between the cracks’ with large scale relief efforts and even a small assistance can count a lot to someone in need.
Huge sympathy is extended by the Rose Charities Australia Trustees,  to those who are suffering.

Rose Charities Cambodia Surgical Center  ( RCCSC )

It is hard to be in need of surgery in Cambodia if you are poor.  Surgical services are limited and can be far beyond the means of many of the population.  The Rose Charities Cambodia Surgical Center  (RC CSC)  has been meeting this need since its founding at the Kien Khleang National Rehabiliation Center, in 1998 and has since treated thousands needing life saving, or quality of life enhancing surgical procedures.   It is amazing how a relatively simple procedure like the release of an arm fused to the body from an  burn, can turn a life around.

The center was started initially as an offshoot of an eye surgery program, Project IRIS both founded by the same  physician.  One of the  most pressing initial needs was a  facility which would provide a surgical service to prepare the limbs of land mine victims for artificial limbs.   The founder  saw that, although there were several excellent prosthetic organizations in Cambodia in the early 1990’s the surgical facilities were not adequate to match the demands. It is almost impossible to simply fit an artificial limb onto a stump which has not been surgically prepared.

In addition there was recognition of  a host of relatively simple surgical procedures which if carried out  would give a huge benefit in terms of quality of life, income generation  and self esteem to both the recipient as well as her / his family and community.  Examples of such were cleft lip and palate operations,  burns, congenital and acquired deformities and even slow growing tumors.

Cleft lip and palate for example will, if untreated  ‘sentence’ the sufferer to a life of marginalization, possible malnutrition, low income, no education and loneliness.    Rose Charities Cambodia Surgical Centre  has over its 12 years in existence operated on hundreds of cases. In addition the center links with the  organizations Smile Train and Operation Rainbow (which specialize in this area) and its staff contribute their time also to Operation Smile missions within both Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.  Between these organizations, thousands have been given ‘new lives’ again.

Rose Charities was one of the first organizations in Cambodia to recognize and act to assist victims of deliberate acid burns.   Both local and international expertise has, and continues to be employed for  the surgical assistance of these tragic victims who can be of almost any age,  from children (many of whom are caught in-between acid throwing incidents) to adults.  The cases can be very severe and can require many different levels and types of surgery.   Rose Charities USA assists local groups in Cambodia who try to provide employment and training for the victims once medical / surgical procedures are completed.

Apart from the more routine procedures, over the years more unusual sad cases have been identified and treated.  One such of these is a condition known as meningo-encephalocoele where there is an out-pouching of the brain and brain covering out through the front of the skull of the patient albeit still covered by skin. It is seen as a lump on the face of varying degree. The surgery needed will vary according to severity: one tiny baby ’Loy’  with an extremely severe case was sent by Rose Charities to Toronto  where surgery was generously donated for his cure.  Others though have been successfully treated by Rose Charities Surgeons in Cambodia itself.

Another condition often requiring graft and plastic surgery is that of ‘Noma’. This is a type slowly progressive infection which has a slow ‘flesh eating’ manifestation.   Once the infection is halted and eliminated, then surgery must be used to replace or repair the damage which the victim has suffered.

Recently a little 5 year old boy was discovered far out in the country side  by another organization  Village Health Development who has a completely fused jaw. The birth attendant who helped deliver him drilled a small hole in his gums through which he has been taking in liquid food. He had never seen a doctor.   Little ‘Tot’ is scheduled for operation and rehab follow up in early 2011.  Such is the variation of patient conditions, child to adult,  that are seen at RC CSC

The Rose Charities Cambodia Surgical Center  is a  member project of the Rose Charities International Network .  This network  has active programs in 14 countries and member or interest groups in 22.  Focus areas are not only health but span education, micro-credit and other poverty reduction programs,  disability assistance,  and emergency relief.

Within Cambodia, Rose Charities now runs four project centers.  1)  Eye surgery / sight restoration  (Rose Charities Sight Center) ,   2)  Cambodia  Surgery  Center,  3) Physical and Holistic Rehabiliation Center and 4)  Education Support Program.   All programs are aimed at assisting the poor and/or those in need of medical/surgical/rehabilitative assitance.    In  2002 , following a major theft and looting,  the main surgery component of the project was shifted from its ‘medically risky’  site to a proper Ministry of Health Hospital (Chea Chumneas)  under a new name of Operation FIRST,    and  linked properly into the evolving Cambodian health system.  The eye unit, which has assisted around 90,000 patients since 2002 (the looting affected this component also) remained in its original site.    The Rose Rehabilitation (physiotherapy and holistic rehab center) was founded early 2010 by Rose Charities Australia and supports  the surgical serviced with both international and local expertise as well as running an outreach program.

The Rose Charities network is a group of organizations which cover a wide span of project types.  One thing though that they have in common is the philosophy of  transparency,  ground level effectiveness,  minimum or zero administration costs, and person-to-person assistance.    Many of the Rose Charities organizers have come from ‘field work’ and know well the gap between reality on the ground and glossy promotions in donor countries.  Rose Charities projects are all locally run and, apart from assisting the poor, are focused on helping develop the Cambodian health system.  Some  projects employ  highly paid expatriates who unfortunately often do very to create health projects sustainable into the future by Cambodia.

The Rose Charities Cambodia ‘CSC’ Projects (Cambodia Surgical Center and Cambodia Sight Center) , along with RRC (Rose Rehabiltation Cambodia) and the Rose Education / Disability assistance programs rely very heavily on the generosity of donors world wide.  Please see   www.RoseCharities.Org.Au to donate – and thank you.