Caritas Cambodia in collaboration with Caritas Germany launched a scheme to promote social inclusion for people with disabilities in order to share and help mental and physical victims in all forms. The launch of the scheme took place on the morning of 9 April 2019 at its National Office in Prampi Makara district’s Boeung Prolit commune in Phnom Penh in the presence of organization’s representatives and representatives from relevant institutions.

Executive director of Caritas Cambodia, Kim Rattana said that the new scheme of the organization was to help victims for a period of three years, in collaboration with Caritas Germany. The scheme will be implemented by Caritas Cambodia in Takhmao city and Siem Reap.
There are further schemes on the existing work of Caritas Cambodia currently to help the poor and those who do not have much chance in society. These were highlighted by the executive director.
He hoped that the scheme would strengthen the capacity of Caritas Cambodia to boost inclusion with the objective of promoting human rights, especially rights of people with disabilities.
Forty years after the civil war, Cambodia has made great progress, but there were some obstacles to those who are vulnerable, especially the disabled persons, taking part in various sectors of infrastructure, policies, and the economy and so on, pointed out the executive director.
 “The promotion of inclusion is to do what we can in order for our society to have awareness in an atmosphere that enables to address all obstacles and welcome them as well as provide those who are vulnerable with equal chances to help in their livelihoods and improve it well,” he said.

Msgr. Enrique Figaredo (also called Kiké) of the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang and the person in charge of Caritas Cambodia said that the programme was very important for Caritas Cambodia engaging in society to help the Cambodian government and disabled persons. It had
helped families whose disabled members do not dare to engage in society. “Today we have a lot of autistic persons and the programme can help them go to school in society,” he stressed.
He says now there is a special programme helping disabled person in general who can engage in society like the normal people. Obstacles, which disabled persons faced, are not caused by themselves. It is a society that needs to have justice because when a disabled person enters a bathroom, he or she can steer his wheelchair into it.

Kiké hoped that from now onwards all will have new perspectives in thinking that the disabled persons have more capacities than their challenging problems.  They have more capacities than obstacles.
Besides welcome speeches and recommendations made by the leadership of Caritas Cambodia and Caritas Germany, all participants heard testimonial witnesses expressed by parents whose children are disabled persons. They used to meet with disdain from others but they still hope that they could engage in society like everybody else.
This scheme will put into action within a span of three years, from 2019 to 2021.  In addition to the scheme, Caritas Cambodia has also improved the services by strengthening their capacities and coordinating all sectors to promote poor ones from families who have disabled persons, knowing that there is the system of education for women and professional education for women suffering from sexual abuses.  All youth also have life improving skills and seek an opportunity to engage in society and contribute to the development of Cambodia.