Provide Health Support to Communities in Cambodia

Dear Supporters,

Since the launch of the health program, we have come across many obstacles. We have been trying to work out a system how to keep our students’ toothbrushing kits organized and clean. The systems we used previously took a long time to distribute which meant we would lose time from our English lessons. Also, the way the toothbrushes were stored meant we would have to replace them more frequently than usual since the students would often mistakenly use someone else’s toothbrush. After trying several methods, during the last quarter we have hit one very important milestone. We purchased plastic toothbrush holders for every student. Every holder was then labelled which made distributing the toothbrushes quick and easy. Additionally, toothbrushes are now easy to store and they stay clean for longer. 

Another obstacle we keep encountering is the negative attitude of our students towards brushing their teeth at the beginning of the classes. Although this attitude is present in all age groups, it is particularly strong among our teenage students. We have faced strong refusal, avoidance and many excuses, all for the purpose of not brushing their teeth at the beginning of the class. In order to start changing this attitude towards dental hygiene, we have organized two workshops during the last quarter. Both of the workshops focused on vividly presenting the negative effects of poor dental hygiene. First workshop was held at the beginning of August and our students’ attitude improved but then we started noticing resilience again so we held another workshop at the beginning of September. The materials used for the workshops were adjusted to the students’ age and involved lots of visual accounts of poor dental hygiene. Since the last workshop, the attitude of our students improved again but we realize it is a constant struggle and we will continue working on developing positive attitudes towards dental hygiene.

This year there has been a spike in dengue fever across Cambodia. Thus we prepared and held a workshop on dengue fever in our Power club. The workshop included the symptoms of dengue fever because lots of Cambodians still aren’t familiar with them and won’t seek medical treatment until symptoms escalate. We also dedicated a big part of the workshop to provide advice on what to do in order to prevent dengue fever. The reactions of our beneficiaries were very positive and they described the workshop as very useful.

In Cambodia, there is very low recognition of mental health issues, although it is estimated that 40% of Cambodians suffer from mental health and psychological problems. The availability of mental health care institutions is very low and some topics involving mental health are still seen as taboo. In September, we organized two workshops on this issue: one was “Coping with stress and emotions” and the other “Women’s mental health”. Both workshops were held both at our Power club and at Cheung Kok Eco-village where we also run educational and women’s empowerment programs. During the workshops, we have witnessed strong positive reactions from our beneficiaries with strong initiatives to include more workshops on this topic.

Thank you for your continued contribution to the GVI Trust Health Program in Cambodia. Your efforts will help us to continue working on the health issues we have already recognized across Cambodia. Furthermore, your efforts will help us expand our work to reach more people and tackle issues we haven’t dealt with so far.

With Gratitude,

Cambodia Health