REHABILITATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMME

Project co-financed through own funds and donations.
Local partner: Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH), Caritas Cambodia, and local health institutions.

In 2025, Fondazione Don Gnocchi ETS has been active in Cambodia, particularly in collaboration with the Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH), Caritas Cambodia, to support the strengthening of rehabilitation and disability services, with a focus on neurodevelopmental disorders and inclusive, community-oriented practices.
The programme is based on a strategic commitment to strengthen local systems of care and develop sustainable competencies through specialist training, workshops, and contextualised clinical support. The objective is to integrate evidence-based rehabilitation approaches into the Cambodian healthcare context, respecting cultural specificities and promoting locally rooted expertise.

Context

Despite progress in healthcare development, services for persons with disabilities in Cambodia, particularly rehabilitation and neurodevelopmental services, remain limited, fragmented, and concentrated in major urban areas. Access to early diagnosis, rehabilitation, and specialised services is often insufficient, and specialised professional expertise is scarce.

Families play a central role in rehabilitation pathways but often lack structured psychological support and practical tools to assist their children. Gaps persist in inclusive education, community-based services, and continuous professional training, while stigma and limited resources further restrict equitable access to services.
Between 1998 and 2019, Cambodia experienced strong economic growth, driven by garment exports and tourism. However, the country remains ranked 146th in the Human Development Index (UNDP, 2021), and many families continue to live in conditions of poverty.

In this context, the Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH), managed by Caritas Cambodia in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, represents a key reference centre for children and adolescents with neuropsychiatric disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and behavioural difficulties, providing multidisciplinary assessment, therapy, and psychological support.

Needs

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of persons with disabilities live in Cambodia, with a significant proportion being children and adolescents. In this context, interconnected needs emerge that require structured and sustainable responses.
Ensuring equitable access to rehabilitation and specialised services is a priority, particularly outside major urban centres, where many families face difficulties in reaching appropriate facilities. At the same time, there is a strong need to strengthen local clinical and rehabilitation competencies, with particular attention to early diagnosis and intervention in neurodevelopmental disorders through professional training and interdisciplinary approaches.
Another critical area concerns structured support for families and caregivers, who often face high care burdens without adequate psychological support or practical tools for daily management.

Finally, promoting genuine social and educational inclusion is essential, together with institutional strengthening and the implementation of inclusive policies that ensure full recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities and the sustainability of care pathways.

Areas of Intervention

The intervention of Fondazione Don Gnocchi ETS in Cambodia focuses on the sustainable strengthening of local competencies in rehabilitation and neurodevelopment through an integrated approach combining clinical training and institutional capacity building.

The main areas of action include:

• specialist training and workshops, carried out in collaboration with the Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH), with a focus on “Supporting Children with ASD and Comorbidities”, aimed at strengthening local clinical competencies in the management of children with autism spectrum disorders and associated conditions, following a multidisciplinary and child-centred approach;
• contextualised mentorship and supervision, supporting local professionals in the practical application of workshop content and integration into daily service activities;
• promotion of interdisciplinary rehabilitation, encouraging collaboration among physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and community health workers, in line with internationally recognised models.

This approach ensures that capacity building goes beyond technical transfer and contributes to the long-term strengthening of local actors and systems.

Beneficiaries

Direct beneficiaries include healthcare professionals, rehabilitation practitioners, and caregivers involved in the training programmes, as well as children and individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders who gain access to improved services. Indirect beneficiaries include families and local communities, who benefit from more accessible services, strengthened professional competencies, and more structured rehabilitation pathways.

PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES COMPLETED IN 2025

PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES COMPLETED IN 2025

Workshop “Supporting Children with ASD and Comorbidities”

In 2025, a specialist workshop entitled “Supporting Children with ASD and Comorbidities” was carried out in collaboration with the Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH). The workshop targeted healthcare professionals and practitioners involved in the management of children with autism spectrum disorders and associated conditions.

The training was delivered by an occupational therapist, a speech and language therapist, and a Country Desk Officer for capacity building, with the aim of integrating specific clinical competencies, particularly in functional assessment, communication, and rehabilitation intervention, with the strengthening of organisational and system-level capacities.

The activity contributed to consolidating an interdisciplinary and context-sensitive approach, promoting more structured, sustainable, and child- and family-centred care pathways.

Clinical Mentorship and On-Site Support

In parallel with the workshops, Cambodian professionals received structured mentorship from Foundation experts, including case consultations, reflective practice sessions, and guidance on complex clinical scenarios. This continuous support strengthened the autonomy and decision-making confidence of local clinicians.