Children living with disabilities are amongst the most vulnerable people in Cambodia. Today, you can help Light of Mercy Home provide life-changing education that opens a gateway to a brighter, independent future for more young people, like Makara.
DONATE NOW“Before I came to Light of Mercy Home, I was home alone... Now, I have learned sign language and I have a lot of friends, and I no longer am afraid to have contact with other people.” – Makara, Year 6 student at Light of Mercy Home.
Light of Mercy Home in in Phnom Penh City, is a truly special place.
Run by Jesuit Service Cambodia, the supportive home and centre for children living with a disability is opening the gateway to new independence for some of the most marginalised people in Cambodia.
Even though progress is being made, right now awareness and advocacy for people living with disabilities in Cambodia is very low.
Discrimination is common and people who have physical and other disabilities are misunderstood, marginalised and excluded from education and community life.
Children with disabilities are the most vulnerable of all, particularly in rural areas, like Kandal Province where Makara grew up.
Makara was born with a hearing impairment. Growing up this meant he did not go to school and became isolated and excluded from the community.
“We are from a very poor village,” Makara told me. “Before I came to Light of Mercy Home I was home alone and had no one to play with. As I am deaf I could not communicate with other children.”
But thanks to people like you, Makara’s life has been transformed.
Please donate today to help open a gateway to a better future for more children like Makara.
DONATE NOWLight of Mercy Home provides young people with a disability access to specialised education, along with accommodation, meals and all their daily requirements in a warm, safe environment.
“This is a family house – we live here together – and the students have an opportunity to attend school like able-bodied children,” says Sister Anne Marie, Director of Light of Mercy Home told me.
In addition to their formal education, each student at Light of Mercy Home can also choose from a wide range of extra-curricular activities that help them develop life-skills and explore their strengths.
For Makara, Light of Mercy Home has been a true god-send. From an isolated child who was unable to communicate with others and had no real prospects for an independent future, he’s now blossomed into a confident teenager with many new friends and new interests (including gardening).
He’s working hard to excel at the deaf school he attends in Phnom Penh City.
“I like going to school and I like studying. I want to be a silversmith when I finish school... I would also like to be a teacher.”
No matter what career he chooses, thanks to the compassion of people like you Makara’s future is bright.
Please make a kind donation today to help provide more children with education and opportunities that will open a gateway to a brighter, more independent future.
DONATE NOWYour generosity can transform the life of a young person living with a disability in Cambodia:
- $88 will provide a child at Light of Mercy Home with nutritious food for a month
- $127 will provide a child with sign language classes for a year
- $557 will provide children with a month’s transportation to the Deaf & Blind school
- $3,377 will fund a dedicated social worker for one year
Please, make your kind donation today.
DONATE NOW