Light of Mercy Home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 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.
Disability 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 says. “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 Light of Mercy Home and our supporters, Makara’s life has been transformed.
A family house
Light 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.
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.
“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
From isolation to independence
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,” he says.
No matter what career he chooses, thanks to the compassion of our supporters, Makara’s future is bright.
Find out more
The program run by Light of Mercy Home
