Catching up with a boy named January

Our project in remote areas of Kratie province has been renewed and expanded from 4 to 10 villages. Last week I visited the 6 new villages, meeting with the village chiefs and new project participants. We also made time to visit 2 of the existing villages and was delighted to meet up with Mokrea again….

Intersections: Disability, safeguarding, and inclusion in Cambodia

I was asked to write an article on Disability, safeguarding, and inclusion in Cambodia for the Fall 2023 edition of Mennonite Central Committee’s Intersections: MCC theory and practice quarterly newsletter. I’m sharing the text of the article below. As many of you know, I worked with adults with intellectual disabilities and autism for eight years before…

A boy named January

During my visit to Kratie in January 2023, I attended a village savings group meeting and meet a boy named January. Actually, he’s named មករា, Meakaraa, which is the Khmer word for January. Several community members told me that មករា was “not normal” and blamed his mother, Sophea, because she did not “did not take…