Food, nutrition and healthcare: the first challenge to help the children
Because no one can learn on an empty stomach, we have, since our inception, included at least one meal per day for each child in our programmes.
There are two cafeterias in our Phnom Penh Centre. Children attending public schools, like those welcomed into our community service centers in villages, receive at least one meal per day, brought from the Centre or provided on site.
Because every child has the right to be cared for, PSE ensures medical care for all of them, regardless of the program she is enrolled in.
Hygiene education, health prevention campaigns, first aid, medical consultations... our medical team works with all children as well as their parents if necessary. The health card system we have implemented for adult care empowers them by requiring them to contribute to the costs based on a sliding scale.
The students enrolled in vocational training or in our Phnom Penh Center, including the children of the Specialized education section that need physiotherapy and other special care are treated in the infirmary of the Centre. They also receive care from a dental office.
Four public schools where we enroll children also benefit from an infirmary, built by us and manned by our doctors.
As for the other schools, two mobile clinics and one dental bus have a regular rotation to treat not only the children supported by PSE but all those who come to the consultation. A third mobile clinic travels in the neighborhoods and villages where our children live
Our medical team are therefore able to provide more than 2,000 consultations per week.
A group of four psychologists trains our staff to help them better understand the difficulties of our youth.
It also provides therapeutic monitoring for those in greatest need.
Often the mothers are too tired or in poor health and cannot breastfeed. They do not have the means to purchase valid substitutes, and then feed their children rice water...
Our Mother and Infant Welfare service distributes baby formula to these women. It is also an opportunity to educate them on hygiene, the use of baby bottles and toddler nutrition.
Planned parenthood, food supplement for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, monitoring of pregnancies and breastfeeding are also part of our programme.
For infants and very young children with nutritional deficiencies, we created a Nutrition Center. Babies are welcomed during the day to receive appropriate care for as long as necessary.
We have recorded very positive results on the health of infants and mothers.