1989
The Cambodia Trust is founded in Oxford, UK, by Stan Windass, John Pedler and Dr. Peter Carey. The Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, asks for assistance to address the plight of the country’s thousands of landmine survivors.
1990
Patron Clive Marks OBE provides the Trust’s first major donation: £25,000 for a satellite telephone system to break Cambodia’s Western communications blockade. Support is received from Roland Joffé and Lord Puttnam CBE, director and producer of the acclaimed Killing Fields movie. Anthony Smith CBE, President of Magdalen College, Oxford, becomes one of the first Trustees. A team of Prosthetist-Orthotists from Roehampton goes to Cambodia, and UK Prosthetics and Orthotics manufacturer, Chas H. Blatchfords, provides technical assistance and our first prosthesis, waiving the patent rights for use in Cambodia.
Dr Carey receives a request from the Independent magazine for an article to accompany powerful images of landmine accident survivors taken by the world famous Brazilian photographer, Sebastião Salgado. The editor agrees to publish an appeal for £20,000. Within 3 hours of the magazine hitting the streets, a single donor pledges the entire amount. The article appears in other European publications, resulting in a total of £90,000 in donations.
1991
We receive a 3-year grant from the British Government. We sign the lease on the delapidated laundry wing of the Calmette Hospital, Phnom Penh, and begin transforming it into a Prosthetics centre.
1992
10 months later, our first rehabilitation centre is opened by Prince (later King) Norodom Sihanouk, Queen Monique and Prime Minister Hun Sen.
1993
A second rehabilitation centre opens in Sihanoukville (Kompong Som), funded by a generous gift from the Hong Kong philanthropist, Robin Loh. Staff see more people affected by polio, cerebral palsy and congenital deformities than landmine accident survivors; our remit broadens to include Orthotics and Physiotherapy.
We promote the use of modern prostheses (as opposed to prostheses made of wood and leather, favoured at the time in Cambodia). There is opposition from other NGOs but agreement is reached when the International Committee of the Red Cross offers free plastic componentry to all agencies.
1994
The Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (CSPO) opens in Phnom Penh, thanks to close cooperation between the various prosthetic agencies working in the country.
The school’s goal is to train Cambodians to the highest professional standards so they can eventually take over the running of their country's rehabilitation services in the 21st century.
1995
Support from the Japanese HOPE organisation enables a third rehabilitation centre to open in Kompong Chhnang, a densely populated and impoverished province in the centre of the country.
1997
We become founder members of the Disability Action Council, a permanent parastate body made up of representatives from NGOs and the Cambodian Government. The Council’s mission is to initiate, secure and coordinate services for disabled people, and to enable them to enjoy equal rights.
CSPO achieves Category II status from the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) and begins to gain an international reputation for providing quality education.
The first Cambodian students graduate from CSPO (they are now working in senior positions in rehabilitation and training). Students from Lao PDR, Sri Lanka, the Solomon Islands and Burma join the school. The Trust’s first rehabilitation centre in Phnom Penh is merged with the school, to provide practical training for students.
1999
Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) projects are established in all 3 rehabilitation centres to reduce poverty amongst disabled people living in the impoverished rural areas.
This development signifies a move towards a more holistic approach to rehabilitation, with prosthetics and orthotics as the first step towards self-sufficiency and equality.
The Trust features in a BBC television Lifeline Appeal, presented by patron Lord Puttnam CBE. The appeal breaks BBC records for the amount of funds raised.
2000
With the support of the Nippon Foundation of Japan, we begin fact-finding missions to other developing countries in the region to identify areas where our experience and expertise can be shared.
Carson Harte, Executive Director of the Cambodia Trust, receives the Gold Award for Humanitarian Development from the Royal Cambodian Government. The honour is presented in a ceremony in November 2000, in recognition of Carson's achievements in improving the lives of disabled people in the country. Carson is honoured to receive the award, in recognition of the Trust, its staff and supporters.
“This award reflects the impact the Cambodia Trust is having on the lives of disabled people here, and the progress we've made towards building a better future for Cambodia's most vulnerable people."
With the support of sponsors including United International Pictures and Singapore Airlines, we produce a documentary film to raise awareness about the need for our work. The film is narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Brenda Blethyn.
The film premieres at a special screening at BAFTA (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts), London, and is selected for the One World human rights documentary film festival. Watch film clips here
2002
The Cambodia Trust becomes one of the first NGOs in the world - and the first in Cambodia - to achieve ISO 9001:2000 certification - taking a huge step towards sustainability.
In February, our work is featured in a BBC television Lifeline appeal for the second time. The film is presented by landmine survivor Chris Moon MBE. The appeal is a great success, raising £100,000 in support of our 3 rehabiliation centres in Cambodia.
In the same year, the Cambodia Trust receives the prestigious AGFUND international prize for pioneering projects in developing countries, winning the category: Rehabilitation and integration of people with special needs. The Trust is nominated by the Disability Action Council of Cambodia.
The $100,000 award and trophy are presented to Executive Director Carson Harte in a ceremony at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
2003-04
Thanks to funding and support from the Nippon Foundation, work begins on establishing a second school of Prosthetics and Orthotics in Sri Lanka.
Our co-founder, Dr Peter Carey, and Executive Director, Carson Harte, go to Timor Leste to set up ASSERT, a partnership project working for equality for Timor Leste's disabled people, funded by the Christian Blind Mission and The Leprosy Mission International.
The Cambodia Trust is honoured to receive the Solidarité Central Charity Fund award - voted for by the stagiaires (trainees) of the European Commission. The Trust is nominated by supporter and stagiaire Gerard Horgan, and is one of 40 NGOs considered for the 10,000 Euro award. The prize fund is used to help disadvantaged disabled children to attend school.
The Trust develops a 'train the trainers' programme in collaboration with La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Through this programme, the skills and qualifications of former CSPO graduates will be upgraded to Bachelor Degree level. The aim is a gradual phasing out of all expatriate staff at CSPO, as Cambodians become qualified to take over as lecturers and managers. This is an important step towards the full localisation and sustainability of CSPO.
2005
The 100th student graduates from the Cambodian School of Prosthetics & Orthotics - a landmark achievement.
The Cambodia Trust and ASSERT open the Timor Loro Sa'e Centre for Physical Rehabilitation - the first rehabilitation centre for people with disabilities in Timor. The Cambodia Trust facilitates, manages and develops the rehabilitation centre, based on the model of its rehabilitation centres in Cambodia, while training local staff who will eventually take over the running of the project.
2006
The Cambodia Trust executive team attends the United Nations, during discussions on a new UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, to present the concept of 400 million R: an idea to use creative communications to highlight the discrimination faced by the estimated 400 million disabled people living in the developing world.
The Cambodia Trust features in a third BBC television Lifeline appeal, filmed at ASSERT, our partnership project in Timor Leste. The film raises over £70,000 in support of our rehabilitation centres in Timor Leste and Cambodia.
Co-founder Dr Peter Carey receives an honour from the Portuguese government, in recognition of the work he has done in East Timor, both before and after independence.
2007
A new, purpose-built building is completed for the Sri Lanka School of Prosthetics and Orthotics and staff from Cambodia are seconded to this project to mentor and transfer skills. Students and staff begin providing rehabilitation services for people with disabilities through the school's clinic.
Timor Leste faces a period of civil unrest and the TLSPR rehabilitation centre is closed temporarily. ASSERT staff members use the time to survey displaced people's camps to find people with disabilities who would benefit from ASSERT's services, resulting in an increase in client numbers once the clinic was reopened.
The Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics holds a double graduation ceremony: 12 students graduate from CSPO’s internationally accredited Category II training course and a further 9 students graduate with Bachelor’s degrees from the joint programme run with La Trobe University Australia.
The projects in Cambodia continue to develop new initiatives, such as the establishment of the Cerebral Palsy Association of Cambodia and a national seminar orgnised with ICRC, on the management of cerebral palsy.
Executive Director Carson Harte and co-founder Dr Peter Carey travel to Indonesia to develop a new partnership project to train prosthetist-orthotists.
2008
Co-founder Dr Peter Carey takes up a position as Country Director of the Cambodia Trust's new partnership project in Indonesia. The Jakarta School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (JSPO) is the first training centre in Indonesia for rehabilitation specialists.
Carey receives the Beacon Prize for Leadership and becomes a member of the Beacon Fellowship, the 'Nobel prize for charities'.
Calmette Hospital, the site of the Cambodia Trust's school and clinic in Phnom Penh, undergoes expansion and CT has to find temporary rented accommodation while plans for a new, purpose-built building are developed.
Sri Lanka School of Prosthetics and Orthotics celebrates its first graduation. The graduates are the first to be trained in-country. SLSPO is inspected by ISPO and accredited as a Category II training centre.
2009
JSPO opens and the first Indonesian students begin their studies in February.
