Health Clinics
AUS-SSC coordinates small groups of Australian Doctors, Nurses and lay volunteers. We work with and out of the Pet Yei Chi Shelter for the Sick in Battambang Province, Cambodia.
Our small groups of Doctors, Nurses and lay volunteers travels out to surrounding villages to run general health clinics, offering access to health for those that are disadvantaged because of poor access to health due to distance, economics and disability.
Since 2013 we have aimed to build these clinics as well as work with local Health providers to followup these groups.
Pet Yei Chi operates out of the the Catholic Compound in Battambang.
AUS-SSC works as an extension of the current activities that Pet Yei Chi coordinates as part of their ongoing support under direction of Father Manoj and Bishop Enrique Figaredo Alvargonzalez.
These activities encompass the work of the Arrupe Centre
The Arrupe Welcome Centre, founded in 2001 by Bishop Enrique Figaredo Alvargonzalez (affectionately, known as, Bishop ‘Kike’), aims to promote the integration and independence of people with disabilities in society. By developing more sustainable activities at the Centre this project will enable the continued support of people with or affected by disability for generations to come.
Menstrual Liners
Women’s Health in any community is an important concern.
When a women is forced to isolate from her community during her menstrual cycle she is denied the ability to earn, learn and participate.
Often, in a advaced culture the simplicity of available menstrual products is taken for granted.
Cost is a significant issue with menstrual products.
So is the environmental impact of the disposal of such devices.
Programs such as Days for Girls have looked to address this. AUS-SSC has taken the simple approach of SOURCING a local women’s sewing group to manufacture menstrual liners and then to provide these to women during our clinics.
The aim is to provide a clean, healthy alternative to dealing with your menstrual cycle which looks to give women an ability to continue to function in a demanding environment.
We also hope that these products remove some of the stigma of the menstrual cycle while providing a cheap and reusable option.
The benefit is two fold. The order for product provides income for the women of the Prey Thom Sewing School (this initiative of the Jesuit Mission takes women on to learn sewing - on graduation they receive a sewing machines - and thereby an ability to earn).
We hope that through an ongoing contract between AUS-SSC in the Prey Thom village, and with the Sewing Circle, to provide a sustainable product that offers income and outcomes for women
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Initially AUS-SSC looked at the Days for Girls Program and purchased menstrual liners in Australia and then, in our luggage, took these with us to Battambang to distribute to the village women during clinics.
Since 2013 we had been going out to the village of Prey Thom to run clinics.
The Catholic mission, as part of their commitment to building sustainable growth for disabled people, helped to set up a commune here for persons and families with disability.
One of their activities to provide training for women was to start a sewing school.
Many families have to leave Cambodia to earn income that just is not available in Cambodia. The sewing project looks to train women to have a trade so that they can earn.
The women in this group do a twelve month course in sewing and weaving. They use sewing machines as well as looms. The looms are used in the making of the Kroma.
At the end of the 12 months they graduates receive a sewing machine so that they can sustain a living.
In 2019 we looked to source the reusable menstrual fabric pads from the Prey Thom Sewing Group.
We have again commissioned the group to manufacture menstrual liners for our 2022 Clinics.
Fabric Menstrual Liners are reusable and sustainable. They are relatively cheap, able to be manufactured in country.
They offer a method for women to have respect and continue to be able to function in their community - there by having an ability to work and earn, provide care and participate in their community without embarrassment or shame.
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It all begins with an idea. In regards to sustainable proucts for womens health we looked at mestrual cups. As a man I found this a very interesting area to offer education and resources. I was inspired by a fellow Nurse that had worked with a group from Newcastle, Aust. They had implimented a mestrual cup program with great success. So in 2019 I arranged supply of 1000 itmes and started with a small group of women wotking at Pet Yei Chi and the Arrupe Helath Centre with the aim to then spread this out over communities. The idea is that these devices can last 10 years. They are discreet and easy to keep clean. Unfortunatley with Covid;s imact I have yet to see the up-take and to look at roll out.
