A New Voice for Prosthetics and Orthotics

A new ‘Prosthetic and Orthotic Network’ has been launched.

Designed to act as a strong voice for the Prosthetic and Orthotic (P&O) sector, it was founded by P&O educators and service providers at an international

workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in November 2023.

The Prosthetic and Orthotic Network works to promote P&O education and services and lobby for the development and professional recognition of the sector within countries and across international boundaries. The founding members of the Network come from 6 P&O schools supported by The Nippon Foundation in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and The Philippines and will develop from this base.

Speaking for the Prosthetic and Orthotic Network, Sisary Kheng from Exceed Worldwide, said, ‘We are working with colleagues and organisations in the P&O sector to complete our Phnom Penh Declaration. This calls upon international agencies, Governments and others to recognise that well-resourced P&O education and services are essential, to transform the lives of persons with disability and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.’

The Phnom Penh Declaration also calls for all countries to fully-integrate the P&O profession and sector in their health sectors, make it easy for P&O professionals

to work internationally and facilitate the duty-free movement P&O components and materials.

Speaking for The Nippon Foundation, Yoshio Nakagawa said, ‘90% of those who need P&O support do not have access to services. The Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved unless persons with disability are included. The obvious conclusion is that all countries need a thriving P&O sector. As a long-term supporter of the sector, The Nippon Foundation is pleased to support the aims of the Prosthetic and Orthotic Network.’

The formation of The Prosthetic and Orthotic Network is timely, as its work complements and supports a rehabilitation resolution adopted by 194 Members States at the 2023 World Health Assembly.

This resolution recognises the large global need for rehabilitation and the significant gap in service availability, especially in low- and middle-income countries. It states that rehabilitation should be available to entire populations and should be integrated into health planning and implementation, as it is an important enabler for quality of life and community participation. Most importantly, the resolution calls for key actions to be taken to strengthen rehabilitation in health systems.

To enquire about membership of The Prosthetic and Orthotic Network please contact Sisary Kheng – sisary@exceed-worldwide.org.

Landmark resolution on strengthening rehabilitation in health systems

A landmark resolution on “Strengthening rehabilitation in health systems” was adopted by 194 Members States at the 2023 World Health Assembly (WHA).

The resolution recognises the large global need for rehabilitation and the significant gap in service availability, especially in low- and middle-income countries. There was an overwhelming emphasis that rehabilitation should be available to entire populations, should be integrated into health planning and implementation and recognition that ehabilitation is an important enabler for quality of life and participation in the community.

The Assembly recognised that successful implementation of its resolution is critical to ensure the enjoyment of human rights - including the best possible physical and mental health - and highlighted a number of key issues:

 - the urgent need to address the lack of an adequate rehabilitation workforce
 - common challenges faced in accessing affordable, quality and appropriate rehabilitation services, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable populations
 - the importance of raising awareness of rehabilitation among policy- and decision-makers when setting health priorities
 - the need to better equip countries in responding to rehabilitation needs, including assistive technology, in the context of health emergencies.

Several innovative approaches and specific recommendations were proposed by Member States. These included an approach by Namibia to provide financial incentives for people taking up studies in the rehabilitation field, to address the crucial issue of workforce limitations and the development of quantitative indicators, as noted by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The WHA resolution calls for key actions to be taken by Member States, international organizations and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen rehabilitation in health systems and the WHO Secretariat will report on their progress in implementing this resolution to the World Health Assembly in 2026, 2028 and 2030.

International Day of People with Disabilities

On this notable day, we’d like to wish all our clients well and illustrate the power of physical rehabilitation, assistive technology and advocacy and inclusion, with the help of friends from Cambodia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

Ready for sport in Cambodia - ‘This is a great day to think about the power of rehabilitation, but there’s no time to hang around as it’s time to train.’

Ready for school in Sri Lanka - ‘Thanks to the power of rehabilitation, my son is off to school today and every day. There’s no time to tell you more, as its school time.’

Ready for life in The Philippines – Restoring mobility is a first step, but it’s the opportunities which follow – for jobs, leisure and social life - that speak for the power of physical rehabilitation and assistive technology.

Inclusion and advocacy in Cambodia – Epic Arts is Cambodia's only inclusive dance company, changing perceptions of disability through performances and workshops by dancers with disabilities. The company recently helped Exceed celebrate the 30th Anniversary of our prosthetic and orthotics training centre in Phnom Penh.

In any language our message is pretty much the same – Exceed is here to equip, enable and empower. Best wishes to our clients today and every day. 

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នៅក្នុងភាសាណាមួយក៏ដោយ អត្ថន័យនិងខ្លឹមសារគឺតែមួយ-Exceed នៅទីនេះដើម្បីផ្គត់ផ្គង់, គាំទ្រ និងផ្ដល់ថាមពល។  សូមជូនពរដល់អតិថិជនរបស់យើងទាំងអស់មានសំណាងល្អនៅថ្ងៃនេះ និងគ្រប់ពេលវេលាទាំងអស់។

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ඇවැසි ඌණතා සපුරමින් සවිමත් කො ට ඔබව බළ ගැන්වීම් සදහා “Exceed Lanka “

අප කැප වී සිටිමු.

සැ මදා ඔබගේ යහපත උදෙසා “Exceed Lanka “වෙතින් සුභාශිංසන

“Exceed” இங்கே உங்கள் ஆற்றலை மேம்படுத்தி

இயலுமா னவர்களாக்கி, வலுவூட்டும்.

எமது சேவை பெறும் உங்களுக்கு இந்நாளும் எந்நாளும்

வாழ்த்துக்கள்

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Anoman ang iyong wika o lahi, nandito kami sa Exceed para tulungan kayong ma-equip, enable at empower sa bawat pagsubok na inyong haharapin. Maligayang International Disability Day!

Exceed Attend Global Conference On Victim Assistance

Delegates from 45 countries and regions attended the third global conference on assistance to landmine victims in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This important event took place from 17-19 October 2023 and concluded with a commitment to carry out actions and policies to improve the lives of survivors and affected communities.

Exceed Worldwide, as a leader in the provision of Prosthetic and Orthotic education and service provision in lower resource settings, had a stand at the Conference alongside our partners from Regal Prosthesis. This attracted a lot of interest from high-level delegates, including Deputy Prime Minister H.E Dr Neth Savoeun who was welcomed by Sisary Kheng, Cambodian Country Director for Exceed Worldwide and Lim Eng, a person with disability and long-term community support worker with Exceed.

Cambodia was an appropriate venue for the event, as it is one of the countries worst affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs). According to the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority’s (CMAA) latest report, landmine and ERW explosions killed almost 20,000 people and injured or amputated over 45,000 others from 1979 to 2023.

Despite these challenges, Cambodia is committed to achieving a mine-free goal by 2025 and, in a closing speech, Ly Thuch, senior minister and first vice-president of CMAA, said that ‘Together, we can build a world where these survivors have access to the care, support and opportunities they deserve.’

Sir Bobby Charlton (1937-2023) – Great Sportsman, Great Humanitarian

The staff and Trustees of Exceed have learned, with great sadness, of the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton.

Sir Bobby, one of the world’s greatest-ever footballers was, for many, also a philanthropist, a humanitarian and an inspiration In recent years, The Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation has funded Exceed Worldwide activities in Cambodia. The Foundation focused on the provision of artificial limbs (Prostheses) and other support devices (Orthoses), transforming life for thousands of survivors of landmines, accidents, polio, stroke and other causes of impairment. With the generosity and support of

Sir Bobby and his Foundation, we have been able to equip, enable and empower those whoare often excluded from education, work and society in general.

Support from Sir Bobby’s Foundation also funded Prosthetic and Orthotic education and training, by helping Exceed to establish an internationally accredited qualification for Prosthetic Orthotic Technicians. This ongoing initiative brings students from many lower income countries to Cambodia, to benefit from professional Prosthetic and Orthotic education and training. Many of these students are already applying their skills in their home countries.

Investment from The Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation is helping Exceed to meet the lifelong service needs of people who use our services, restoring mobility and giving people with physical disabilities the opportunity to access education, get jobs, start their own businesses and take part in society as independent citizens.

We wish to express our sincere condolences to the Charlton family and to everyone at The Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation on the loss of a great man who was a hero to so many for many different reasons.

Alex Lam and Jeff Honma from Regal visit Exceed

Exceed Worldwide was delighted to welcome representatives of Regal Prosthesis and ST&G to the Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics on today.

Alex Lam and Jeff Honma presented the Regal range of prosthetic components, silicone liners and silicone cosmetics to an attentive audience of staff and students, who also had the opportunity to observe a live demonstration and receive advice about the appropriate and most effective ways to use the Regal range.