Bring Mental Health Care to Cambodians

Dear supporters,

I am pleased to share with you a story recap from report on "Operation: break the chain" by Wojciech Tochman (stranslated from Polish):

Sokin lives near the road no. 6. A woman in her early forties, short hair, attentive, deep eyes. Her father smiles when Dr. Sody (TPO psychiatrist) gets out of the car. And her mother is crying. Tears in Cambodia? Strange, because it's a rare sight. Tears are feelings. This is a message: I am weak, scared, helpless. Why should you advertise such things? The less a stranger knows about you, the better. Excuse emotions from a foreign person. But Dr. Sody is hers, bringing relief and security. The mother is grateful for the health of her daughter. And father too. He is now sitting on the floor under the floor of a small house. He listens to what the doctor says to his wife. He smiles at us.

Sokin suffers from schizophrenia. She can write and read because she went to school. When she finished the fifth grade, she asked her mother not to let her continue to learn. She wanted to help in baking cookies. The whole family lived on the sale of cookies. And the mother agreed. She did not agree when the boy came and asked for Sokin's hand. At the time, her daughter was 17 years old, today her mother apparently regrets that decision.

Her illness started immediately after the death of her grandmother, whom she loved like no one else. She went out on the road, threw stones at people, shouted at things and in the hospital - belts. For each day of bonding, the parents paid as much for the month of food for the family. After two days, she returned home. It was even worse.

Until one day, she heard on the radio about doctors who drive to the insane and heal them without money. She applied to TPO. Doctor Sody arrived, she talked to her parents, she was unable to talk with a sick person, she made a diagnosis (after several years of illness), on a metal small tray she counted down a teaspoon of pills for a month, poured them into a plastic bag the size of a packet of tissues. Always first for 30 days ..

After four weeks, Dr. Sody came back, talked to the patient, left the tablets for three months, warned her mother that her daughter would not have access to medicines and would get them regularly.

Her sickness became better since after three month treatment (refer to Dr.Sody) we are really happy to see that now she can help her family to do work around her house.   “I would like to go to work, cook people something, wash and do anything to help my mother - says Sokin”                    

Thank you very much for your interesting, supporting and sharing our project information to your friends and networks. Our project is selected for GlobalGiving’s Mother’s Day Campaign  till Sunday, May 13th!. Please kindly help us to get bonus prizes and eligible for the 100% match on new recurring donations. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, comments or ideas at admin@tpocambodia.org.