Brief History of SLSPO
It has always been the goal for the Cambodia Trust to share its expertise in other low income countries. The Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (CSPO) has been accepting students from more than 15 different countries from the region including Sri Lanka.
For intake 1999, CSPO welcomed the first two students from Sri Lanka. Since that time a total of 10 Sri Lankan students from government and local organisations have been to Cambodia to study and graduated from CSPO as Prosthetist - Orthotists.
As a matter of fact, it is not enough to cover the needs of people with disability in the whole country. Sri Lanka is emerging from more than thirty years of civil conflict and consequently needs to plan for the rehabilitation of victims - both military and civilian - from both sides of the conflict. With an aging population, the disabled population is increasing; hence a comprehensive plan for physical rehabilitation is required.
As part of that planning, the Cambodia Trust was invited by the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka to establish a new training school, SLSPO, modelled on the CSPO example of education and management.
In 2004, after several years of planning, SLSPO was established with signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health. The project is fully funded for both implementation and facilitation by The Nippon Foundation. SLSPO would like to thank the Nippon Foundation for its support and trust into our work.
Sustainable Development and Board
SLSPO is a locally registered non-profit organisation and works closely with the Government of Sri Lanka, other NGOs and people with disability to encourage a development plan that offers integration of people with disability into mainstream society.
The Cambodia Trust is a partner organization in the roles of project manager, facilitator, board member and technical advisor. This structure means that at the end of the process of development, the school will be locally owned and supported by our main project partner, the Ministry of Health.
Until that handover, to be planned after 2009, the school will be governed by a local Board representing international and local people from a broad spectrum of society and Government.
SLSPO is currently participating in the establishment of the Sri Lankan Association of Prosthetics and Orthotics (SLAPO) to set up the foundation of rehabilitation networks in Sri Lanka.
SLSPO Logo
The four main colours, dark green, orange, red, and yellow, are adapted from the Sri Lankan National flag. It is said that first three colours represent three different ethnic groups and yellow for peace. We hope people with disabilities can help each other despite the different groups and cultures for the mutual benefit of the country.