PHNOM PENH: On September 18, Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, Chea Somethy, led dignitaries and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to visit persons with disabilities at the National Institute of Social Affairs, which is home to the National Infant and Child Center and the Exceed Worldwide School.

In a meeting with professors and students from the Exceed Worldwide School, which trains prosthetics and orthotics technicians, Minister Chea Somethy said that the issues that face persons with disabilities such as rehabilitation and fitness are important to his ministry. He said that disability numbers are increasing due to traffic accidents, unexploded ordnance, diabetes and other issues that require the rehabilitation of people in need.

He also met with students in their classrooms and praised the management of the institute for its hard work in training Cambodian and foreign students. The Minister thanked Exceed Worldwide for its assistance and cooperation with the National Institute of Social Affairs and thanked the teachers, and caregivers of infants and children at the center.

The National Institute of Social Affairs was established in 2011 with the aim of educating and training civil servants and relevant officials to carry out social work, study and research in the field of social affairs to meet the practical requests and needs of vulnerable populations.

Exceed Worldwide is a training school for technicians to manufacture and equip prostheses and orthotics in Southeast Asia and has been operating in Cambodia since 1989. The organization also provides community-based rehabilitation to enable and empower persons with disabilities by providing access to education, careers, and the ability to start new businesses so that they can lead fulfilling lives as active members of their community.