Recovery Continues Through Rehabilitation

By Sit Song, Project Coordinator and Chhunmuoy Ath, Communications Analyst

September 2, 2026

Older man in a black tank top and shorts guided by a female clinician on an outdoor ramp. — Rosa supports her patient as he takes another step towards recovery during a rehabilitation session.

The first thing Rosa notices is not whether a patient can walk.

It is whether they believe they can.

Some arrive leaning on a family member. Others are learning to use an artificial limb for the first time. Many are working towards returning to work, going back to school or simply moving around on their own again.

At 23, Rosa is a physiotherapist at the Battambang Physical Rehabilitation Centre, where she works with people recovering from injury or disability. Many of her patients are survivors of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). Others are recovering from road traffic accidents, illness or congenital conditions.

Cambodia has made remarkable progress in clearing landmines over the past three decades, but recovery does not end when contaminated land is declared safe. Today, more than 45,000 mine and ERW survivors continue to live with disabilities in Cambodia, including more than 4,000 women. Each year, more than 10,000 people receive rehabilitation services through the country's physical rehabilitation centres. They are the people Rosa meets every day.

One patient, in particular, has stayed with her.

Mr. Bounmean lost part of his leg after an encounter with an explosive remnant of war while serving as a soldier near the refugee border in Thmor Pouk District, Banteay Meanchey Province. When he first arrived at the Battambang rehabilitation centre, he relied on a relative to move around. Months later, after physiotherapy and learning to use a prosthetic limb, he walked into the clinic on his own.

“It was the moment I realised he believed in himself again,” Rosa recalls. “What I remember most is his smile after receiving physiotherapy services that helped him regain his confidence and mobility.” Helping people through moments like these almost never became Rosa's career.

Growing up in Battambang Province, Rosa dreamed of becoming a physiotherapist. But financial pressures nearly forced her to put that dream aside.

"I didn't think if I could continue," she recalls. "There were too many expenses, tuition fees, transportation and study materials. Without the scholarship for the school fee, I might not have been able to complete my studies."

The scholarship was provided through the Clearing for Results Phase IV (CfR-IV) programme (2020–2025), implemented by the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) in partnership with UNDP, with funding from the Royal Government of Cambodia, Australia, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg and New Zealand. The programme supported 34 scholarships for rehabilitation professionals, including 12 women, strengthened seven physical rehabilitation centres, and helped more than 49,000 people with disabilities access rehabilitation services, including 12,000 women and over 21,000 mine and ERW survivors. Now in its fifth phase, CfR (2026-2030) continues to support mine action, rehabilitation services, explosive ordnance risk education and livelihood recovery, recognising that recovery extends beyond mine clearance.

For Rosa, the scholarship did more than ease the financial burden of university. It also provided mentorship, guidance and practical training, allowing her to focus on her studies while building the confidence and clinical skills that continue to shape her work today.

"The most meaningful part of my learning was working directly with service users and persons with disabilities," she says. "It taught me professional skills, responsibility and compassion."

Rosa is not the only young professional whose career began with that opportunity.

Boy sits on a chair as a caregiver bandages his knee. — Putvicheka helps her patient regain mobility during a rehabilitation session.

In neighbouring Siem Reap Province, Putvicheka, 25, followed a different path into rehabilitation. Formerly an English teacher, she decided to retrain as a prosthetist and orthotist after seeing the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in her community.

"I wanted to help them walk confidently and regain their independence," she says.

Like Rosa, Putvicheka completed her studies through a CfR IV scholarship.

"I am deeply grateful for the support I received," she says. "It helped me complete my studies and begin my professional career."

Today, she designs and fits prosthetic limbs for people with lower-limb amputations. She recalls one service user who was unable to walk independently when he first arrived. After receiving a prosthesis and rehabilitation training, he gradually regained both his mobility and confidence.

For Putvicheka, rehabilitation is about much more than restoring physical function.

"Prosthetic and orthotic care restores more than physical ability. It restores independence and hope."

Together, Rosa and Putvicheka are part of a growing generation of rehabilitation professionals helping ensure that mine survivors and other persons with disabilities can continue accessing specialised rehabilitation services closer to home.

Their work is often measured in small moments. A farmer returning to his rice field. A child walking back into a classroom. Someone taking a few more steps than they could the week before.

Both women hope to continue developing their skills so they can support even more people in the years ahead.

For them, rehabilitation is not only about restoring movement. It is about helping people regain the confidence and independence to return to everyday life.