Cambodia

Transcultural Psychosocial Organization/ITC Cambodia

TPO Cambodia was established in Cambodia in February 1995 as a branch of the Netherlands based NGO “TPO International”.  After being registered in 2000 as independent local NGO, “TPO Cambodia” in affiliation with ITC is today the leading Cambodian NGO in the field of mental health and psychosocial interventions.

Mission

It is TPO’s mission “to support those who are unable to care for themselves due to mental illness, poverty and lack of support by developing programs that directly benefit people at the grassroots level, by improving their mental health and thereby increase their ability to care for themselves and their families”.

TPO Cambodia has about 45 staff involved in the following activities:

Community Mental Health

This project represents a large scope of TPO’s work in the communities by delivering mental health interventions to disadvantaged, vulnerable people in rural Cambodia. It aims to improve quality of life of Cambodian people by improving their mental well-being, using a mix of education, information, training and therapy.

Khmer Rouge Tribunal Project

In a society where so many Cambodians continue to struggle with the aftermath of their country’s violent history, facing the past is crucial to recovery from mass atrocity. TPO offers on-site psychological support services for witnesses and civil parties aim to reduce anticipatory anxiety through psychological briefing prior to the proceedings, to monitor participants’ emotional state and to offer psychological support during the trial, to provide debriefings after the proceedings and a phone counseling hotline.

Promotion of Women’s Rights

In collaboration with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, TPO Cambodia promotes women’s rights and combats gender-based violence in Siem Reap province. The program targets perpetrator and survivors of domestic violence.

Human Trafficking Project

To identify and to assist underserved victims of sex and labor trafficking in Cambodia and to develop effective support systems to meet their psychosocial needs.

Justice and Rehabilitation for Survivors of Torture

TPO’s mental health staff offers medical assessments, psychiatric treatment, individual and group counseling, Testimonial Therapy, basic legal counseling and financial assistance to survivors of torture. The approach aims to enhance the survivors’ sense of power and advocates for social reparation, at both the individual and social levels.