Volunteer Occupational Therapist – Happy Kids Clinic
About us
OIC Cambodia is an initiative working to establish speech therapy in Cambodia for people with communication and swallowing difficulties.
We launched in 2013 to start the country’s first program in bringing speech therapy to Cambodia for the more than an estimated 600,000 people with communication and swallowing difficulties.
Our end goal is to have 100 speech therapists employed by government by the year 2030, after which OIC will exit Cambodia.
Happy Kids Clinic is a private allied health clinic that was established as a social enterprise of OIC Cambodia in July 2016 to provide a tangible example of what speech therapy looks like and how it can help children with communication and swallowing difficulties. 100% of the profits from Happy Kids Clinic are channeled into the work of OIC.
In December 2016, due to the caseload demand, we recruited our first occupational therapist to the team to provide much needed clinical expertise for our clients and their families and growing our vision of becoming a genuinely multidisciplinary service.
The role
The client caseload at Happy Kids Clinic consists of both Khmer and expatriate children, though the majority are Khmer. Many of our clients have Autism Spectrum Disorder and are aged from 2-12 years.
We are looking for somebody to volunteer their time for between 2-4 weeks (or more if you’re keen!) to work with our team.
The primary role of the volunteer is to use their expertise to upskill and support our staff members, especially our OT and our Khmer therapy assistants.
Key responsibilities/ objectives of this role include but are not limited to:
• Participating in client sessions with the OT and therapy assistants
• Giving training and coaching to HKC staff, teachers and families as relevant
• Contributing ideas, resources and knowledge to the team
• Supporting community placement projects as necessary
About you
You are an occupational therapist who understands that whilst your knowledge and skills are valuable, that in a very different cultural context, you to also need to learn and listen.
You have a friendly, approachable manner and work well in small teams, and you provide support to other team members, teachers and families in a gentle and appropriate way.
Desirable clinical skills and knowledge for this position are:
· Occupational therapy assessment and intervention for working with children with ASD, especially in the areas of dressing, toileting and feeding
· Experience with sensory processing assessment and intervention, especially in the classroom
· Experience with behavioural management for children with ASD
· Training and experience in evidence based feeding techniques (i.e. SOS)
What we can offer you
As this is a volunteer position, we are not in a position to pay the volunteer for their time, nor their flights or accommodation. However, we can offer the following:
- A chance to be a part of a new and exciting initiative in Cambodia, one of the first of its kind
- An opportunity to work with both Khmer and foreign staff, who have a range of skills, experience and knowledge… and also happen to be really lovely people!
- Support in booking flights, finding accommodation, orientating you to Phnom Penh and suggesting fun things to do in Cambodia
- Access to in-house professional development and training
- An opportunity to learn more about international development through links with OIC Cambodia team
As mentioned above, we are looking for volunteers for 2-4 weeks at a time that is suitable to them, preferably before June 2017.
How to apply
To apply for the role, please send your application to , with the subject title “Occupational Therapy Volunteer Application” and these documents:
· Resume/CV
· Cover letter addressing the selection criteria
Applications close COB 31st March 2017.
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