In June this year, The FA renewed its longstanding project with Exceed Worldwide. Over the coming 12 months, we will fund the provision and fitting of 250 sustainable prosthetic limbs as part of a complete rehabilitation intervention for 250 landmine survivors. This time, the work will focus on the Exceed Sihanoukville centre, which serves the Koh Kong province, currently affected by a major border conflict.

Prosthetic limbs are not just about rehabilitation but a vital part of the ongoing peace and recovery process for landmine survivors and their communities. Cambodia remains one of the world’s most heavily contaminated nations with thousands of landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW). Whilst national peace was achieved decades ago, five provinces on the Khmer-Thai border regions continue to face a dual threat. The first is historical contamination, with deeply buried “K5” minefields from the 1980s that still claim lives and limbs during the monsoon seasons. A year ago, border disputes started (known on international media as the Preah Vihear Temple conflict) which have left communities in these hard-to-reach areas with limited access to centralised rehabilitation services.

Rural communities in Cambodia are often the most economically marginalised and physically distant from provincial towns. For a subsistence farmer in a remote village, the loss of a limb is a “death sentence” for their livelihood. The SBCF’s mission, to address the human impact of conflict, is perfectly aligned with reaching these survivors who have been left behind by urbanisation.

Jane Bateman, Vice Chair of the SBCF said,

“This partnership continues the life changing work which Sir Bobby started, enabling people to regain mobility, confidence and the possibilities of a sustainable livelihood for themselves and their families. Seeing children in rural Cambodia with disabilities and prosthetic limbs from accidentally touching an explosive from decades past was heartbreaking for Bobby. It is very grounding to read the uplifting impact stories from those who benefit from our funding, which gives so many people a better chance in life. He would have been very proud”.