Projects

The clinical teams work to treat and educate the patients who come to the clinic that proper medical care over traditional healing is beneficial. Teams treat ailments like malnutrition, diarrhea, dehydration, dental infections, burns, and much more. The team also refers and secures transport to the mainland when necessary for more serious cases.

Tooth decay is found in almost every villager on the lake. Our dental nurse provides education on prevention through brushing and flossing to both adults and children. She also provides typical dental services such as cleanings, cavity fillings, and extractions in the worst cases.

Our team of midwives have created in-home “Mother’s Clubs” in all of the villages, providing one on one counseling on issues surrounding antenatal care, sanitation and hygiene, birth spacing and contraception, and much more. The goal with the mother’s club is to decrease maternal, child, and infant mortality rates across the lake.

The Tonle Sap provides everything for the communities on the lake. But education around clean drinking water is nonexistent outside of TLC. Our work is to educate the communities on contamination and to use biosand filters before drinking the lake water to combat the extreme cases of diarrhea.

Floating gardens are a unique and innovative approach to agriculture. These gardens are designed to address the challenges posed by the region's waterlogged and constantly changing landscape. The floating gardens consist of buoyant platforms made from woven bamboo, water hyacinths and other materials, which are then anchored to the riverbed or lakebed. This creates a stable base for cultivating a variety of crops, including vegetables, fruits, and herbs. By utilizing the floating gardens, local communities can overcome the limitations of traditional land-based farming and maximize the use of available resources. These gardens provide an opportunity for sustainable agriculture, even in areas with limited arable land. They offer increased food security, as well as economic empowerment for the communities.

TLC promotes the establishment of floating gardens as part of our integrated approach to community health and well-being. By encouraging the cultivation of nutritious produce, we not only improve access to fresh food but also promote healthier diets and nutrition education. Furthermore, the floating gardens help to strengthen the resiliency of these communities in the face of climate change and environmental challenges.

The clinic aims to provide culturally sensitive mental health care to the communities of the Tonle Sap. With a team of trained clinicians, we offer counseling sessions both at the clinic and during outreach visits. The therapists, a nurse/midwife and a medical doctor, ensure confidentiality and receive regular supervision. A holistic approach is taken, incorporating medical assessments, medication when necessary, and education on physical and mental health. The clinic also collaborates with traditional healers and works to address trauma-related needs. While facing challenges in remote areas, we use phone communication to stay connected with patients. TLC extends its reach by running parenting groups, educating against domestic abuse, and supporting survivors and perpetrators. Our goal is to erase stigma, expand services, and support individuals with other mental health conditions like epilepsy and intellectual disabilities.

Our outreach team works to measure and weigh every child under the age of 5 in each village. We provide education for mothers and caregivers on nutrition and what foods are age appropriate and encourage healthy growth and every 6 months re-measure the children to plot their progress and nutritional health.

Educating teenagers on self-esteem, healthy relationships, conflict resolutions, and family economics is one of the ways outreach is working to change the lives of the families on the lake.

TLC is working to educate families on the negative effects of domestic violence and provide resources to victims.

For patients who are challenged by mobility, we travel to their homes so that they may receive the same great care patients receive in our floating clinics. This is particularly helpful for elderly and disabled patients.