Exceed Trustee Stephen Blatchford visits Cambodia

Stephen Blatchford, from Exceed Worldwide's Board of Trustees is in Cambodia this week, visiting Exceed centres in Phnom Penh and in rural Cambodia. 

Stephen is using the visit to gain first hand experience of the work of the Exceed management team; meet teachers and students at DPO, Exceed's specialist prosthetic and orthotic school in Phnom Penh;  join Exceed's community team to visit patients in rural areas and understand the journey of new and returning patients who visit Exceed clinics to receive new prostheses or orthoses or have devices repaired. 

Stephen is a former CEO of the UK-based Blatchford group, one of the world's leading suppliers of prosthetic and orthotic devices and services.



UK Overseas Aid Budget at 17 Year Low

The Devex Newswire (3 October 2024) reports that UK Development Minister Anneliese Dodds has said that the UK will keep diverting its aid budget to cover refugee costs until reforms are in place.

Anneliese Dodds, Minister of State for Development, image © UK Parliament 2024

Devex says that the practice pushed UK aid spending to a 17-year low and that the aid diversion totalled $4.3 billion / $5.8 billion in 2023.

The U.K. has chosen to dip into its aid budget at a level far beyond any other donor nation and there is no indication that this situation will change any time soon.

New Exceed Research Network Members

The Exceed Research Network (ERN) has welcomed three new members.

Phil Tunstall is CEO of STAND (formerly Legs4Africa). STAND began as a largely volunteer-led organisation which refurbished and supplied used prostheses but now provides a more extensive range of PO services in countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr Nicola Bailey is a Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences, King's College London. She has a particular interest in the development of upper limb prostheses which are accessible, low-cost and able to function well anywhere.

Ashan Wijekoon is a physiotherapist who qualified at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2018. He has worked as a clinician, researcher and lecturer in physiotherapy in Sri Lanka and

the UK and is currently a lecturer in physiotherapy at the University of Winchester, UK.

ERN is a voluntary international research consortium which focuses on Prosthetic and Orthotic and wider disability issues in lower resource settings.

The Network 46 individual members from universities, NGOs, businesses and public sector organisations across 12 countries. A total of 32 organisations are involved in ERN, which focuses on high quality applied research, building research capacity and the dissemination of research findings. Find out more at https://www.exceed-worldwide.org/ern

Assistive Products Repair Workshop

The Tidal N+ group hosted the first of two assistive products repair workshops at the University of Salford, Salford Media City on 16th May 2024. The workshop was based on a series of direct and online presentations, followed by breakout and discussion sessions to agree future actions and objectives around the important, but sometimes under-represented, topic of device repair.

Sam Simpson, Head of Research and Business Development, represented Exceed. He delivered a presentation on prosthesis repair data retrieved by the University of Southampton from Exceed’s patient management system in Cambodia, and led a breakout session on International Connections.

TIDAL stands for ‘Transformative Innovation in the Delivery of Assisted Living Products and Services’ and the group’s purpose is to improve the quality of Assistive Technologies and the lives of those who use them. The workshop aimed to contribute to this aim and the initial session centred on a series of 11 short presentations and Q&A sessions on repair in general and specific contexts.  

This was followed by breakout sessions on Data; Repair; Methods of Repair; Impact of Repair; System Issues & Policy; International Connections and NHS Clinical Challenges.

The event concluded by looking towards future goals and actions for device repair.

Members of the Tidal network are developing a Prosthetic Provision and Repair Registry, to collect, organise, and share information about prosthetics provision and repairs. A survey to assist this work is available through the following link: 

https://forms.gle/HYTfminHKPfCvF9LA

Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation visit Exceed in Cambodia

Jane Bateman, Trustee of the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation, has unveiled a memorial to mark the life and work of its founder Sir Bobby Charlton.

Sir Bobby was much-loved and admired as a footballer and humanitarian. The commemorative plaque was revealed at a ceremony at Exceed Worldwide’s Cambodia headquarters in Phnom Penh. The special event took place on 15th May 2024, attended by Ms Bateman, HM British Ambassador Dominic Williams, guests and Exceed Worldwide staff, including Chief Executive Carson Harte and Cambodia Country Director, Sisary Kheng.

After unveiling the memorial, Ms. Bateman said, ‘Cambodia had a special place in Sir Bobby’s heart. It is wonderful to see that his commitment to this country has been recognised with this permanent tribute. Our thanks go to Exceed Worldwide for helping us to continue his legacy of supporting victims of conflict”.

The Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation has supported Exceed since 2019. Their funding trained Prosthetic and Orthotic Technicians (POTs) and the provision of prostheses (artificial limbs) and orthoses (braces) to disadvantaged people.

Support from the Foundation provided POT scholarships for 30 students from 11 countries. POTs support Prosthetist Orthotists (POs) by manufacturing prostheses and orthoses, allowing POs to treat many more patients. POTs manufacture 500 devices per year and the work of these technicians brings mobility to hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities.

On behalf of Exceed Worldwide, Sisary Kheng, said, ‘We are delighted that Jane could join us today. Exceed has enormous regard for the Sir Bobby Foundation. Its support helps us to restore mobility to people with a disability and provide opportunities to access education, training and employment. This memorial will forever remind Exceed staff and visitors of our appreciation of Sir Bobby and the Foundation.’

In 2023-24, support from the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation enabled Exceed to supply over 800 prosthetic and orthotic devices to men, women and children in two, mainly rural areas of Cambodia. This programme, along with the POT training initiative, has made a major contribution to Exceed’s aim to equip, enable and empower people with disabilities.