Sreyka lost her leg in an accident on her way home from school.

Sreyka, 8, had her leg amputated after she was hit by a car on her way home from school. Seven months later, she was treated by HI's physiotherapists and orthoprosthetists at the Kampong Cham physical rehabilitation centre.

Little Sreyka was skipping along the road on her way back from school when, just fifty metres from home, she was knocked down by a large speeding vehicle as she crossed to her house.

Seriously injured, she was rushed to a nearby health centre and then to the nearest hospital, which did not have the right equipment to treat her. Sreyka was then referred to the paediatric hospital in the capital, Phnom Penh, where her left leg was amputated to save her life.

Sreyka's family lives with her maternal grandparents. Her father, a builder, is their only source of income. The little he earns is not enough for the family to live on decently. Her mother takes care of the house, Sreyka and her 14-year-old older sister. Their village is an hour from the Kampong Cham physical rehabilitation centre run by HI, which Srekya visited seven months after her accident. The team of physiotherapists and prosthetic technicians immediately took good care of her. They provided her with a custom-made prosthesis and taught her how to use it.

"I'm so happy that my daughter can walk to school again with her prosthesis and do so many things on her own," says Sreyka's mother. "She was really unhappy. And it was difficult for me too, because I had to carry her a lot and help her with everyday chores, lift her from room to room, and take her outside or to the toilet or bathroom. I am grateful to HI for their work because it means my daughter can be fitted with prostheses!"

Sreyka puts her prosthesis to the test

Sreyka pays regular visits to the rehabilitation centre. As she grows, her prostheses will be changed, and she is already on her second! Sometimes, they need to be repaired because she puts them to the test - she’s quite the daredevil. "I like to play with my friends at school, I pretend to be a ghost. I always enjoyed running around the house with my cousins and friends. And now I can do what I love again! Sometimes I try to ride my bike and even skid in front of my grandparents' house," she says.

School and hopes for the future

Sreyka seems to be gradually overcoming the trauma of her accident. She is more confident and once again takes part in family life. She has also returned to school where she is in the second grade. She felt shy at first and wore long skirts to hide her legs. But now she wears the same uniform as her friends. Sreyka has definitely taken to her new leg.

"My school is quite far away, one kilometre from home, but I often walk there. I really like school and my favourite subject is Khmer. When I grow up, I would like to be an orthoprosthesist," she says with a beautiful smile. The HI team in Kampong Cham is right to be proud of her!