Kim Samonn was 16 years old in 1976 when he stepped on a landmine. Now, Kim is employed as an outreach worker for a USAID-funded rehabilitation center in Kien Khleang, Cambodia. Source: Noah Hendler

“When I got my first prosthesis I was 23 years old, living in a Thai border camp. It was a heavy wooden leg and difficult to walk with. The organization that gave me this prosthesis also gave me a job making braces for children with polio. That is how I started working with other disabled people.

I have always liked working with disabled people because they see hope in me. A few weeks ago I visited a boy who had recently lost his leg. He refused to believe the doctors and nurses when they explained he would still be able to work. I told him that I don't have a leg either but I am still able to do my job. When I showed my prosthesis to him, he believed me. Now he understands that he will be able to work.

The most difficult question for disabled people is how will they find work and earn money?”