By SWCA William D. Dandridge, NMCB 5 Public Affairs
Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Andres Castaneda, a Seabee assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5, holds a child after a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Nhaeng Nhang Health Clinic s maternity ward. NMCB 5 s Civic Construction Action Detail (CCAD) Cambodia and Royal Cambodian Armed Forces engineers recently completed construction of an addition to Nhaeng Nhang s clinic and maternity ward. The CCAD's mission is to execute engineering civic assistance projects, conduct skills exchanges with the host nation, and perform community relations events to help enhance shared capabilities and maintain relationships. (U.S. Navy photo by Construction Electrician 2nd Class Gregory Campbell/150522-N-ZZ999-0150)
The staff of Nhaeng Nhang Health and Maternity Clinic and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5 Seabees celebrated the completion of construction for the clinic s new maternity ward during a ribbon cutting ceremony May 22.
The NMCB 5 Civic Construction Action Detail (CCAD) Cambodia Seabees along with engineers from the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) began building the additional facility for the clinic in early March. The clinic services patients from three provinces in Cambodia.
Pho Phuon, the director of the clinic, said to the Seabees and RCAF who worked on the project, Thank you all for your team s hard work. We have waited three years for this addition to our clinic. We plan to use this building to place the newborns to make sure they are safe and out of harm s way.
The clinic previously had one small room for mothers to give birth and one small room for the mothers and newborns to recover after birth. Each room only had enough space for one bed.
Takeo Province Ministry of Health Officials cut the ribbon alongside Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5 and Nhaeng Nhang Health Clinic staff for an addition to the clinic s maternity ward. NMCB 5 s Civic Construction Action Detail (CCAD) Cambodia and Royal Cambodian Armed Forces engineers recently completed construction of an addition to the Nhaeng Nhang s clinic and maternity ward. The CCAD's mission is to execute engineering civic assistance projects, conduct skills exchanges with the host nation, and perform community relations events to help enhance shared capabilities and maintain relationships. (U.S. Navy photo by Construction Electrician 2nd Class Gregory Campbell/150522-N-ZZ999-040)
Thank you for your help, said Naun Sokha, a staff nurse at the clinic. Now we can help make sure mothers have a better experience giving birth. We plan on having three beds in each room for the mothers to stay and recover after the birth.
Builder 3rd Class Samantha Smeed said she hopes the new additions help mothers have a better birthing experience, and the newborns will have a cleaner and safer birth in the new facilities.
It shows that we care about others and that we are here to help, said Smeed, when talking about building the maternity ward.
Since 2008 the U.S. Navy Seabees have finished 60 projects across 16 providences in Cambodia. NMCB 5 s CCAD deployed to Cambodia in February and the maternity ward was the third completed project since then.
The Seabees have been working alongside the RCAF for the majority doing a construction skills exchange, learning construction techniques from each other.
It has been a real pleasure working with members of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and I have learned a lot from them, said Utilities Constructionman Angiulli Davalos. They work hard and really contribute to the project.
The Seabees recently began construction their final two projects in a different region of the Country. All together the Seabees of NMCB 5 are scheduled to complete five humanitarian assistance projects while in Cambodia for their six-month deployment.
The CCAD's mission is to execute engineering civic assistance projects, conduct skills exchanges with the host nation, and perform community relations events to help enhance shared capabilities and maintain relationships.
NMCB 5 is homeported in Port Hueneme, California, and is currently deployed to Okinawa, Japan, supporting Navy and joint forces throughout the U.S. Pacific Command with construction projects and humanitarian missions in more than 13 different geographical locations.
Steelworker 3rd Class Patrick Moreno, a Seabee assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5, teaches a local Cambodian child how to play the ukulele after a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Nhaeng Nhang Health Clinic s maternity ward. NMCB 5 s Civic Construction Action Detail (CCAD) Cambodia and Royal Cambodian Armed Forces engineers recently completed construction of an addition to Nhaeng Nhang s clinic and maternity ward. The CCAD's mission is to execute engineering civic assistance projects, conduct skills exchanges with the host nation, and perform community relations events to help enhance shared capabilities and maintain relationships. (U.S. Navy photo by Utilitiesman Constructionman Angiulli Davalos/150522-N-ZZ999-190)