Weh Yeoh is a social entrepreneur and speech-therapy advocate whose work spans continents - from establishing Cambodia's first university-trained speech-therapy program to delivering telehealth services in rural Australia.
He has built dual organisations - OIC Cambodia and Umbo - that blend charity and enterprise to empower local communities.
Weh is also the author of 'Redundant Charities', his manifesto of charities embracing redundancy as a successful end state by helping their clients escape the cycle of dependence through sustainable models.
Humble beginnings
Weh Yeoh's story begins in Carlingford, in Sydney's northwest, but its roots extend back to famine-and war-stricken China in the early 1900s.
His great-grandparents fled to Malaysia seeking a better life. Both his parents were born there.
Weh's mother came to Australia in the 1960s to study pharmacy at the University of Sydney. After a 3-year letter-writing courtship, his father joined her.
'They didn't have much money and slept on the floor of a small apartment near the University of Sydney,' Weh says. 'We grew up with this sacrifice in the background, and it has stayed with me.'
An Asian journey of revelation
After studying physiotherapy, Weh started his career at Liverpool Hospital. He continued to work in aged care in public hospitals when he realised his skills could change someone's life.
At 25, Weh packed his belongings into storage and set off to volunteer in Vietnam for 6 months. He then went to China for a year to experience life in the land of his great-grandparents and to learn Mandarin.
After returning to Australia, he completed his Masters in Development Studies before a life-changing consulting stint with the Australian Red Cross in Cambodia.
'I felt a strong connection to Cambodia, it was visceral,' he says. 'The culture, the language, the people, it pulled me in.'
Weh witnessed communities unable to send children to school because of slurring and fixable speech issues. Cambodia had virtually no speech therapists for its population of 16 million.
Founding a movement in Cambodia
In 2013, Weh launched OIC Cambodia to address the critical shortage of speech therapists in the country.
His mission was to build local capacity by establishing Cambodia's first university speech-therapy course and train 100 Cambodian graduates by 2030.
For Weh, success would be a sustainable program that does not require further international aid.
'If we truly believe in empowering local communities, we must be willing to step back when they have impetus and no longer need us,' Weh says.
'If, by 2030, we can fully hand over the work to self-reliant, local teams and close down OIC, it would be a world-first in our field.'
Weh Yeoh launched OIC Cambodia to establish the country's first university speech-therapy course and train 100 graduates by 2030. Launching OIC Australia and Umbo
To help sustain the growth of OIC Cambodia, Weh co-founded OIC Australia, a fundraising arm with a clever campaign.
'The "Day Without Speech" campaign sees schoolkids raise funds by giving up talking for a day. All the money they raise supports the initiative in Cambodia,' Weh says.
Upon returning to Australia, Weh began to learn about the significant shortage of allied health services for Australian rural and remote communities.
To close this gap, Weh launched Umbo, a for-profit social enterprise with a sustainable model that could continue to grow while providing income and impact.
Weh proudly notes that over 60% of clients are from remote and regional communities, and over 17% identify as Indigenous. Umbo provides telehealth services to these communities.
Half of Umbo's profits fund a pay-it-forward scheme. More than A$300,000 of free services have been provided since 2021, for those unable to afford private assessments.
'The more we grow, the more we're able to give back,' says Weh.
From practitioner to thought leader
Weh's contribution in the international development space was recognised when he was appointed an adjunct senior lecturer at the University of Sydney and convener of Macquarie University's Global Leadership Program. He was also invited back to the University of Sydney to address the graduating class of physiotherapists in 2024.
He's shared his insights with hundreds of students from aid-recipient countries and challenged entrenched assumptions in development.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, he decided to write "Redundant Charities: Escaping the Cycle of Dependence". He argues that the success of charities be measured by their redundancy through an exit strategy.
The drive to write the book came from his observations in Cambodia.
'What struck me was that Cambodia had one of the highest concentrations of charities and UN agencies in the world,' he says.
'Yet, despite all that support, there was a glaring absence of any Cambodian-led initiative to address this critical need.'
His book was published in 2023 to a warm reception, especially among non-governmental organisations rethinking their models.
The power of language and cultural immersion
When Weh decided to commit to multiple Cambodian projects, his engagement was built on 2 pillars: cultural immersion and learning to speak Khmer fluently.
'You can't have that impact flying in once a year and running training sessions,' Weh says.
'It required living there, speaking the language, going to the street-side cafes and building trust over time.
'It was in Cambodia that I began to understand the unique value of cross-cultural fluency - not just in language, but in how people work, think and live.'
While many international charity staff could not speak Khmer, Weh's fluency in the language gave him an edge.
'I could speak directly to Cambodians in their words,' he says. 'The unfiltered access made all the difference in understanding real needs and building solutions that actually worked.'
A journey of impact
The Australia-Cambodia bilateral relationship continues to go from strength to strength. Cambodia's population is familiar with Australian food, beverage and consumer products, and education links are growing. But human connection is at the heart of successful business.
'It is the people-to-people connections that grow the trade relationship - and much of this starts with social connections between our 2 countries,' says Chris Morley, Trade Commissioner at Austrade Hanoi. 'Those valuable, human links broaden our commercial relationship into something much more meaningful and long-lasting.'
Weh is a strong believer in the opportunities for Southeast Asia and Australia.
'The growth in Southeast Asian countries is incredible,' he says.
'Given this kind of growth, I think it would be crazy not to seriously consider Southeast Asia for business or development opportunities.'
