Angkor Hospital for Children Treats Its One Millionth Patient!
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The vast majority of children who come to Angkor Hospital for Children suffer from preventable and treatable illness. In Cambodia it is not uncommon for a child to die from complications of untreated respiratory infections, diarrhea, or illnesses virtually eradicated in the more-developed world.
Every child has the right to a healthy and loving life— The devastation caused by the Khmer Rouge-led genocide of the Cambodian people in the 1970s left many children ill, malnourished, disfigured and in desperate need of medical care. Friends Without A Border was established to help these children and their families left ravaged by the Khmer Rouge by building and maintaining a world-class medical facility.
The unfortunate history that the children of Cambodia have inherited includes occupation, civil war and the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime which left over 1.5 million people dead from starvation, forced labor or execution. Today, the crumbling infrastructure and extreme poverty are constant challenges as Cambodians try and put their lives back together and strive for a more promising future. Some of the health challenges facing Cambodia’s children include a mortality rate of 82 per 1000 for children under 5, only 28% of the population having access to improved sanitation facilities, and the United Nation’s Human Development Index ranks Cambodia 137 out of 182, one of the four lowest in Asia. Friends Without A Border provides the means to alleviate some of these issues with the fundamental philosophy of “treat the children as your own child”.
Friends Without A Border was founded in 1996 by famed Japanese photographer Kenro Izu. After he visited Cambodia to photograph the Angkor temples and saw the havoc the Khmer Rouge had done to the children of the area, he implored his friends to establish a facility to provide these children with essential medical care. Ground was broken for the Angkor Hospital for Children in 1997, and in 1999 opened its doors to treat the first patients.
Since its inception, AHC has been steadily growing with the help of caring donors. In 2000, emergency and dental departments were opened, followed by a medical education center in 2004 and an Intensive Care Unit in 2006. Currently, AHC provides every aspect of medical care from outpatient care, to an eye clinic, to physiotherapy and HIV/Homecare programs, to staff dedicated to teaching families about a variety of health issues like nutrition and preventable diseases.
On December 20, 2011, Angkor Hospital for Children’s one millionth patient arrived on hospital grounds. 11-month-old Alya was brought to AHC seeking medical care for the stomach flu. Her mother told staff that ‘we trust the care that the doctors give. The medicine always works and the staff is kind.’ The smile of the mother with her daughter as they left the hospital says it all! Over 400 families from far and wide seek out AHC everyday for the child and family focused care. In an area of the world where children often die from illnesses virtually irradiated from the more-developed world, AHC is a haven that not only helps to treat a child free of charge, but also educates the patient and their families on how to live a healthy, happy lifestyle.
Friends Without A Border is expanding its reach in 2012 and beyond. In 2011 they partnered with The Lake Clinic, an innovative boat-based medical distribution system for the dispossessed and neglected floating villages on the Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia’s largest lake. And in 2012, Friends is looking to expand their mission of caring for destitute, abandoned, neglected, ill, and dependent children and their families to other countries in the region.
More About This Charity
Region
Northeast
Category
Health and Well Being
Name
Friends Without A Border
Mission
Friends Without A Border is committed to care for, educate, and provide for destitute, abandoned, neglected, ill and dependent children and their families of certain foreign countries.
Impact
- This Achievement raised $4,832,274
- This Achievement helped 1,000,000 people
- This charity helped 171,842 people in the past year
- Over one million children have been treated in Cambodia at Angkor Hospital for Children
Works In
Cambodia
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