Friends Without a Border
[2] Founded in 1996 by photographer Kenro Izu, Friends provides direct financial and program support[3] to Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Lao Friends Hospital for Children in Luang Prabang, Laos, and The Lake Clinic in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
During his first visit to Cambodia in 1993 and throughout subsequent trips, he was forever changed by his encounters with ill, malnourished, and disfigured children in desperate need of medical care.
[6] Izu made a commitment to build a pediatric hospital in Siem Reap and established Friends Without A Border for that purpose.
One year later, Friends Without A Border and the Cambodian Ministry of Health signed a 10-year agreement for AHC and broke ground on the hospital's future site.
[7] In 2000, the Emergency Room and Dental Department[8] opened, and that same year marked the start of the Orphanage Medical Assistance and Kardiac Kids programs.
[9] The AHC Satellite opened at Sotnikum District Hospital in February 2010 to replicate the successful model of "treatment + education + prevention" in partnership with the provincial health department.
Members of the board of directors, including founder Kenro Izu, serve without compensation and pay their own way to visit operations overseas.
The Annual Gala,[12] held at the time of the Khmer and Lao New Year each April, is a key event to fundraise for the organization's programs in Southeast Asia.
Dr. Jeffrey Measelle, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon, who has been published extensively in the area of early childhood development, led the project as a pro-bono consultant.
Faced with a staggering number of children who fall ill and die from preventable ailments exacerbated by rampant malnutrition, CBHEP was established in 2002 as a comprehensive program[18] to address prevalent health issues in the community.
CBHEP staff travel to many communities and villages to work directly with residents to teach about improving overall health through everyday practices and preventive measures.
[19] Because of the lack of high-quality pediatric services in rural regions, many families of the Sotnikum district were traveling great distances to seek treatment at Angkor Hospital for Children, often leading to delayed medical attention and complications in a patient's condition.
In addition, the Satellite and SRH staffs collaborate on best practices as well as work with admissions personnel to ensure that all eligible families are enrolled in the Health Equity Fund,[21] Cambodia's answer to healthcare financial aid for the very poor.
TLC provides health care to families living on Southeast Asia's largest lake who do not otherwise have the means to travel to a local healthcare clinic.
[26] Kenro was honored at NYHQ's "A Spring Night Gala" for his leadership and humanitarian efforts to heal, nurture, and protect innocent life in Cambodia.
[28] In 2015, Friends Without A Border presented its highest honor, the Healing Asia Award, to Pencils of Promise for their work in Luang Prabang, Laos.
