Friends Without a Border

Last updated
Friends Without A Border Logo Friends Without a Border logo.png
Friends Without A Border Logo

Friends Without A Border (Friends) is a nonprofit, [1] nongovernmental organization that funds medical treatment and healthcare programs serving disadvantaged children and their families in Southeast Asia. [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.

Contents

The international headquarters [4] are located in New York, US, with one sister organization in Tokyo, Japan. [5]

History

The organization was founded by noted fine art photographer Kenro Izu in 1996. Izu's visit to Cambodia to photograph the temples of Angkor inspired the pediatric hospital that would become Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC). 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.

In 1996, the land for AHC was granted by the Governor of Siem Reap Province, Mr. Tong Chai. 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. AHC opened its doors on February 22, 1999. [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. A year later, the HIV/Homecare program, Acute Care Unit, and Safety and First-Aid Training program for non-medical persons in Siem Reap began. [3]

In 2002, Friends launched the Capacity Building and Health Education Program (CBHEP), a health promotion program that trains volunteer healthcare workers to improve health and hygiene at the village level. Also in 2002, the Eye Care Service Department and the Low Acuity Unit opened at AHC.

In 2005, the Oral Rehydration Therapy Corner opened. In 2006, the Acute Care Unit was upgraded to an Intensive Care Unit and the Physiotherapy Program was launched. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton toured AHC in December 2006. [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.

In January 2013, Friends and AHC celebrated the transition of management [10] and operations to the dedicated hospital staff. The independence of AHC accomplished one of the original goals that was set in the beginning of a self-sustained hospital. Friends continues to be a presence at AHC and helps with their fundraising efforts.

Also in 2013, Friends embarked on a new project to build a hospital in the Luang Prabang Province of Laos. In partnership with the Luang Prabang Health Department and Provincial Hospital (LPPH), Friends began construction in the Fall of 2013 on Lao Friends Hospital for Children (LFHC) on the grounds of LPPH.

February 11, 2015 marked the Grand Opening of Lao Friends Hospital for Children. LFHC is the first full-service pediatric hospital in northern Laos, and currently includes an outpatient department, an emergency room, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), operating theater, laboratory, pharmacy, radiology, lecture room, library to teach pediatric medicine to the future leaders of the hospital, kitchen and laundry for families visiting the hospital, and a vegetable garden to teach families how to prepare nutritious meals.

Corporate Governance

Friends Without A Border operates a modest office in New York City. Volunteers assist with many features of the organization's work. Members of the board of directors, including founder Kenro Izu, serve without compensation and pay their own way to visit operations overseas. Board members and chapter members play crucial roles in raising funds for Friends; including regional gatherings that draw Cambodian-Americans and Laotian-Americans to the organization, and through two signature events that take place each year in New York City. The Photography Auction [11] has raised more than $2 million since its debut in the late 1990s. 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.

Programs

Lao Friends Hospital for Children

Lao Friends Hospital for Children (LFHC) is the newest project of Friends. Construction on LFHC began in November 2013, [13] and the hospital officially opened the Outpatient Department on February 12, 2015.

In early 2014, Friends Without A Border conducted a baseline medical survey (BMS) in the Luang Prabang Province in 2014. 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. The overall goal of the BMS is to collect health data in order to establish baseline child health metrics in advance of patient care at LFHC. Over time, repeated assessments will enable LFHC to evaluate changes in the health status of children in Luang Prabang and measure LFHC's impact.

Also in 2014, medical and English language training courses for LFHC staff began.

Friends Visitor Center

The Friends Visitor Center opened in September 2014 in downtown Luang Prabang, Lao PDR as a way to spread awareness of LFHC and educate tourists and the general public on the health care situation in Laos. The first floor is dedicated to information on Friends' programs while the second floor houses photography, art, and textiles related to Lao culture.

Angkor Hospital for Children

Angkor Hospital for Children [14] (AHC) is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia, home of the famous Angkor monuments, relics of the Khmer Empire which lasted from the ninth to fifteenth centuries. AHC opened in 1999 to provide healthcare services to children in Cambodia. AHC's mission is to provide high-quality healthcare to children while simultaneously educating Cambodian healthcare professionals and improving preventive health practices. AHC partners with the Cambodian Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization, among others, to provide Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI). [14] Since opening, more than one million children have received treatment at AHC. The hospital offers outpatient, [15] inpatient, emergency, surgical, dental, and ophthalmological care to more than 400 patients each day. [16]

Medical Education Center

In addition to providing high-quality healthcare to the children of Cambodia, one of the main objectives of Angkor Hospital for Children is to utilize the hospital as a training center to help rebuild the country's professional medical community. In 2001, the Medical Education Center (MEC) was established to train doctors, nurses, paramedics, and administrators, and to provide continuing medical education courses and learning outside the classroom. A Memorandum of Agreement with the Ministry of Health sees every graduating nurse in the country participate in postgraduate training that provides many young nurses their first experience with direct patient care. The MEC's teaching and learning activities have been cited in the National Strategic Health Plan. [17]

Family Education and Nutrition

AHC provides general health education for parents focused on prevention and treatment of diseases most commonly affecting Cambodian children – respiratory illness, diarrhea, malaria, dengue fever, and HIV, and well as emerging diseases such as the H1N1 virus. A variety of pamphlets are made available to visitors, and the AHC conducts nurse-led [16] group teaching sessions. Additionally, AHC provides significant resources to the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of childhood malnutrition. AHC's nutrition program, funded by Abbott Laboratories and Direct Relief, provides nutrition education and support to Cambodian families.

Capacity Building and Health Education Program

The Capacity Building and Health Education Program (CBHEP) works to improve the health, hygiene, and nutrition of local communities. 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. In addition, CBHEP staff identifies and refers children who might require additional care to AHC or the Satellite. CBHEP staff also work with local health centers. [19]

AHC Satellite

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.

As a result, in February 2010, Friends Without A Border opened a Satellite hospital [14] as an experiment in public/private sector partnership. Constructed with private funding, the Satellite is on the grounds of Sotnikum Referral Hospital (SRH), a government hospital located 35 km from Siem Reap, or about one hour by paved road. [20] SRH and the Satellite function as the referral hospital for 23 health centers in the Sotnikum District of Siem Reap Province; some health centers are located as far as 80 km from Sotnikum itself, over difficult roads that sometimes render the hospital inaccessible during the rainy season. 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.

The Satellite features 3 main departments—Outpatient, Inpatient, and Emergency Room—as well as active coordination with the health centers at the village/community level through the well-integrated Capacity Building and Health Education Program (CBHEP).

The Lake Clinic

Friends Without A Border also supports The Lake Clinic (TLC), a project dedicated to delivering basic health care, as well as disease surveillance and proper medical referrals, to a severely isolated and under served region of Cambodia [22] —the floating villages of the Tonlé Sap Lake.

The Lake Clinic was launched [23] in 2007 by the founding Executive Director of Angkor Hospital for Children, Jon Morgan, R.N. 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. [24] For the Tonlé Sap residents, medical care can be more than 100 km away and travel is possible only by boat. In its five years of operation, TLC has expanded to provide services to 13 villages encompassing 30,000 individuals. TLC's boat-based clinics represent the only sustained attempt at delivering care, treatment, and prevention to thousands of families. [25]

Awards

In 2007, Kenro Izu, founder of Friends Without A Border, was awarded the Pacesetter Award from New York Hospital Queens, the highest award presented by the medical center. [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. Also in 2007, Kenro was the recipient of the Honorary Visionary Award by the Lucie Awards. [27]

In 2014, Kenro was named the World of Children Award Health Honoree. The World of Children Award, which has been called the "Nobel Prize for Child Advocates," is the only global recognition honoring individuals for serving vulnerable children worldwide. Kenro and Friends Without A Border were recognized at the World of Children Award Ceremony in November 2014. [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. CEO of Pencils of Promise, Michael Dougherty, accepted the speech on the organization's behalf. Also presented at the Annual Gala is the Best Friend of Friends Award, commemorating those who have dedicated their time, talent, and spirit to Friends over the course of many years.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Cambodia</span>

The system of transport in Cambodia, rudimentary at the best of times, was severely damaged in the chaos that engulfed the nation in the latter half of the 20th century. The country's weak transport infrastructure hindered emergency relief efforts, exacerbating the logistical issues of procurement of supplies in general and their distribution. Cambodia received Soviet technical assistance and equipment to support the maintenance of the transportation network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phnom Penh International Airport</span> Primary airport serving Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh International Airport, formerly Pochentong International Airport, is the busiest airport in Cambodia and serves as the country's main international gateway. It is Cambodia's second largest airport by area after the new Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport. It is located in the Pou Senchey District, 10 kilometres (5.4 NM) west of Phnom Penh, the nation's capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siem Reap province</span> Province of Cambodia

Siem Reap, officially Siemreap, is a province (khaet) of Cambodia. It borders the provinces of Oddar Meanchey to the north, Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom to the east, Battambang to the south, and Banteay Meanchey to the west. Its capital and largest city is Siem Reap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beat Richner</span> Swiss pediatrician, cellist and founder of childrens hospitals in Cambodia

Beat Richner was a Swiss pediatrician, cellist and founder of children's hospitals in Cambodia. He created the Kantha Bopha Foundation in Zürich in 1992 and became its head. Along with another expatriate, he oversaw and ran the predominantly Cambodian-staffed hospitals. As both a cellist and a medical doctor, Richner was known by patients, audiences, and donors as "Beatocello".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siem Reap Airways</span> Defunct regional airline of Cambodia (2000–2008)

Siem Reap Airways International was a Cambodian regional airline based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Wholly owned by Bangkok Airways of Thailand, its primary hub was Phnom Penh International Airport, with secondary hubs at Suvarnabhumi Airport and Siem Reap International Airport. It ceased operations in 1 December 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siem Reap International Airport</span> Former airport of Siem Reap, Cambodia (1932–2023)

Siem Reap International Airport was an international airport that served Siem Reap and Angkor. It opened in 1932 and closed in 2023 upon the opening of Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport. It was the second-busiest airport in Cambodia after Phnom Penh International Airport.

PMTair was a Cambodian airline offering regularly scheduled domestic and international passenger and cargo services out of Phnom Penh International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battambang</span> City in Cambodia

Battambang is the capital of Battambang Province and the third largest city in Cambodia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass media in Cambodia</span>

Media in Cambodia is largely unregulated and includes radio, television and print media outlets. Private sector companies have moved into the media sector, which represents a change from years of state-run broadcasting and publishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siem Reap</span> City in Cambodia

Siem Reap is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sihanouk International Airport</span> Cambodias third international airport, located in Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Sihanouk International Airport, located 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Sihanoukville City in Sihanoukville Province, is Cambodia's third largest international airport. It is named, like the province itself, after King Norodom Sihanouk. The airport is also known as Kang Keng Airport. The IATA code KOS is derived from Sihanoukville's alternative name "Kampong Som".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenro Izu</span>

Kenro Izu is a Japanese-born photographer based in the United States. He is the founder of children's charity Friends Without a Border, for which he has received two awards. He has also been awarded for his photography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wat</span> Buddhist or Hindu temple in Asia

A wat is a type of Buddhist and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Cambodia Angkor Air is the national flag carrier airline of Cambodia, with its corporate headquarters and main hub in Phnom Penh. The company slogan is "Proudly Serve the Kingdom".

The Angkor Youth Orchestra (ANYO) (established in 2006 or 2007) is a Cambodian youth orchestra. Its first performance was at the Angkor Wat temple complex. It is the first establishment for orchestral classical music in Cambodia since the Sangkum Reahniyum Era (1953–1970). The Orchestra is supervised by two musicians: Tep Kuntheareth and Ram Daravong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angkor Hospital for Children</span> Hospital in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) is an independent, non-profit paediatric healthcare hospital and organisation located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. AHC was founded in 1999 through the efforts of a Japanese photographer Kenro Izu. The mission of AHC is to improve healthcare of Cambodia's children by creating a sustainable, replicable model of a healthcare institution in cooperation with the Cambodian government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky Angkor Airlines</span> Cambodian airline

Sky Angkor Airlines Inc., formerly known as Skywings Asia Airlines, is an airline based in Cambodia. Its main hub is at Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport and its second hub is in Phnom Penh International Airport. Sky Angkor Airlines is the first Cambodian airline to operate Airbus A320neo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Cambodia</span>

Tourism in Cambodia is one of the most important sectors in the country's economy. In 2013, tourism arrivals increased by 17.5 percent year on year, with business travelers increasing 47 percent.

O Smach, also spelled O'Smach or Ou Smach, is a small Cambodian town on the Thai border in Samraong Municipality of Oddar Meanchey Province. Until 1999, there were intermittent battles, and the area was unsafe as the last remaining Khmer Rouge still had control of nearby Anlong Veng. In 2003, an international border crossing was opened between O Smach and the adjacent town of Chong Chom in Thailand's Surin Province. There has since opened a strip of casinos between the Cambodian and Thai passport control counters, enabling Thais to gamble in Cambodia without needing to go through Cambodian immigration. Gambling is illegal in Thailand and gambling in Cambodia is legal only for foreign passport holders. O Smach is at the northern terminus of Road 68 which turns north off National Highway 6 at Kravanh in Siem Reap Province.

The Hun Sen Cup was the main football knockout tournament in Cambodia. The 2017 Hun Sen Cup was the 11th season of the Hun Sen Cup, the premier knockout tournament for association football clubs in Cambodia involving Cambodian League and provincial teams organized by the Football Federation of Cambodia.

References

  1. "Charity Navigator - Rating for Friends Without A Border". charitynavigator.org. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  2. West, Melanie Grayce (24 October 2011). "Supporting Children in Cambodia - WSJ". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  3. 1 2 Fortier, M. (2009). "Teaching Radiology at the Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia". Radiology Education. pp. 243–247. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-68989-8_20. ISBN   978-3-540-68987-4.
  4. "Charity Report - Friends Without A Border - give.org". bbb.org. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  5. "フレンズ・ウィズアウト・ア・ボーダーJAPAN". fwab.jp. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  6. Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey 2010 (PDF) (Report). September 2011. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  7. "In Brief: High hopes for new children's hospital, National, Phnom Penh Post". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  8. "Angkor Hospital for Children". startanevolution.ubc.ca. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  9. Clinton, B. (2007). Giving . Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p.  231. ISBN   9780307268921 . Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  10. "New management deal for Angkor Hospital for Children, Siem Reap Insider, Phnom Penh Post". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  11. "Cambodian Children's Hospital Benefits In New York and Los Angeles | The Huffington Post". HuffPost. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  12. "Friends Without A Border's Gala Honors Cambodian Genocide Refugee and Peace Activist". Reuters.com. April 4, 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-08-31. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  13. "ອົງການ Friends Without A Border ຈັດງານ ຫາທຶນຮອນ ສ້າງໂຮງໝໍເດັກນ້ອຍ ໃນ ຫຼວງພະບາງ (ວີດີໂອ/ສະໄລດ໌)". Voice of America. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  14. 1 2 3 "friends-without-a-border". asiangeographic.org. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  15. "Children's hospital opens new outpatients department, Siem Reap Insider, Phnom Penh Post". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  16. 1 2 Upvall, M.J.; Leffers, J. (2014). Global Health Nursing: Building and Sustaining Partnerships. Springer Publishing Company. p. 317. ISBN   9780826118684 . Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  17. "NATIONAL STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN UPDATE 2009-2013" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2013.
  18. Luce, Jim (2009-12-09). "Cambodian Children's Hospital Benefits In New York and Los Angeles". HuffPost.
  19. "Town school kids help their poorer village counterparts, Siem Reap Insider, Phnom Penh Post". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  20. "Angkor Hospital for Children - Satellite Clinic Sotnikum - Proving It". proving.it. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  21. "Health Equity Fund in Cambodia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  22. Merali, HS; Morgan, JF; Uk, S; Phlan, S; Wang, LT; Korng, S (2014). "The Lake Clinic - providing primary care to isolated floating villages on the Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia". Rural Remote Health. 14: 2612. PMID   24811837.
  23. "The Lake Clinic launches improved medical boat, Siem Reap Insider, Phnom Penh Post". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  24. "The Lake Clinic". equalityandopportunity.org. Archived from the original on 2013-07-16. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  25. Merali, Hasan; Morgan, Jon; Uk, Savann; Phlan, Sreymom; Wang, Linda; Korng, Sambun (2014-05-08). "The Lake Clinic - providing primary care to isolated floating villages on the Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia". Rural and Remote Health. rrh.org.au. doi: 10.22605/RRH2612 . ISSN   1445-6354 . Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  26. "NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens - INSIGHT, with Our President's Message June/July 2014". nyhq.org. Archived from the original on 2015-06-14. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  27. "The Lucie Awards | 2007 Lucie Awards". lucies.org. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  28. "News Archive | One News Page". onenewspage.com. Retrieved 2017-01-27.