Nerou Cheng
...When I first heard Kenro talk about his plan to help the children in Cambodia, I could feel his passion and intensity. I was somewhat surprised to see a non-Cambodian wanting to help at this tremendous level. At first, I had my doubts-I had been back to Cambodia and had heard and seen how difficult it is to get things done. My question was, how is this man, without a US based staff and relying on a representative in Phnom Penh who is practically volunteering his time, going to pull off something like this! Without going into the details, I just want to say-HE DID IT!... Also, we would like to thank the early and strong financial supporters in Japan without whom this project would not be where it is today. I would be remiss if I forget to thank my fellow board members who worked very hard on this project... When I joined as board member of Friends, the project was already on solid ground. Kenro had his contact with the Cambodian Department of Health, a prime piece of property and enough funds to get started. Along the way, Kenro received another helping hand. His Royal Highness Sisowath Serirath our Ambassador to the UN intervened and helped Kenro secure the plot of land he wanted. Come to find out, Kenro is also very choosy. He wanted the most strategic location for the project and turned down a number of locations that were not to his liking. We thank you, your Highness, for all your help. To come back to your dream, Kenro, please let us call it, our dream. I feel safe to say that all Cambodians in this country, dream about a daring and bold project like this. We think about it, we dream about it-but we don't quite know where to start. It is a daring project because it is not in the capital where manpower and supplies are more readily available. It is in a remote area where medical attention is most lacking and where the children of Cambodia will be benefitting most. Because it is in a remote area, the staffing for this hospital will be a challenge. Kenro and his supporters were aware of this but, they still wanted it to be in an area where they can make the most impact... It is now our turn to do all we can to help this dream flourish. And from the responses I have received in the past few weeks, I feel very optimistic. On that note, I would like to thank all our friends who traveled from near and far to be with us today. This is a long-term project. We are hoping that this is not the first and last Friends' hospital... Let us be your permanent friends. Thank you for coming and enjoy the performance. Nerou Cheng |