Volunteers
In October, AHC was fortunate to host more than 30 volunteers
from around the world, including the USA, Australia, England, Germany, Netherlands,
Canada, Cambodia and Japan. A current volunteer, Susanne Werner, shares her
thoughts:
“Returning to Cambodia is even more of a feeling than relocation. I volunteered
at AHC for 9 months in 2000-2001, a little more than a year after its opening.
I revisited in 2002 for the anniversary celebration, but 5 years have passed
before I could return again.
Of course, Siem Reap has changed dramatically, from the new airport to the
temple road. My old landmarks are buried between big buildings. The people
and the countryside remain the same, thankfully, as they are the soul of the
place. This is more than evident at AHC. The children coming in from the country
are still quite ill, getting here remains a challenge to the village folk.
But the care they receive at AHC has progressed to meet the needs of increasing
numbers and more complex diagnoses.
Personally, I am encouraged to see so many of the staff that I knew in 2001
still here to teach the next generation. All departments show the same commitment
for the goal of better healthcare for the children of Cambodia through education,
resources and support of their families. I am proud to be a small part of
it, and I congratulate all who have worked here so hard for so long.”
- Susanne Werner, RN, BSN (USA)
(Left) Many patients arrive to AHC by "taxi"
- in Cambodia that often means the back of a pick up truck
(Middle) Home Care visit
to rural house
(Right)Mother and nurse
in the In-Patient Department
Training of Cambodian Nursing Students (USA/France)
The 2007 AHC Nursing Student project has now been completed. The project,
in cooperation with the Cambodian Ministry of Health, brings Nursing Students
from throughout the country to AHC for clinical practice, with the aim of
improving their knowledge and skills in relation to providing effective and
compassionate care for children.
This year, more than 250 nursing students participated in the two-week sessions.
An additional 40 teachers and instructors from the five national Nursing Schools
also attended. The hospital also hosted preceptor training workshops for a
further 49 government employees working to improve the pre-service education
for future generations of nurses.
Funding for this national educational program would not have been possible
without the generous of support of Medical Teams International (USA) and FWAB
France.
AHC is in a unique position to improve the health of Cambodia’s
vulnerable children by acting as an educational center for medical workers
from throughout the country. Essential to reaching this goal is the strengthening
of the child health care knowledge and teaching qualifications of senior doctors
working at AHC.
In October, AHC was awarded funding from Morgan Stanley Charitable Committee
(Hong Kong) to help achieve this goal. The support will allow AHC’s senior
medical staff to progress on their thesis development, conduct an ongoing
series of medical “lunchtime lectures”, attend local and regional workshops,
and offer increased internet and computer resources.
Having Fun for a Good Cause (Canada)
On
November 20, Tanya and Bevan Frizzel of Calgary, Canada graciously hosted
a “Casino Royale” fund raising party. In exchange for a $100 ticket, guests
were given $40,000 of "fun money” to play with at the Casino tables,
as well as a chance of winning great prizes and participating in an auction.
All proceeds from the night were targeted to support children’s programs at
AHC.
The event was a huge success and everyone had a great time. At the end of
the evening, even one of the casino dealers approached Bevan and Tanya and
gave $60, the equivalent of his nights pay. He said he had never worked for
a function where the money was going to such a special cause.
Supporting Heart Surgery (Korea)
(Left) Ms. Yoon, of the Heart-Heart Foundation visits
children in a village
Over the past year, AHC has performed heart surgery for more than 50 Cambodian
children. Surgical teams from Singapore, Australia and the USA have all generously
donated their time and expertise at AHC, both performing the surgeries as
well as teaching our local staff.
Supporting this work from behind the scenes has been the Heart-Heart Welfare
Foundation (Korea). The organization has provided funding to offset the hospital
costs of performing surgery at AHC as well as providing funding to send children
to the Phnom Penh Cardiac Center for more complex heart operations.
Improving Infection Control (Germany)
An
integral part of delivering health care in any hospital is maintaining effective
infection control practices. Thanks to Mr. Hans Wolf and his staff at the
Hawo Company (Germany), AHC has been able to take a big step forward in improving
our infection control practices and standards.
The recent donation of a Hawo sealing and packaging workstation is very much
appreciated and made the work in our Sterilization Room much more efficient.
It is helping to improve our infection control practices by guaranteeing the
surgical instruments and tools we use in the operating room and other units
are free of contamination.
Oral Rehydration Therapy Corner (Malaysia)
Diarrheal diseases remain one of the most common causes of childhood deaths
in Cambodia. Prevention, early appropriate treatment and education are the
keys to improving this situation.
With the support of Mercy Malaysia, AHC will continue to operate an Oral
Rehydration Therapy (ORT) program in our Outpatient Department. More than
100 children are treated for mild dehydration in the hospital’s ORT Corner
each month, receiving packages of ORS to rehydrate their fluid loss caused
by diarrhea, vomiting and dengue fever. Mothers are also educated on how to
provide this simple and effective treatment at home, hopefully reducing the
need for future visits to the hospital.
Dental Outreach Services (USA)
In
addition to providing dental care for Cambodian children at the hospital’s
dental clinic, each month the dental team also ventures into the community
to provide care and education. Working with local schools and Health Centers,
the dental team provides dental screening and basic treatments such as extractions
– children requiring more complex procedures are referred to the hospital
clinic.
The Richard P. Haugland Foundation (USA) this month has offered to fund these
dental outreach activities for another year.
Local Community Support (Cambodia)
The
staff at AHC is very proud not only to receive such wonderful support from
around the world, but also from the local community of Siem Reap. Local hotels
and restaurants support AHC through the placement of donation boxes, holding
special fundraising events, and promoting the work we do to tourists visiting
the town and the Angkor Wat temple complex..
Just one example of the local support in October was by the management of
the luxury hotel, L’Residence D’Angkor. The hotel graciously approached the
hospital, offering to donate a large supply of linens and bed sheets that
were no longer being used at their establishment. With hundreds of children
needing admission to the hospital each month the gift is enormously useful.
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