Lao Friends Hospital for Children – Neonatal station

The founding story of the Lao Friendship Hospital for Children is a very special one. In 1993, Japanese photographer Kenro Izu was in Siem Riep, Cambodia, for a contracted project. A young girl died before his eyes, as her family was unable to pay the medical expenses for her treatment. After this shocking experience, he committed to the support of the health system in Southeast Asia. In 1996 he founded the non-profit organization Friends Without A Border (FWAB) and in 1999, the Angkor Children’s Hospital (ACH) in Siem Riep, Cambodia, followed, which successfully introduced the “Treatment + Education + Prevention” model. To date, the ACH has treated more than 1.6 million children free of charge and set new medical standards in Cambodia.

In 2014, FWAB finally opened the Lao Friends Hospital for Children (LFHC) in Luang Prabang, Laos. It is the first children’s hospital in the region with the only neonatal station. Every year, the LFHC treats nearly 20,000 patients – every dollar supports the necessary treatment for children, as even harmless injuries or infections without medical care can quickly affect or even endanger a child’s life.

“I was deeply shaken by a movie about the consequences of the Vietnam War, which I watched at the Information Center in Luang Prabang (Laos). In terms of population and area, Laos was the most bombed country during the Vietnam War. Even today, countless small bombs are scattered in the landscape and everyday farmers and playing children are seriously injured. Moved by this brutality, which even after 40 years is still part of the everyday life of so many people, I came across the FWAB Children’s Hospital. When I saw films and photos there, and read reports about the daily work and history of the hospital, I was immediately determined that Moving Child should get involved.”

Anna Schulz-Dornburg

Moving Child funded the construction and expansion of the premature baby station at the LFHC. The children’s hospital is the only place in Luang Prabang where premature babies receive free medical help, which means that the number of infants who are brought in immediately after birth increases steadily. 23 premature babies can now be treated and given medical care here. You can find more information on the neonatal station on our blog.

Furthermore, Moving Child has been funding the LFHC’s department for thalassemia and since 2019 also the educational program. See here for information about the current funding.