For my 40th birthday on 15th June, I travelled solo to Luang Prabang, Laos to reset and reflect. Traveling on my own again, for the first time since having kids, opened me up once again to the possibilities of chance encounters and meaningful experiences.
On my first full day here, I happened to walk past a shop that was also a service centre for Lao Friends Hospital for Children and learnt more about the organisation. It’s the only free paediatric hospital in Lao, which has the highest child mortality rate in Southeast Asia- 1 in 25 , with 30% of children under 5 years old living with malnutrition. Their policy is that no child is ever turned away, and they provide free medical care, services and education to children throughout the country.
That same day, I visited the hospital and witnessed firsthand the good out-patient and in-patient work they do, including medical care at their emergency, ICU and neonatal ICU units. I saw the new housing they were building for families who have traveled for days outside from rural areas to the hospital in seek of help and have no place to stay. I saw new mothers with tiny premature babies being assisted by dedicated staff and paediatric patients happily playing in the playground.
Henry, my 5-year old, has several chronic health issues for which costs add up every month. While we worry about these monthly costs, we are lucky enough that we can pay them for now . I can’t imagine how it must feel to not be able to give my child the healthcare he needs because we can’t afford it- this is a daily reality for so many parents across Lao. This is a problem that Lao Friends Hospital for Children takes away, by providing every child who comes to them with free healthcare.
I was also reminded that for my 28th birthday I raised money through an in-person fundraiser for AIDS orphans and children (some of you might know that a part of my undergrad was focused on health equity and the socioeconomic drivers of HIV/AIDS, including in Tanzania). Lao Friends Hospital for children also helps treat children with HIV/AIDS. I couldn’t think of a better way to mark the gratitude that I have in my life at 40 than to pay it forward to children and parents who are in need of help.
I have committed SGD$10,000 to kickstart this (directly to the NGO to save on processing fees, see letter below ), and hope you can join me in contributing to this cause for my birthday ! The money raised will go specifically to the Neo-natal unit and the Emergency Department, as well as staff costs -US$12,000 can pay a doctor for a year, who will help treat over 1,400 children.
Friends Without A Border is the parent NGO that raises funding for the hospital and every donation will help. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.
p.s the NGO is registered in the US and so donations will be in USD ( converted from SGD or whatever currency you will donate in).
More information about Friends Without A Border: At Friends Without A Border we believe every child has the right to a healthy and loving life. We accomplish this by providing free, international-quality compassionate medical care to the children of Southeast Asia; by creating community health education programs; and by training local healthcare professionals. Through the holistic model of Treatment + Education + Prevention, we promote sustainable solutions to healthcare in developing countries, building a healthier future for millions of children.
