Kenro Izu

Kenro Izu, the founder of Friends Without A Border, visited the project this week.

He was born in Japan, moved to Chelsea, Manhattan when he was 20 and is world renowned photographer.

20 years ago while visiting Angkor Wat on a photographic project his 12 year old daughter became ill, Kenro took her to a local hospital. There Kenro met the father of a similar aged girl who died because her family could not afford the $2 to pay for medicine. Kenro was struck by a lack of compassion, how could health professionals allow this girl to die because of poverty and he resolved to do something about it.

Kenro set up Angkor Hospital for Children which was designed to treat all children free of charge with compassion and dignity. Also to empower local health professionals to run the teaching hospital independently, in2013 this was achieved and Friends Without A Border handed over the Camodians. 

Having achieved this vision for Angkor, Kenro decided the next challenge was to do it all again in Laos, and here we are at Lao Friends Hospital for Children. Kenro is a remarkable man, speaks from his heart and it's a privilege to work with him.

Oh and to go out for dinner with him and the rest of the Laos team.

If anyone would like to donate please look at our website www.fwab.org 

on call

i don't think there any other western doctors in town

keep getting calls from the ex pats 'such and such gave me your number ........."

the hospital isn't built yet! i have no facilities to see anyone so it's open air medicine

there have been a few impromptu clinics at the temples during English lessons

have been searching for conventional creams to treat the plethora of skin conditions

i spent days asking for a treatment for scabies

the backpackers are shopping for diazepam and look at me horrified when I ask for a treatment for scabies

the chemist ask me to show them my rash

phew, i can say, oh no it's not for me

have been offered heaps of potions and none of them would have worked, one was bleach!

anyway, this morning i received a telephone call from one of the novices

he had had a fever for a few days and asked for advice

i cycled to the temple imaging this must have been what it was like when i was a lad in the good old days before the nhs!

we hadn't finished our consultation before the other novices were practising their doctor skills

these two would both like to become doctors, i might be asking for help you with their university fees!

Karen's last day teaching English to the admin team at Laos Friends Hospital for Children

and a few beers to celebrate after work!

visiting Chomphet district hospital

We crossed the Meekong to visit Chomphet district hosiptal, there was only one patient when we arrived, Dad had hitched a lift and travelled 20 miles with his sick one year old. Heaps of friendly staff to welcome us and show us around. I find it a little curious that in contrast the UK, Laos has statistically worse health but empty wards, in the UK where we enjoy better health the wards are full to capacity, waiting times are on the up and GPs receive urgent memos about bed crisis after bed crisis asking us to avoid admissions!

Wondering if anyone fancies having their baby on this birthing bed?

The kids weren't shy at all here, they come running to the clinic to say hello.

We travelled on to visit outlying clinics, the rain started, the road got muddier and slippier, i now know the Lao word for slippy, m'un, we had 3 rivers to cross, first a wee stream, the second was wider, the driver rolled down his window and shouter for a kid to test how deep it was, i suggested we turned back, we didn't need a child to be washed away in a sterling effort to visit more clinics, the river was waist deep (small child sized) so the driver persisted, at the next hill the wheels were spinning, the local women on foot were taking of their shoes, preferring the better gripping bear foot option, we skidded off the road into a ditch, luckily into the mountainside rather than over the edge! The driver then said the 4 wheels drive wasn't working an we'd have to turn back, hurray!

Wat Pasaviet

I love visiting and teaching English at Wat Pasaviet, am always welcomed with warm beaming smiles. I have planned formal lessons but the best times are often when we simply practice conversation and talk about the news or use flashcards to stimulate conversation. On this day the novices gave Karen and I some flowers to have during chanting which was followed by a procession to the Budha where we left the flowers and made a wish

Mai's new home

Mai's a very bright kid, he wanted an education in the hope of a different life, he comes from a subsistence farming community, like the majority of Laos people. There is no high school in his village so he made the sacrifice of leaving his family and village to follow his dream. 5 years ago he came to Luang Prabang to become a novice monk and to complete his secondary education. In the UK education if free for everyone, in Laos it's a luxury.

Mai has just finished school, he graduated with the highest score in the region and now would like to study to become an English teacher. It was looking like he would have to return home as his family could not afford to pay for university fees but a sponsor has agreed to pay his fees and living cost for the next 3 years, £500 a year. He is so excited!

He's already found his place to live, a huge contrast to my new home, it's a 3x2 meter concrete box, he's sharing with his best mate nani, there's a communal toilet and kitchen. He's so chuffed to be given the chance to go to university, he invited Karen and I around to show us his new home, went to buy some new glasses so he could give us a drink, great host

Karen, is passionate about helping more young people to have an education. Karen  and I are setting up a project to raise funds to support people like Mai, so watch this space

today we went to visit the district where we'll have outreach clinics ....

.. i helped in clinic, it was great to see patients, today's were all children with a fever, the clinic has rapid malaria testing, all were negative. After seeing the patients the staff showed us the ward and birthing room. Looking forward to coming back to do some more teaching and see more patients, hopefully they won't be scared of me next time, the children looked terrified when i arrived, not sure if it was me or the lack of exposure to westerners - no tourists here, but by the time we left they ran after the car waving, it was wonderful seeing their smiling faces, a feel good moment. There is huge poverty here, enormous need for healthcare as well as all the other things we take for granted in the west, and everyone we met today was so grateful and graceful, can't wait for next time, hopefully can stay over!

.... went on to visit Phonxay community hospital

.. the staff welcomed us and told us about their work, the 3 main problems they deal with are malnutrition, pneumonia and gastroenteritis. There was only one patient admitted to the ward today, she was 14 months old and was malnourished, her family will receive health education, unfortunately there is insufficient funding to provide nutritional supplements which is what she really needs. When she returns home her family probably won't have enough money to buy nutritious food, this is something we hope to change when we open the hospital and start outreach clinics here.
We heard better news about the immunisation programme which is working well with good uptake, and 4 healthy babies were born yesterday, they had all gone home this morning so we missed new babies to hug, very disappointed. Antenatal care is available and more women are choosing to have their babies at the hospital, hopefully next time i will be able to cuddle a baby.
Dr Vannaly was checking the weighing scales while I checked the information posters!

.... and on the way back ..

.. we stopped for a picnic by the river, disturbed a family's bath time and shared my laos sandwich with the local kids, they loved it, i only got one bite!
Then sat back and enjoyed the scenic drive back to luang prabang through the mountains, some roads tarmac, some mud and it's the rainy season! so big mud, our driver was ace and loved it, i shreeked at all the near misses with chicken, dogs, ducks, goats, people - thankfully no lives were lost

my new, old house

I've moved in to my new home, it's in a UNESCO world heritage site nestled amongst ancient temples

I wake to the morning drums, the monk's alarm call for their daily alms ceremony

and I cycle home past a stretch of temples listening to a harmony of chanting, evening prayers to the Buddha

from my bedroom balcony I have a view of temples with a backdrop of the mountains covered with tropical forest

am feeling like a very lucky boy, it's idyllic.

the owner of the house is my neighbour and she was born in the house

it's an old style French farmhouse, about 150 years old

hope the roof doesn't leak in the monsoon rains!

as is normal here, i had to pay the whole year rent upfront! the contract was hand written in laos

the village is Ban Xieng Thong after the local temple, 3 doors down
it's a royal temple and I join the temple dogs for chanting in the evenings
getting to know another group of novices who want to practice their English

visitors welcome, i have a spare room

a trip to the waterfalls

the school year has finished and a few of the novices have recently dis-robed, about to start a new phase in their lives. there aren't many treats at the temple and to celebrate passing exams and with their new freedom form the novices code of conduct they asked if we'd arrange a trip to the waterfalls. karen and i obliged, word got back to the temple and some of the remaining novices didn't want to miss out and asked to join the party, monk etiquette was followed - karen had to sit in the front (not next to the novices) and there's a separate swimming areas for novices and monks. we all loved it, you can't beat simple pleasures, i got a buzz from their sheer joy and excitement. there were sleepy nodding heads on the way home, they said they were drunk on life!

it,s the rainy season, one minute .....

you're roasting and trying to keep cool ......

...... and the next it's cats and dogs

and lamp shades