Organization
Friends Without A Border
Friends Without A Border is a New York nonprofit, founded in 1996 by the photographer Kenro Izu, that funds free medical care for children in Southeast Asia.[1][2] It built Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and later Lao Friends Hospital for Children in Laos, and it supports The Lake Clinic on the Tonle Sap.[3]
History
Izu's visits to Cambodia, where he had gone to photograph the temples of Angkor, led him to found Friends Without A Border to build a children's hospital in Siem Reap.[1] The organization built and established Angkor Hospital for Children, which it counts among the country's essential pediatric teaching hospitals. The hospital became independent in 2013.[3][1]
In 2015 the organization opened Lao Friends Hospital for Children, a teaching hospital for acute pediatric care on the campus of Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital in Laos.[3] Its aim is to train local staff so that key posts are filled, step by step, by Lao doctors and nurses.[3] By 2026 the hospital was 90 percent run by Lao staff.[4]
On May 12, 2026, the organization marked its 30th anniversary with a gala in New York City, "Thanks for the Thirty." Instead of naming a single honoree, it honored everyone who had supported its work over the 30 years, and former and current hospital staff and volunteers were invited. Izu received a book marking the anniversary, and the evening raised just under $700,000.[4]
Programs
The organization's model is "Treatment + Education + Prevention." Its hospitals treat sick children, and its education and outreach programs train local staff and teach local people how to prevent illness.[3] Its 2024 mission also named health education programs and the training of local healthcare professionals.[2]
The programs it has funded include the Medical Education Center, the Family Education and Nutrition program, the Oral Rehydration Therapy Corner, the Physiotherapy Program, the HIV/Homecare program, the Kardiac Kids program and the Orphanage Medical Assistance program at Angkor Hospital for Children. Beyond the hospital, they include the AHC Satellite and the Capacity Building and Health Education Program.[1] The Lake Clinic brings medical care by boat to the floating villages of the Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia's largest lake.[3]
Organization
Friends Without A Border is a 501(c)(3) organization based in New York, with a Japanese partner, FWAB Japan. It is not affiliated with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).[2][5] In 2024 it reported revenue and expenses of $3.3 million each and net assets of $2.3 million.[2] Nicole Pagourgis was executive director in 2026, and Akiko Arai was director of administration.[4][6]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wikipedia, Friends Without a Border
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Impala, Friends Without a Border (EIN 13-3880402)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Idealist, Friends Without A Border
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Friends Without A Border, Thanks for the Thirty: highlights from the New York gala (June 2026)
- ↑ Friends Without A Border, website
- ↑ Friends Without A Border, Donate