How I got involved with the Angkor Hospital for Children
……I helped out with a fundraiser for the Angkor Hospital for Children in January – “Taste The World” in Vancouver which is held every year at the Four Seasons Hotel Ballroom to raise money for the Angkor Hospital for Children and Medical Action Myanmar. My sister Lindsay Peretz volunteered at the hospital last summer.
At Taste the World evening, during my volunteering, I had had the opportunity to meet Helen Catton, Director of Angkor Satellite Clinic. We chatted a bit about what I was doing and the healthcare situation in Cambodia if I were to come. My goal was to expand my volunteering from a local level to an international setting. We discussed possibilities of what I may be able to do out there. (and on another evening, while Helen was still here, we had a brainstorming session with some other Vancouver kids as to how to raise money for the Angkor Hospital for Children) After discussing what specific skills I might be able to bring to the hospital, it was decided to expand on my work experience from the summer before.
Last summer I worked at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Alberta conducting a Hand Hygiene Audit over three months. I learned hand hygiene policy and protocol, how to conduct the audit, and then finally compiled the data and a final report. Helen stressed the need for help in this area at the Angkor Hospital for Children! After going back and forth we finalized the date, made preparations to implement my experience and was on my way to Siem Reap!
I decided quite last minute to have a quick fundraiser before I left – and I was able to raise $1750 US
Once at Angkor Hospital for Children I worked closely with the Khmer staff, specifically the Infection Control nurses at both the AHC and Satellite Clinic. We discussed our different ways of conducting the audits, and how improvements could be made to the system. We then observed staff together for 2 weeks and conducted an audit, and observed for issues and recommendations we had.
Finally, we put together a powerpoint and gave lunch talks at both the Angkor Hospital for Children and the Angkor Satellite Clinic. It was so rewarding for me to know that I had actually been able to contribute some of my knowledge to the AHC and was really able to teach them something. I hope to be back soon!
Volunteer Tara Peretz, Summer 2014
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