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Eric Sander

 

Dr Beat Richner & Kantha BophaAPF2015_Eric-Sander02
France

After receiving his medical degree in 1973, Dr. Beat Richner. was sent to Cambodia for the Swiss Red Cross. He worked at the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital in Phnom Penh in 1974 and 1975. When the Khmer Rouge overran Cambodia, he was forced to return to Switzerland where he continued his work at the Zurich Children’s Hospital. In the process of pursuing his medical career and an interest in music and entertainment, Dr. Richner developed the character of “Beatocello”, an artistic and comedic clown who plays the cello. In December 1991, Richner returned to Cambodia and saw the devastation that had taken place following the ensuing conflicts with the Khmer Rouge and Vietnam. He was asked to re-open and re-build Kantha Bopha by the Cambodian government. Creating the Kantha Bopha Foundation in March 1992, Richner officially returned to Cambodia to begin reconstruction and Kantha Bopha was reopened in November 1992. Since then, the foundation has funded the expansion of Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospitals to include five hospitals in total.
The five children’s hospitals built by Richner and the Kantha Bopha Foundation are located in Cambodia’s major cities. All of the hospitals provide treatment free of charge. In addition to medical care, the hospitals also provide an International Postgraduate Course. In 2003, he was named Swiss of the Year.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED If you want to know more about Dr Richner actions in Cambodia and his Foundation, visit this website: http://www.beat-richner.ch/

If you want to help finance free care for children through the five hospitals in Cambodia, as the Foundation only lives out of donations, you can go to http://www.beat-richner.ch/Assets/richner_donation.html  and make a gift.