The Developed Mindset in a Developing Country: Healthcare in Rural Cambodia

Despite its growing economy, Cambodia is still considered a low-income country with a large portion of their population living in poverty. With such limited medical resources, many individuals choose to seek treatment in neighboring countries such as Vietnam or Thailand. Unfortunately, this option is unavailable to those living in rural or impoverished areas due to the lack of monetary funds. I collaborated with Projects Abroad-Cambodia on their public health project in order to help provide basic medical assistance and education to residents in these low-income areas. For three weeks, a team of volunteers and I travelled around Phnom Penh, Kampong Speu (KS) and King Island province to offer basic check-ups, provide sanitation education to young children, and promote healthy living in the community. In return, I gained exposure to the unadvertised portion of Cambodia’s culture and immersed myself in a completely different community.