Kanhchana Thoy joined CWEF in 2010 and serves as health director in Cambodia. In her role, Kanhchana coordinates all CWEF community health projects in Cambodia. CWEF’s health programs strive to improve lives and inspire hope for people in underserved rural communities. Through Kanhchana’s service with CWEF, many lives have been touched in a way that surprises even her.
Kanhchana was born and grew up in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, and graduated from nursing school in 1994. After her graduation she served as a nurse in government hospitals both inside and outside of the city. That experience helped her recognize the significant difference between health education and health problems in the city compared with those of people living in the countryside.
From 1994 to 1996, Kanhchana served as a nurse in a government health center in Svay Rieng province. Following that, she returned to Phnom Penh to work for 13 years at Kantha Bopha hospital, a government pediatric hospital funded by the Swiss government that accepts hundreds of children every day. During her years serving as a nurse, Kanhchana came to realize that more health care education and a focus on prevention would make a significant impact on people’s lives. At CWEF, she is able to work on projects that do just that.
Kanhchana shared: “This has been a new experience for me, but I look forward to keep serving the people of Cambodia in a different way through CWEF.”