“We express our deepest gratitude to Sun Moon University, CheongShim International Medical Center, and the Tonggil Group for supporting us for the past seven years from 2010. Marking the 20^th year since the beginning of Korea-Cambodia diplomatic relations, the amicable relations, specially formed with Sun Moon University, is playing a prominent role in improving amicable relations between both nations.” The above was given by Cambodia Royal School of Administration Director Youk Bunna to Sun Moon University President Sun-Jo Hwang, at the “Sun Moon University and Cambodia Royal School of Administration MOU and Medical Supplies Donation Ceremony” held at Sun Moon University in Asan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, on October 15. Director Bunna is the Ministry of Civil Service of Cambodia, while serving as director of the Royal School of Education in charge of education of government officials and all Cambodian universities.

Director Youk Bunna expressed special thanks to Sun Moon University for greatly improving the lives of habitants in a Cambodian island with poor medical treatment and sanitation facilities, through various forms of support.

According to Sun Moon University, it performed joint special medical volunteer services with CheongShim International Medical Center, Isshin Hospital of Japan, and Aewon Volunteer Organization, at Cambodia’s Kao Chraeng Island. Before Sun Moon University began its medical volunteer activities at Kao Chraeng Island, with its population of just over 2,700, the citizens relied on folk remedies, due to the complete lack of medical facilities, even with the presence of one secondary school and three primary schools.

Sun Moon University built a health care center at this location with approval from the Cambodian government. Construction expenses amounting to 40 million won were provided by Korea and Japan, and medical equipment were financed jointly by Korea and Kratié Province. Norodom Sihamoni, the king of Cambodia, approved of the construction of the health care center in Kratié Province’s Kao Chraeng Island. And the construction completion ceremony was held in December, 2016, with Cambodian ministers, members of its Senate and National Assembly, governors and Sun Moon University’s overseas volunteer team in attendance. This health care center in Kao Chraeng Island is performing a crucial role in providing medical treatment to its citizens, and as a volunteer center base for Sun Moon University, it is raising Korea’s national prestige.

Sun Moon University is expanding its volunteer activities centering on this health care center. The dispatch of Sun Moon University’s Volunteer Social Service Center’s Overseas Volunteer Team to Cambodia last year was possible through the cooperation of many. Those from the health sciences department (including nursing, physical therapy, emergency rescue and dental hygiene), were entrusted with physical examinations, scaling of teeth and hygiene education for the citizens. The faculty provided support through monetary contributions. After providing on-site examinations in advance, Sun Moon University’s Education and Innovation Center of Engineering opened the “Global Innovator Capstone Design” course for the resolution of on-site issues.

Students and professors put their heads together for a semester, and tackled this issue of Cambodia’s Kao Chraeng Island from various angles. As a result, Sun Moon University’s engineering students invested their time in volunteer services that utilized appropriate technology, through the construction of sports garbage bins, bicycle washers, solar-powered indoor lighting, and incineration plants for wagons, bicycles and garbage, with on-site materials.

Among these, the “sports garbage bin” was designed for the island’s children, to whom waste sorting was a relatively new concept, to gather plastic bottles into the bin, basketball-style. The “bicycle washer” was made to better enable people to wash bicycles easily in regions where electricity is lacking. The “solar-powered indoor lighting” converted solar energy into electricity.

The Sun Moon University Cambodia Overseas Volunteer Team is making preparations for a project in the Prey Veng region this upcoming December. This time, the volunteer team will tackle environmental improvement for Neak Leung Elementary School. In addition, they will carry out medical volunteer services for the region’s citizens.

At the MOU ceremony held on October 15, officials from CheongShim International Medical Center and the pharmaceutical company, Firson, who took part in the volunteer activities together, were also in attendance. Firson (with representative Dong-Jin Kim) donated 600 million won’s worth of medical supplies on this occasion.

Sun Moon University President Sun-Jo Hwang stated, “We are actively improving nongovernmental exchange with Cambodia, through efforts such as building a health care center as the long-cherished desire of the Cambodian government and the island’s citizens. We are enhancing our international network to allow our students to be able to go out into the global village, while expanding our nongovernmental exchange and overseas volunteer activities, not only with Cambodia, but with various nations of the world.”.... [See the original story]