It was shock that convinced Kyoko Kimura to give up her medical practice in Japan to pursue a mission of saving lives in Cambodia.
Appalled by the medical conditions in Nepal while vacationing there several years ago, she began to realize how fortunate the people of her own country are to have access to quality medical care.
"I dreamed of contributing to improving the medical situation in Third World countries. So, I sought the opportunity to go to the field to share my skills and help with the reconstruction of the medical system in Cambodia," Kimura said.
Kimura, 30, first heard about the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE when she was attending Tsukuba University's School of Medicine and was already contributing to HOPE Worldwide, a nongovernmental organization.