They didn't have to. They chose to show up.
In July 2026, the IHM team returned to Cambodia for our 6th Annual Medical Mission — packing boxes, sorting medicine, loading the van at 5am, and flying halfway around the world to be present for communities that deserve to be seen.
Six years ago, we didn't know if we could sustain this. Today, we know we can't stop.
By the Numbers
- 2,022 patients served — 1,342 adults and 680 children.
- Eye Team: examined, treated, and gave glasses to 1,015 patients.
- Dental Team: provided dental care for 349 patients.
- Pediatric Team: checked height, weight, vision, and teeth of 680 kids — fluoride treatment for over 600 students, and dewormed almost all of them.
- Clinics across four communities — Xa An Temple, Kampong Luong, Ponley Canal Bank, and Kampong Chhnang.
But a number can only hold so much. It can't hold the weight of a grandmother's hand reaching out to say thank you. It can't hold the sound of a child laughing after a doctor checks their ears. It can't hold six years of trust, built one village at a time.
Day by Day
Day 0
The team arrived in Phnom Penh and gathered at the Palace Gate Hotel for orientation. Dr. Mai-Khanh Tran walked everyone through the plan — the villages, the logistics, the why. Boxes of medicine, toys, and supplies were sorted and packed late into the evening. Nobody complained. This is what IHM looks like before the work begins.
Day 1
The first clinic was held at Xa An Temple — monks, children, grandmothers, and young families lining up beneath golden spires. The Dental Team set up chairs. The Eye Team arranged their lenses. The Pediatric Team got to work. There was something sacred about doing medicine in a place of prayer.
Day 2
Day 2 took us onto the water. The team boarded a barge on Tonle Sap Lake and floated out to reach the families of Kampong Luong — stateless Vietnamese who live on the water because they have nowhere else to go. A little girl paddled her own boat to reach us alone. The Eye Team examined over a thousand patients. The barge rocked gently. Nobody rushed.
Day 3
Day 3 brought us to the canal banks of Ponley — a quieter community, but no less in need. Elderly patients who had been waiting years for someone to check their eyes. Mothers holding babies. The Dental Team worked through long lines. One elderly woman looked up after receiving her glasses and just smiled — no words needed.
Days 4 & 5
The final two days were spent at the Sharon Botkin Family Center and Lê Văn Khanh School of Hope in Kampong Chhnang. Every student received a full health screening — height, weight, teeth, vision, deworming. Fluoride treatment for over 600 students. And then closing day. The team gathered on the stairs for one last photo. Some cried. Most smiled. Everyone promised to come back.
Six Years In
- 6th consecutive annual medical mission to Cambodia
- 2 schoolhouses built and thriving — Lê Văn Khanh School of Hope + Sharon Botkin Family Center
- 150 families resettled from the lake to safe, dry land in Tri An Village
- Students ranking among the top performers in local public schools
- A community that no longer calls us visitors — they call us family
They didn't have to show up. They chose to.
Every single year. Every single one of them.
With heartfelt thanks to our 2026 Mission Team
Medical • Dental • Optometry • Pharmacy • Pediatrics — you gave your time, your skill, and your heart. You are the reason IHM keeps coming back.
You are the heartbeat of IHM.
📸 See the full photo album in the IHM 2026 Scrapbook — team access required.