Welcome, dear Ila and dear Daphne

Starting in May 2026, the two medical students will be joining our team in Cambodia. They will be working for two months at our children’s hospital and maternity ward in Siem Reap. Here, they introduce themselves.

Ila Grenkowski, 23, Lucerne

My fascination with the human body began in early childhood. My mother studied biology, and because of her interests, we had many books at home about nature and the human body. So, from a young age, I would flip through things like the exhibition catalog for “Body Worlds” and curiously admire the structure of the musculoskeletal system. During my school years, my fascination with the natural sciences solidified, and I developed a desire to pursue a career that would allow me to interact with people. Alongside many other interests, I decided to study medicine and have never regretted it.

Thanks to my father, who was a travel consultant, I also had the great privilege from a young age of being able to explore many parts of the world. New cultures and different ways of life have always interested me. How do people live in other regions of the world? What values do they hold? These and similar questions occupy my mind not only privately while traveling but also in the daily routine of my medical studies. Every day, we come into contact with people whose cultural backgrounds we don’t know well. I visited Cambodia 14 years ago and had the chance to experience the warm and open nature of the people there. The beautiful temple complexes and the surrounding nature captivated me. So I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work in Cambodia and get to know the people here.

By working with children, I hope to build close relationships with people, despite the language barrier. With children, you often have to communicate in ways other than with words, and they are often the ones who approach others without any preconceptions. My goal is to approach this experience with the same curiosity and open-mindedness. In addition to learning about the local healthcare system and how it operates, I also hope to get to know the people behind it and their culture.

Aside from the people and the work, I’m also really looking forward to the food. For me, exploring a new country always means trying new culinary experiences. On my days off, I’m looking forward to exploring other regions of the country, making new friends, or going out to observe animals in nature. I’m not really worried about the next two months. I’m confident I’ll have a wonderful time, and I’ll face any difficulties with the following phrase: “Enjoy the unpredictable.” It comes from my father and is always with me when I’m on the road.

Daphne Pitschmann-Langlotz, 26, Basel

I knew from an early age that I wanted to work with people later in life, so I abandoned my original plan to study art or music and decided to pursue a degree in medicine. My initial fascination with the human body began during pain therapy, where I learned about the close connection between physical and psychological ailments. At the same time, I met inspiring doctors who sparked in me the desire to one day pass on to others what they had given me.

While searching for a residency position abroad, I came across Kantha Bopha Hospital and immediately recalled a moment from my childhood. In addition to becoming a doctor, it had long been my dream to become a cellist. My mother had shown me Beat Richner’s work back then and encouraged me, assuring me that it was possible to combine music and medicine—even though, unfortunately, my cello mostly stays in its case these days.

During my studies, I developed a particular interest in gynecology and obstetrics. That is why I am fascinated by the opportunity to explore this field in a cultural context that is new to me. I am also particularly interested in the role of the midwife – one of the oldest professions in human history, for which I have great respect.

I am eager to experience how medicine functions under limited resources, and I am convinced that I will gain a great deal from this experience for my future career as a doctor. For my future work in the healthcare system, it is very important to me to get to know and understand as many cultures and their differences as possible. I am convinced that this will fundamentally help me to better understand people and their needs during moments that may be difficult or life-changing. I am therefore very grateful to have the opportunity to gain insight into the culture and way of life in Cambodia.

Apart from the language barrier, I have few concerns, and I hope to learn a lot there as well. When choosing my overseas assignment, it was very important to me not to simply arrive in a country as a white European woman to take advantage of its structural problems for the sake of my résumé and education. That is precisely why I deliberately chose Kantha Bopha, as I have heard many positive things about it and appreciate how closely they work with the local population.

I am very much looking forward to my time in Siem Reap and the encounters that await me there.