My name is Marijn and I am a consultant in the Amsterdam office. As part of the Social Fellowship program, I had the opportunity to work with Friends Without A Border and Lao Friends Hospital for Children in Luang Prabang, Laos. Their mission is to transform and strengthen pediatric healthcare in areas of dire need through free, high-quality care, education, and prevention.

Friends Without A Border has spent decades providing compassionate, high-quality pediatric care in Southeast Asia, and in the last 11 years they have been active in Laos through the Lao Friends Hospital for Children.

From strategy to shared purpose

During my Social Fellowship, I was part of the hospital’s Development Team, where I focused on strengthening the hospital’s capacity to build and sustain strategic partnerships.

The project started off by identifying potential partners, from global foundations and corporates to family foundations and regional organizations. To be able to prioritize, it’s necessary to understand the values and activities of both the hospital and the prospective partners, and then that needs to be translated into a compelling vision of what can be achieved together. In brainstorming sessions, we derived our vision on partnerships and established a shortlist of potential partners.

Next, we developed tailored outreach materials aligned with a range of partnership priorities, including the hospital’s malnutrition prevention project, pediatric oncology care ambitions, or support for children with chronic conditions in the hospital’s specialized clinics. This work allows the hospital to move towards a more strategic and proactive approach to partnership building, laying the foundations for collaborations that are not only impactful today but also more sustainable in the long term.

Besides working on partnerships, I also provided support on a more ad hoc basis, such as helping out on pitch decks, grant proposals, events in the hospital’s visitor center, or sponsorship documents for fundraising events, such as the annual Luang Prabang Marathon.

Growing through culture and challenge

Living and working in Luang Prabang has been an adventure of cultural discovery. From early morning markets with brightly colored fruit to evenings enjoying Lao-style BBQs and gatherings with the hospital’s staff, this experience has broadened my understanding of community, resilience, and joy.

Working in an NGO setting has its challenges — navigating resource constraints in times of evolving philanthropic landscapes and global economic shifts, adapting to evolving needs, and managing expectations across cultures. Those challenges demand creativity, empathy, and deep partnerships. It is through collaboration and shared commitment that sustainable impact becomes possible. If you would like to contribute yourself or learn more about the work of Friends Without A Border, please visit: Friends Without a Border | Join Our Mission Today