Solidarity in Sneakers: 2,000 Hearts Beat for Cambodian Children

Under the first light of a Saturday morning in Phnom Penh, nearly two thousand participants strode through the lanes of Eco Park to the rhythm of a shared impulse: solidarity. The second edition of "Run for Charity" raised 104 million riels — or $25,900 — for the Kantha Bopha Foundation, guardian of Cambodian children's health.

A Dawn Start, a Resonant Message

It is not yet six in the morning when the starting signal rings out at the Eco Park of Borey Peng Huoth Boeung Snor, on the eastern outskirts of Phnom Penh. Civil servants, business people, athletes, young people, families — nearly 2,000 participants from the public and private sectors, including media representatives and members of the general public, gathered under the banner "Run for Children, Run for Our Future 2026."

The theme is no mere slogan: it distills the vital stakes of a charity event now firmly anchored in Cambodia's civic calendar.

The initiative is spearheaded by the Ministry of Information and the ASEAN Top News media group. At its helm, Minister Neth Pheaktra, accompanied by his wife Tuy Serey Ratanak Neth Pheaktra, honorary president of the ministry's branch of the Cambodian Women's Association for Peace and Development. The joint presence of the political figure and the association's representative neatly captures the event's ambition: to go beyond sport and embody an act of citizenship.

11 Nationalities, One Cause

The event brought together participants from eleven different nationalities, a sign of a reach that transcends borders and reflects a universally recognised cause: protecting the health of the most vulnerable children.

Each race bib cost 50,000 riels to register — around $12 — a modest yet symbolically powerful contribution. The entirety of the funds raised, 104 million riels (approximately $25,900), will be transferred in full to the Kantha Bopha hospitals. "This is not simply a race," declared Minister Pheaktra in his address. "It is a platform for raising awareness of children's wellbeing, a call for greater community involvement in social causes."

The Kantha Bopha Foundation: An Institution That Needs You

To understand why these $25,900 matter, one must grasp the scale of the mission carried by the Kantha Bopha Foundation. Founded in 1991 by Swiss physician Dr. Beat Richner, it manages five paediatric hospitals in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, with a capacity of 2,300 beds.

Today, 85% of the country's sick children are treated there, and most would have no chance of survival without these facilities. All care is provided free of charge — an absolute necessity in a country where three quarters of the population still cannot afford medical expenses.

The 2025 figures are staggering: the Kantha Bopha hospitals treated nearly 1.44 million patients, a 14% increase compared to 2024. Among them, 233,243 children were hospitalised, and 22,982 were treated for dengue fever. Maternity services also played a crucial role: 108,134 pregnant women received prenatal care, and 25,736 births were safely delivered.

Financially, the Kantha Bopha hospitals spent over $46 million in 2025 to continue their mission of free care — a colossal budget that public and private donations sometimes struggle to cover entirely.

Running Together, Giving in Numbers

"Run for Charity" is part of a broader trend of popular mobilisation around the Foundation. It has defined its strategic objectives for 2025–2026, placing the organisation of charity events at the heart of its fundraising strategy, in the spirit of "Khmer helping Khmer."

Among its flagship initiatives: digital campaigns, celebrity collaborations, and solidarity sporting events — of which this "Run for Charity" is the most recent illustration.

Other campaigns have demonstrated the generosity of the Cambodian people: during one edition of the "10,000 riels, 10,000 donors" campaign, more than 231,000 people participated, enabling the foundation to raise over $3.3 million in a single month.

A Legacy Run, One Step at a Time

The second edition of "Run for Charity" demonstrates that a sporting event can be far more than a competition. It can become a civic ritual and a concrete act of solidarity. The Kantha Bopha Foundation reaffirms its resolve to be an indispensable pillar of local healthcare, calling on families, public figures, and the private sector to support these initiatives at major events, in order to build an active community committed to the health of Cambodian children.

Until the third edition, the 104 million riels raised that Saturday morning will join the coffers of a system that, for more than thirty years, has helped drive Cambodia's infant mortality rate down from over 8% in 1992 to 2.2% in 2025. A quiet transformation, measured in lives saved — and sometimes, in early morning strides through a suburban park.