From Laotian Language to Lifeline: How One Interpreter Joined a Cross-Border Cataract Mission
HK01 · 1 SOURCES1 day ago7 MIN
Summary
On September 21, 2026, in Kampong Thom Province, Cambodia, two mobile eye surgery vehicles sat parked at the provincial health department's old compound, their white bodies gleaming under the intense tropical sun. Standing beside the vehicles, Liu Yingjia (劉瑩嘉) reflected on an unlikely journey — one that began with her choice to study Laotian, a language few Hong Kongers even know exists, at university. That decision led her from familiar streets in Hong Kong to the corridors of Sharing Foundation, where she now serves as Southeast Asia Project Officer, working alongside medical teams to eliminate cataract-induced blindness across the region .
Key Points
- Liu Yingjia majored in Laotian at university — a rare choice among Hong Kong students — and later interned and worked in Laos in 2024, where she first connected with Sharing Foundation colleagues .
- On August 24, 2023, during her summer break as a university student, Liu served as Laotian translator for Sharing Foundation's first phacoemulsification training class at the Liuzhou Red Cross Hospital Eye Surgery Training Base, assisting two Laotian doctors: Kimkam Saipase and Lamphong Sayyachak .
- The two-day training, led by Guangxi doctors Lei Wei and Wei Yuling, covered precise surgical terminology including incision creation, capsulorrhexis, and phacoemulsification, culminating in successful practical assessments on animal eyes for both Laotian physicians .
- Sharing Foundation, founded in Hong Kong in 2018, operates the "Eliminate Cataract-induced Blindness Project" providing free surgeries in Laos, Cambodia, Djibouti, Senegal, Mauritania, and now Uzbekistan — with thousands of operations completed across Cambodian provinces including Bourei Cholsar, Kampong Speu, and Kampong Thom .
- The foundation is transitioning from direct surgical service to an "empowerment" model, providing mobile surgical equipment and professional training to build local healthcare capacity, while also conducting disease prevention work and a direct drinking water project in East Timor .
Why It Matters
This story illustrates how niche language skills can become powerful tools for international humanitarian work, opening doors to careers that transcend traditional boundaries. For Hong Kong readers, Sharing Foundation represents a tangible way for the city to contribute to Belt and Road nations — leveraging Hong Kong's multilingual talent pool to foster people-to-people bonds that outlast infrastructure projects. As Liu observes, "The moon over Cambodia appears clearer than the one over Liuzhou, but it is ultimately the same moon" — a reminder that medical diplomacy through shared humanity can bridge geographic and cultural divides.
This story illustrates how niche language skills can become powerful tools for international humanitarian work, opening doors to careers that transcend traditional boundaries. For Hong Kong readers, Sharing Foundation represents a tangible way for the city to contribute to Belt and Road nations — leveraging Hong Kong's multilingual talent pool to foster people-to-people bonds that outlast infrastructure projects. As Liu observes, "The moon over Cambodia appears clearer than the one over Liuzhou, but it is ultimately the same moon" — a reminder that medical diplomacy through shared humanity can bridge geographic and cultural divides.