August 14 – Medical Supplies and Community Resources to OEDDO Cambodia
Speaker: Elizabeth “Betsy” Guinn
Elizabeth Guinn’s life has been rooted in compassion and service across cultures. Born in 1952 to missionary parents recently released from communist China, Betsy grew up between Massachusetts and Asia, volunteered in an Italian orphanage after high school, and later earned degrees in social work. Her career focused on children with special needs and facilitating international adoptions for “waiting” children. A longtime Eugene resident, she is the mother of 12 adopted children, 8 “bonus” kids, and a growing number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In 2003, Betsy became involved with the Orphans, Elderly, Disabled, and Development Organization (OEDDO), founded by Cambodian refugee Lon and her niece Bonas to support street children and orphans in the Angkor Chey District. What began as a home for orphaned children has grown into multifaceted community resources; housing for homeless families, transportation and social programs for HIV-positive individuals, vocational and academic education, support for youth leaving incarceration, and agricultural projects to feed the community.
A major milestone came when OEDDO built a hospital in a region where residents previously had no realistic access to medical care. Many of the staff are OEDDO alumni who pursued higher education in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and other health professions. Southtowne Rotary’s CardioStart program has been a key partner, sending five shipping containers of medical equipment and supplies that not only serve OEDDO’s hospital but are shared with other facilities across Cambodia.
Betsy’s stories illustrated the impact of this work: a girl whose only dream was “to have food tomorrow” eventually became a doctor; a grandmother saved from amputation by timely medical intervention; and young people with disabilities and landmine injuries finding dignity and purpose through education and service. OEDDO welcomes all, regardless of special needs, and integrates them fully into community life.
Beyond healthcare, OEDDO supplies community resources like English, computer, sewing, and woodworking classes; supports elders through the “Molly House” cultural center; and provides vocational paths after high school. Agricultural projects, including rice cultivation and community plowing services, sustain the center and help local elders who can no longer farm their own fields.
Betsy emphasized the transformative power of Rotary’s partnership—not just in shipping life-saving supplies, but in affirming that people in remote Cambodia are not forgotten. For many, it’s the difference between isolation and opportunity, illness and recovery, or hunger and hope.
Learn more or get involved at OEDDOcambodia.org.