Elizabeth spoke to us by Zoom.She spoke about Interplast, the incredible Rotary programme that sends medical volunteers to third world countries and islands in the South Pacific to perform free plastic surgery on children and young people.
Most of the patients have either cleft palates or burn injuries.
These medical teams also train local doctors and nurses on surgical procedures so that this life-changing surgery can continue long after the volunteers have left.
Some of the equipment that Rotary purchases are used for surgeons to remote in from overseas and advise local surgeons both for training purposes and during actual in-country surgeries. Rotary also funds cleft palate simulators to allow local doctors hands-on plastic surgical repairs training.
Many children born with cleft palates and lips into poor families are hidden away with no opportunities for schooling or future vocations. These surgeries allow the children to lead normal lives and aspire to productive and happy futures.
Interplast is yet another inspirational Rotary programme that is changing lives