Remember baby Yamlak? In February, she weighed just 8.5 pounds at 8 months old and was too fragile for cleft surgery. Her mother walked 4+ hours barefoot to bring her to our team.
Fast forward to last week: We stood beside Dr. Kassaw — CSI’s first ENT fellow — as he performed Yamlak's complex cleft palate repair at Felege Hiwot Hospital in Bahir Dar. This was her second procedure, following her successful cleft lip repair by Dr. Kassaw in May.
Yamlak's transformation from a critically malnourished baby to a thriving child represents everything CSI stands for: sustainable care, local training, collaboration, and never giving up on a child in need.
During this trip, the team met several other children who, like Yamlak once was, are too small and malnourished for surgery. CSI is already collaborating with our partners to help them grow stronger so that they can receive the specialized surgeries they need — and have endings like Yamlak's.
#pediatricsurgery #nonprofit #partnership #changinglives #globalhealth
College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia.
A wonderful summary of our first ever ENT fellowship training trip from CSI Academic Director, Dr. Siva Chinnadurai — Bravo team! The first of many more!
Our volunteer team of four is heading home after an incredible week in Bahir Dar, working side-by-side with Dr. Kassaw — Pediatric ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery Fellow — and an outstanding team of local colleagues.
Dr. Kassaw shared this reflection: “This week at Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, we performed 19 critical surgeries. CSI doctors who came from America deserve great thanks for their cooperation. Thank you for teaching us so much professional knowledge and skills.”
We are deeply grateful to everyone who made this trip possible — especially our partners at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. and Felege Hiwot Hospital.
Together, we not only changed lives this week, but also strengthened skills that will help countless more children for years to come. 💙🌍
#GlobalHealth #SurgicalTraining #BahirDar #PediatricSurgery #Collaboration
Have you gotten your ticket yet for our Pickleball Social on September 14? Your ticket includes open play pickleball, food, drinks, giveaways and an optional beginner's lesson. Join us for pickleball, fun and changing lives! www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/pickleball-social
“We were very shameful about the baby's cleft before surgery, now we are proud and we feel very happy about the surgery. We would like to thank you very much.” Parent, Ethiopia