Our team has completed their last surgeries and post-op rounds. This week, they delivered life-changing surgical care to 58 children. As they begin the long journey home, we celebrate the impact of their service and collaboration which will continue to be felt by families and colleagues for years to come.
First-time CSI volunteer, KJ Maneval is headed home from Ethiopia with lighter bags. As a surgical tech at Children’s MN, KJ asked her coworkers to donate gently used scrub hats for the CSI team to share with medical colleagues in Ethiopia. She collected more than 250 hats, in every color and design.
To celebrate the end of a week of collaboration and education, CSI medical volunteers gifted hats to Ethiopian colleagues they partnered with throughout the mission. The gift was met with smiles and giggles over the fun patterns — a highlight for many medical staff who have limited resources.
Thank you, KJ for this thoughtful gift. Thank you to the entire team of dedicated volunteers for their incredible service this week. Thank you CSI supporters for fueling the work. Together, we are changing lives and strengthening communities!
#PartnershipandCollaboration #GlobalHealth
This week brought together so much teamwork and coordination — all for one important purpose: providing children the life-changing specialized care they need.
More details (and numbers!) to come as our team returns. For now, enjoy a few highlights from the week.
Bravo, team!
#chaginglives #GlobalHealth #pediatricsurgery #cleftstrong
An estimated 1.7 billion children worldwide lack access to safe, specialized surgical care and anesthesia, with the majority living in low- and middle-income countries. In Africa, most countries have fewer than 0.5 anesthesia providers per 100,000 people — and specialist shortages are just one of the barriers limiting access to care.
Investing in pediatric anesthesia training and developing future leaders is vital to improving perioperative care for children in Africa. Fortunately, many talented anesthesia colleagues in Ethiopia are eager to deepen their skills.
CSI is thrilled to support growth in this area. We have engaged longtime volunteer Dr. Zipporah Gathuya as a Program Consultant to lead our surgical outreach and training initiatives in Ethiopia and other programs in Africa. You can see Dr. Gathuya (“Zippy” to those who know her) in action this week, supporting our surgical fellowship training there.
An internationally recognized pediatric anesthesiologist with over 20 years of experience across the public and private sectors, Dr. Gathuya is based at The Nairobi Hospital in Kenya. She brings new organizational leadership to CSI, along with first-hand expertise and strong cultural competence, to elevate pediatric anesthesia education and expand access to resources for our partners.
Welcome to the CSI clinical leadership team, Dr. Gathuya!
#pediatricanesthesia #pediatricsurgery #globalhealth
With patients coming from across Ethiopia and surrounding regions, we need to communicate with families who speak one or more languages or dialects. We rely on our interpreter partners to bridge that gap.
Interpreters are often the voices and ears for our patients and their families. For more than 10 years, Taitu Tour and Travel Ethiopia has been an essential partner in Ethiopia, providing travel and logistical support and placing interpreters alongside CSI teams. They help us connect with families, hear their stories, and understand their needs, communicating with clarity and compassion in fast-moving medical and social environments.
We are grateful for the passion they bring to this work. Thank you to the entire Taitu Tours team! 🙏
#nonprofit #pediatricsurgery #medicalinterpreter
“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
