Day 1 of surgeries is always a busy one, with plenty of anticipation and activity. Surgical and support teams are quietly focused, but highly engaged in their collaboration with one another. Parents show relief in finally getting their children to the day of critical care, but are also keenly aware and concerned for what their child is about to undergo.
And through it all, the children show remarkable patience and provide sweetness and energy, keeping everyone connected and uplifted throughout the day – an amazing affirmation of why we’re all here. Thirteen surgeries were completed today, thanks to the incredible teamwork of everyone involved.
What’s ahead this week? There are two primary categories of surgeries – Ear/Nose/Throat and Urological. Following patient screening, CSI surgeons, local surgeons, and the clinical lead created their plan for the week.
Dr. Ebone Bady and Dr. Phillip Chaffin, along with our local colleagues, will perform 28–30 ENT surgeries for pediatric patients. These will include cleft lip repair, cleft palate repair and nasal stenosis repair.
For urological surgeries, Dr. Pankaj Dangle and Dr. Kara Saperston, along with our local colleagues, will see 27 patients, all returning for follow-up procedures.
As children grow, their changing bodies can require additional procedures. The ongoing partnership between CSI and College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, means these children can continue to receive the surgical care they need as they grow – and it’s always heartening to see these children and their sweet faces as they get older!
So much happens on screening days. CSI surgeons consulting with local surgeons on plans for the week. The flurry of unpacking the 20+ suitcases of supplies and organizing them into a temporary storage space for the week. Setting up the ORs. And the actual screening of patients to clear them for surgery — more than 90 children were screened today!
Amid all this, CSI’s mission of education shines through.
It’s not unusual for a child to not pass screening for surgery due to low vitals or weight. But families aren’t turned away – they’re supported to help get the child to where they need to be for surgery.
In the first photo, nurse Amy Smith, working through an interpreter, is showing a family member how to use specialized Dr. Brown's feeding bottles. The family will be sent home with bottles and formula to ensure a cleft-palate infant can thrive, grow, and be healthy for a future surgery.
The local team in Bahir Dar will then work with the family to schedule the child for a future CSI trip. These ongoing relationships with families and patients are some of the inspiring moments that help fuel volunteers through a very busy day.
Agility and patience are never in short supply on a CSI team. Each trip starts with ordering and packing all the medical supplies and equipment needed for each surgery — both planned and potential.
For Ethiopia trips, all supplies are physically carried by the team in bags that are moved, scanned, tracked, and re-tracked 20+ times from CSI offices to Tibebe Ghion Hospital in Bahir Dar.
That’s more than 500 logistical touchpoints just to get to the first surgery next week!
Shoutout to Jennifer Gill and Charlie Vanek who are leading this and core logistics efforts for this trip.
Safe travels, or Melkam guzo in Amharic — the majority of our Ethiopia volunteers departed for the rest of their long trip to Bahir Dar to #changelives!
Familiar faces like Perla’s make every CSI trip to Hermosillo extra special.
Now 29, Perla graduated from cleft care years ago and works in the cafeteria at Hospital CIMA Hermosillo. CSI performed all but her first cleft surgery, and our volunteers feel privileged to have been part of her journey.
Perla visits our team every year, and seeing her is a highlight for those who return to Hermosillo. These annual visits are a lovely reminder that the connections made through CSI last long after care ends.
Our 2026 Hermosillo, Mexico, trip has wrapped. We thank everyone involved in this life-changing week! Help fuel this critical work — go to childrenssurgeryintl.org/donate/
Dr. Grischkan’s last patient of this trip was also his very first CSI patient — 15 years ago, on his first CSI trip in 2011.
Angel Enrique was just 9 months old when Dr. Grischkan performed his cleft lip and palate surgeries. Today, Jon performed Angel’s rhinoplasty.
Angel’s mom, Fatima, remembered Dr. Grischkan from 2011, telling him “I am so very happy that this day has come. It seemed so far away, back in 2011 and Angel was a baby, and now the day is actually here where he doesn’t need any more surgeries.”
And what a way to end the trip!
Thank you to our partners St. Andrew's Children's Clinic Voluntariado CIMAHospital CIMA Hermosillo and all the individuals involved onsite and remotely for helping change so many lives this week.
Day 1 of surgeries is always a busy one, with plenty of anticipation and activity. Surgical and support teams are quietly focused, but highly engaged in their collaboration with one another. Parents show relief in finally getting their children to the day of critical care, but are also keenly aware and concerned for what their child is about to undergo.
And through it all, the children show remarkable patience and provide sweetness and energy, keeping everyone connected and uplifted throughout the day – an amazing affirmation of why we’re all here. Thirteen surgeries were completed today, thanks to the incredible teamwork of everyone involved.
#pediatricsurgery #globalhealth #Ethiopia #nonprofit ...
What’s ahead this week? There are two primary categories of surgeries – Ear/Nose/Throat and Urological. Following patient screening, CSI surgeons, local surgeons, and the clinical lead created their plan for the week.
Dr. Ebone Bady and Dr. Phillip Chaffin, along with our local colleagues, will perform 28–30 ENT surgeries for pediatric patients. These will include cleft lip repair, cleft palate repair and nasal stenosis repair.
For urological surgeries, Dr. Pankaj Dangle and Dr. Kara Saperston, along with our local colleagues, will see 27 patients, all returning for follow-up procedures.
As children grow, their changing bodies can require additional procedures. The ongoing partnership between CSI and College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, means these children can continue to receive the surgical care they need as they grow – and it’s always heartening to see these children and their sweet faces as they get older!
#pediatricsurgery #Ethiopia #globalhealth #changinglives ...
So much happens on screening days. CSI surgeons consulting with local surgeons on plans for the week. The flurry of unpacking the 20+ suitcases of supplies and organizing them into a temporary storage space for the week. Setting up the ORs. And the actual screening of patients to clear them for surgery — more than 90 children were screened today!
Amid all this, CSI’s mission of education shines through.
It’s not unusual for a child to not pass screening for surgery due to low vitals or weight. But families aren’t turned away – they’re supported to help get the child to where they need to be for surgery.
In the first photo, nurse Amy Smith, working through an interpreter, is showing a family member how to use specialized Dr. Brown's feeding bottles. The family will be sent home with bottles and formula to ensure a cleft-palate infant can thrive, grow, and be healthy for a future surgery.
The local team in Bahir Dar will then work with the family to schedule the child for a future CSI trip. These ongoing relationships with families and patients are some of the inspiring moments that help fuel volunteers through a very busy day.
#cleftstrong #pediatricsurgery #globalhealth #teamwork ...
24 bags across 26 volunteers is how we get there!
Agility and patience are never in short supply on a CSI team. Each trip starts with ordering and packing all the medical supplies and equipment needed for each surgery — both planned and potential.
For Ethiopia trips, all supplies are physically carried by the team in bags that are moved, scanned, tracked, and re-tracked 20+ times from CSI offices to Tibebe Ghion Hospital in Bahir Dar.
That’s more than 500 logistical touchpoints just to get to the first surgery next week!
Shoutout to Jennifer Gill and Charlie Vanek who are leading this and core logistics efforts for this trip.
#teamwork #changinglives #globalhealth #pediatricsurgery ...
Safe travels, or Melkam guzo in Amharic — the majority of our Ethiopia volunteers departed for the rest of their long trip to Bahir Dar to #changelives!
#volunteersmakeadifference #PediatricSurgery #nonprofit #Ethiopia ...
MSP volunteers from CSI Team Ethiopia are on their way! 🇪🇹
#medicalvolunteer #PediatricSurgery #cleftstrong ...
Familiar faces like Perla’s make every CSI trip to Hermosillo extra special.
Now 29, Perla graduated from cleft care years ago and works in the cafeteria at Hospital CIMA Hermosillo. CSI performed all but her first cleft surgery, and our volunteers feel privileged to have been part of her journey.
Perla visits our team every year, and seeing her is a highlight for those who return to Hermosillo. These annual visits are a lovely reminder that the connections made through CSI last long after care ends.
#cleftstrong #pediatricsurgery #globalhealth #changinglives
St. Andrew's Children's Clinic Voluntariado CIMA ...
Our 2026 Hermosillo, Mexico, trip has wrapped. We thank everyone involved in this life-changing week! Help fuel this critical work — go to childrenssurgeryintl.org/donate/
#PediatricSurgery #ChangingLives #cleftstrong #nonprofit ...
This might be the story of the week.
Dr. Grischkan’s last patient of this trip was also his very first CSI patient — 15 years ago, on his first CSI trip in 2011.
Angel Enrique was just 9 months old when Dr. Grischkan performed his cleft lip and palate surgeries. Today, Jon performed Angel’s rhinoplasty.
Angel’s mom, Fatima, remembered Dr. Grischkan from 2011, telling him “I am so very happy that this day has come. It seemed so far away, back in 2011 and Angel was a baby, and now the day is actually here where he doesn’t need any more surgeries.”
And what a way to end the trip!
Thank you to our partners St. Andrew's Children's Clinic Voluntariado CIMA Hospital CIMA Hermosillo and all the individuals involved onsite and remotely for helping change so many lives this week.
#pediatricsurgery #nonprofit #patientjourney #changinglives ...