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International ServiceInternational Service encompasses actions taken to expand Rotary's humanitarian reach around the globe and promote world understanding and peace. Past President Lesley Bell talks about International Service:Medical Student Travelling Scholarship:Gausihi Sivarajah, was awarded the 2007 Rotary Club of Box Hill Central / Monash University Final Year Medical Student Travelling Bursary. Gausihi undertook a six-week elective
placement at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India,
which consisted of a posting with other undergraduate students at
CMC, a clinical posting in a field of her choice and a posting in a
Community Health Care Centre. The Inaugural award was presented to Megan Donohue, who visited a hospital in Kenya for her placement Operation Cleft Operation Cleft is a unique international project
of the Rotary Club of Box Hill Central that provides cleft surgery and
speech therapy services to disadvantaged children in Bangladesh. The project is administered by the Operation Cleft
Australia Trust, a fund controlled by the Rotary Club and donations over
$2 are tax deductible. (Pictured is Morsheda, a young girl from Bangladesh who had her life changed by Operation Cleft in February 2007.)
Since its inception three years ago the project has touched the hearts of many Rotarians around Australia with over 300 clubs from 216 Rotary Districts and 3 international Districts now having shown their support. Through the generosity of Rotarians, and that of many corporate and private donors, we have so far funded over 3,000 surgical procedures. Operation Cleft has made a great impact on the lives of all these children and their families from Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India and Laos. Millions of children have untreated clefts that can lead to deafness, dental problems and malnutrition. Many have difficulty eating, are unable to speak clearly and suffer social isolation due to their facial deformity. In Asia alone, as many as 1 in 700 children are born with a cleft each year. For most, a simple low cost operation could change their lives but in developing countries cleft lips and palates are not considered a medical priority. The people to whom we offer the “Gift of a Smile for Life” are some of the world’s poorest and the average cost of surgery is far beyond their family’s means. By providing an opportunity for this surgery and speech therapy, Operation Cleft is changing people’s lives forever. Apart from the obvious improvement in appearance and enhanced social acceptance, the net result of this work is that these children will return to their villages and towns after the operations with greatly improved self-esteem and confidence and vastly improved life prospects for themselves and their families. For further information contact Operation Cleft at info@operationcleft.org.au
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