by AfS Photographer Linda Hart

As this mission moves into its last day of surgery, you think about everything that has come together for this to have been successful.

The Host Partners work on ensuring the logistics are in place: customs and immigration, the hotel and meals; along with the large job of promoting the mission and getting patients screened and available at the hospital on the first day.

Laurine Ubanozie, the chairman of the Host Committee, admitted that until 3 weeks before the mission she had never seen a child with a cleft – that was, until she met Elizabeth Ali.  Today, Elizabeth had her cleft lip repaired.

The surgeries have all taken place at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.  This hospital is the cooperating agency and has agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding for both this mission and AfS’s return mission in April 2026.

In addition to the surgeries, this mission had an emphasis on teaching.  Members of the AfS team have walked along side our Nigerian counterparts in Surgery, Anesthetics, Speech Pathology, and Dental Hygiene, passing on knowledge and sharing techniques.

Thank you to the Rotary Club of Venice-Nokomis and District 9112 for making this mission possible!