WE ARE CELEBRATING 20 INCREDIBLE YEARS of transforming lives and smiles together!

We’ve completed over 100 medical missions with the help of around a thousand amazing volunteers, who have performed 9,000+ surgeries valued at over $37M – all at no cost to families in need worldwide. We’ve also improved access to sustainable, local, quality healthcare through our training programs and treatment centers.

For two decades our teams of selfless volunteers and generous donors have given their time, talents, and funds to make these transformations possible.

We are deeply grateful to all of you for your unwavering support in making the world a safer and healthier place for these children – and we look forward to continuing this life-changing journey together!

OUR FIRST MISSION OF 2024 took us back to see our dear friends and longtime partners, the Rotary Club of Gulshan Lake City in Bangladesh, where we were able to serve children and families in Gazipur and beyond!

From day one, the hallway of Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital was overwhelmed with families seeking help for their children. Some had traveled hundreds of miles by bus, train, rickshaw, and foot. As the weeks unfolded, we were met with complex cases and it was clear how desperate the families were for skilled medical care.

Bangladesh is also a beloved training location for our teams. Local intern-doctors, nurses-in-training, and eager young volunteers joined us to learn how to care for patients with cleft.

This global team hailed from Europe, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, and North America. Together they provided 83 surgical and 235 dental procedures for over 100 patients and are eager to return to help the children still on the waiting list.

IN JUNE WE WERE DELIGHTED TO reconnect with our partners at Fundación El Cielo Para los Niños, where during a brief mission, we were able to provide 34 surgical and 100+ dental procedures for over 100 patients. The multilingual team was from Mexico and the United States, which facilitated improved communications and fantastic fellowship between the visiting and local teams.

This mission marked the final AfS trip for our incredibly gifted surgeon and dear friend, Dr. Ron Worland, who shared, “It’s amazing what 35 minutes of surgery can do for a lifetime.” We couldn’t agree more, Ron.

We’re sending a heartfelt thanks to Ron, the entire mission team, and our local partners for helping AfS change lives and bring more smiles to the children of Guayaquil.

IN CAN THO, VIETNAM, over 130 families eagerly awaited our arrival. We met many unforgettable patients, including eight-year-old Thi, who was abandoned by her mother due to her cleft. Her father and grandmother brought her to AfS, hopeful for a brighter future, and they were overjoyed with the results of her surgery.

Another touching moment was with the mother of four-month-old Thien; she was found sobbing at her son’s bedside. Concerned, the team called a translator, who explained that she was simply overwhelmed with happiness that her son could now grow up “handsome” and healthy.

Later in the year, AfS visited Hue on a short introductory mission focused on training local partners and providing surgeries. Forty-five patients were screened, and dozens of lives were changed through this budding partnership with Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy and our friends at the Rotary Club of Saigon.

Our teams worked alongside and trained amazing young physicians, nurses, dentists, and medical students, including both locals and visitors from Australia, the US, and Holland. We are grateful for the mission teams, incredible partners, and amazing families we met in Vietnam.

In October, we celebrated our official 20 year anniversary and asked two of our founders to share their thoughts about AfS.

Jim Patrick

There’s tremendous personal reward in terms of going on one of these trips. The kids get operated upon, and you put the patients back in the mother’s hands, and you can see the powerful and immediate change.

Anita Stangl

I feel thankful every day for these wonderful volunteers who are willing to give up their time, their talent, and their expertise, and I am grateful every day for people who help keep the organization alive economically, because that is a really big thing.

At this year’s Rotary International Convention, we reconnected with our dear friends from the Rotary Club of Accra-West and finalized plans for a mission to Accra, Ghana in 2025.

The annual AfS “Night of Smiles” gala recognizes extraordinary individuals who make AfS’s work possible and raises funds to do even more! This year’s award winners include

• • Rochelle Stacks – Volunteer of the Year
  • Dr. Karl Wustrack – Children’s Champion
  • Susan & John Dean – Distinguished Service Award
  • Rotary Club of San Francisco – Special Recognition
  • Rotary Club of Greene & Putnam Counties – Special Recognition
  • Rotary Club of Gulshan Lake City – International Legacy Partner
  • Jim Patrick & Anita Stangl– 20 Years of Leadership

These are just a few of the incredible volunteers, donors, and supporters, but we thank every single one of you. The event was hosted by actress Chase Masterson and included a performance by international award-winning vocalist, Alliana Lili Yang. The gala was even featured in the premiere edition of ArtScene Magazine!

Save the date for our next gala on May 3, 2025 at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco. We can’t wait to see you there!