Viet Kids WA: Project WR710-2009

This project provides surgical teams to conduct facial surgery, such as cleft lip and palate, to children in Vietnam.

Sponsor Clubs: RC of Swan Valley (D9470), RC of Kwinana (D9460)

Project Manager: Betty Pitcher (RC of Swan Valley)

The project's slogan is: Everyone deserves a five star smile.

Cleft deformity is a genetic defect that grossly deforms the face, leaving a gaping hole where the upper lip and roof of the mouth should be. The vast majority of children born with a cleft defect are destined to live as social outcasts. Their speech is very poor, as they do not have the roof of the mouth, vital in the production of sounds.

Michelle Carthew (Mission Coordinator) and Dr Kevin Carthew (Mission Fundraiser) are both experienced in working with various overseas humanitarian groups that bring together volunteer medical teams to operate on children predominantly with cleft deformities. Countries visited include the Philippines, China, Indonesia and Africa.

While on on holiday in Danang, the Carthews discovered that cleft deformity is also prevalent there. There were already 25 children in Danang who could not afford cleft surgery and a further 800 patients have since been identified. As a result, the Carthews developed the plan for a mission group working mainly in Vietnam.

Viet Kids WA, the project that resulted from this plan took its first mission to the Danang Hospital, Vietnam, over the period 24 June to 2 July 2009.

Mission Coordinator Michelle Carthew reports that the mission was a great success and a strong friendship was formed with the staff of Danang Hospital. The volunteer medical team from WA operated on 18 patients and performed a total of 29 procedures.

The Team's Report includes Before and After photos of some of the children, including 10-month-old Nguyen, shown in the pictures below.


Before surgery -- Nguyen has unilateral cleft lip.	Ten-month-old Nguyen, six days after surgery

The team is already looking at the possibility of returning in October 2010.

Fundraising Dinner

To help fund its first mission, Viet Kids WA organised a Celebrity Fundraising Dinner at the Swan Italian Sporting Club in June 2009. Thanks to the generosity of celebrities and sponsors, the event cleared $32,000 -- a great outcome for the project's first fundraiser. Further details.

You Can Help:

Rotary Clubs interested in partnering in this project, or people interested in being Volunteers: contact info@western.rawcs.org.au

To donate funds to support the project, download the donation form, complete it and send to the RAWCS-WR Treasurer. A donation of $500 funds cleft surgery for a child.