Mending Kids provides free life-saving surgical care to sick children worldwide by deploying volunteer medical teams and supporting communities to become medically self-sustaining.
​Since 2005, we have mended thousands of children in 70 countries, including the US.

countries served

surgical mission trips completed

children mended as of 12/31/2022

help

The Health Equity Leadership Project (HELP) embodies the fundamental philosophy of all Mending Kids programs.
Our Overseas/Hometown Missions and Individual Surgical Care Programs (U.S.A. & International) address health inequity by providing underserved children access to surgical care.

Our Training, Research, and Innovation program (TRI), provides exchanges of knowledge through hands-on training, cutting-edge technology, and virtual symposia; helping elevate the standard of pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative care. Mending Kids supports its international mentees by offering observerships, medical conferences, and financial support for local surgeries. These programs cultivate leadership and self-sustainment in surgical care around the world.

Additionally, HELP affords non-medical volunteers the opportunity for internships and to travel on Mending Kids overseas missions, during which they can shadow and support medical professionals in the delivery of surgical care. Many of our volunteers go on to careers in global health and medicine, or start their own nonprofits.

OUR CORE PROGRAMS

Overseas Surgical Mission

Our assembled surgical teams travel to developing countries on specialized missions to mend children in need of life-saving surgeries, and to train local surgical staff to create sustainable programs.

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Hometown ​Mission

We provide outpatient surgical care to children living in the United States who do not have access to care by teaming with volunteer surgeons, nursing staff and local surgical centers. 

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mend u.s.

Mend US is an expansion of our Hometown Mission Program, which grew out of our recognition that some children from underserved communities across the U.S. are unable to receive the surgeries they need as insurance companies consider these to be “non-life threatening” or “elective” and therefore not covered.
Our Mend US program allows qualifying patients across the United States to have year-round access to outpatient surgeries.

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INDIVIDUAL SURGICAL CARE
- INTL & US

Through partnerships with renowned hospitals, we bring children with complex surgical needs to the United States for treatment. While the child is here, they are placed with a loving host family that cares for all of their needs.
​If surgery is not possible for a child in the United States or on a surgical mission, we arrange surgeries through partnerships with local hospitals in-country or in nearby countries.

want to find out more? interested in joining us on a mission?

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Training
Research
and
​Innovation

Support T-R-I

In 2015, the Training, Research and Innovation department was created at Mending Kids. The department promotes effective philanthropy and expands Mending Kids’ mission through research that informs decision-making and program design.

Routine community appraisals and needs assessment, evaluation of programs and partnerships, and data collection and analysis will guide the organization’s strategic growth.
​
Mending Kids is committed to conducting research and collecting data on key surgical
indicators on nearly every mission we deploy, and then using the information gathered
to monitor progress, engage communities, and inform health policies.

UPCOMING EVENTS & programS

​Cambodia ENT Mission
Led by Dr. Lia Jacobson
1/15-1/27/2023

​Tanzania ARM (anorectal malformation) Mission
​Led by Dr. Jason Frischer
​1/19 - 1/31/2023

support this mission

Hike to Mend!
An ongoing campaign honoring the journey that a parent takes to gain access to surgical care for their child.
Join us in raising awareness of health disparity everywhere. Hike a few miles so that, together, we can provide kids with the life-changing care that they need.

Start Your Hike

Annual Report 2021:
As 2021 came to a close, 138 kids had their futures restored. Nearly 800 medical providers from 50 countries registered for our virtual symposia. We deployed the long-awaited ENT mission to Tanzania that helped 25 children and...

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a map of The places we've served...

Since 2005, we have mended children in over 64 countries, including the United States. Zooming on the map and see where we've been!
* Purple markers are countries where we led surgical mission trips in while blue markers are countries where we helped individual patients

CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR RECENT PROGRAM PHOTOS AND ALBUMS