2012 Karaikal, India
The Beginnings
Karaikal, India
Just one week after the Nagamangala, India team returned home after their mission, the Karaikal team began their adventure to India. Most of the team met in San Francisco, although we picked up members in ... Read More »
Day 1: Meeting Our Hosts
Karaikal, India
One of the greatest rewards of being a Rotarian and volunteering with Rotaplast is the opportunity to meet, work with, and create fellowship with Rotarians from around the world. To say that fellowship mak... Read More »
Day 2: Meeting Our Patients
Karaikal, India
Long before the Rotaplast team arrives, local Rotarians begin spreading the word about the upcoming clinic. Rotaplast spread the word far and wide and it’s amazing just how far the word travels. Many of ... Read More »
Surgeries
Karaikal, India
Today we start doing what we came here to do, saving smiles and changing lives. The surgical team, under the careful direction of Debby Dean, RN has their schedules, instructions, and everything in place a... Read More »
Day 4: Kalliyappan and Saraswathi
Karaikal, India
Our patients aren’t just numbers on a chart, they have names and faces and stories to tell. Too often, in the effort it takes to treat as many as we can in the short time that we have, we lose Read More »
Culture, History and Rotary
Karaikal, India
Karaikal is rich in history and tradition. Local Rotarian K. Raghavasamy invited me to his home to learn about the history of Karaikal and the work that’s been done by Rotaplast over the past eight years... Read More »
Meet Sangeetha
Karaikal, India
Little Sangeetha came to us one afternoon during a walk in clinic. Sangeetha fit all the criteria for a priority case; cleft lip, less than six years old. By getting the surgery done this young, she’ll g... Read More »
Meet Sinthuja
Karaikal, India
The first time I really get to visit with people is in pre-op. It’s a time when parents are nervous, kids are scared, restless, and hungry, and there’s a general drive to get patients double checked an... Read More »
Saying Farewell
Karaikal, India
This will be my last post from Karaikal. The final days of clinic, packing, saying goodbye, and travel are hectic and chaotic to say the least. Again, our hosts, the Rotary Club of Karaikal and the Vinayak... Read More »
Latest From Around The World
Stories from the Ward
Faridabad, India
A teenage girl with burn contractures on her wrist, elbow, and knee from an untreated accident as a baby arrived at the clinic with her sister, both burdened by exhaustion and hesitant to trust. They were ... Read More »
Dental Care & Cleft ...
Faridabad, India
Cleft lip and palate deformities can result from genetic disorders or syndromes. As technology and databases improve, our understanding of genetic markers and risk factors for these conditions continues to... Read More »