Rotaplast International, Inc. helps children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities. Working with local professionals, Rotarians, and other organizations, the organization sends multidisciplinary medical teams to provide free reconstructive surgery, ancillary treatment, and training for the comprehensive care of these children.
From a mission in 2019 in Apartado, Columbia, Manuel is an energetic 7 month old boy with cleft pallet. His parents heard about Rotaplast from Alexandra, a speech therapist with the non-profit Fundauniban.
Rotaplast International, Inc. was founded in 1992 initially as a service project by members of the Rotary Club of San Francisco to facilitate a surgical program in La Serena, Chile.
The next morning there is hardly a trace of the cleft and the happy family is ready to head home.
Since its inception, Rotaplast medical teams and volunteers served more than 21,000 children and families in 26 countries in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. The Rotary clubs in SE Pennsylvania, including Chestnut Hill Rotary, has sponsored missions annually for more than 27 years in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and South and Central America. Last year, Chestnut Hill Rotary and its members rallied to made a $1,000 contribution to Rotaplast, honoring past President, Andy Sears.
The District 7450 Rotaplast team rebounded from COVID-imposed suspension and participated in three missions over the past year. In February 2023 they went to the Philippines, in December to India and last month to Bangladesh.
“A lot of families have been waiting a long time to have their children’s lives changed.”
According to Paul Quintavalla, Rotary District 7450 Rotaplast Chair, recent volunteers tell about monkeys freely wandering into the hospital in India, and the grueling 30 hours of travel. Other volunteer members shared pictures, and a touching cell phone video of a young girl with severe cleft lip and other disfigurements singing Twinkle-Twinkle-Little-Star.
The next mission is to Nepal in April, which was originally scheduled for 2020. “A lot of families have been waiting a long time to have their children’s lives changed,” said Quintavalla, who also serves as a board director at Rotaplast International, Inc.
In addition to providing free reconstructive surgery, Rotaplast also teaches local surgeons about the most up-to-date surgical techniques for cleft cases. Local medical communities are encouraged to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment, including orthodontic and speech therapy follow-up programs.
A typical team — usually 30 medical and non-medical members — run three operating rooms daily for six to eight days. Each operating room requires a plastic surgeon, an anesthesiologist, an operating room nurse, and other support volunteers. Medical professionals include a dentist, orthodontist, and speech pathologist.
According to a Rotaplast spokesperson, “Whether on a mission or raising public awareness and funds, being part of a team dedicated to saving the futures of children is a life-changing experience. When on missions, Rotarians support the medical staff in a variety of ways that include supervision of the children’s ward, sterilizing instruments, patient transportation, medical records maintenance, and other meaningful tasks. “
Upcoming missions in 2024 are scheduled for: Cebu City, Philippines; Chitwan, Nepal; Medellin, Columbia; Kampala, Uganda; and Namaul, India.
If you would like to volunteer for a mission, contact Paul Quintavalla at rotarian.paul@outlook.com. To make a donation to support a mission, visit Rotaplast.org/donate.
