MANILA– A team of medical experts from Germany and New Zealand are in the Philippines to conduct charity surgery on at least 78 children with cleft palate until Friday.
New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines David Stratchan said that about 2,000 Filipino children already benefitted from the project since its establishment in the ’90s.
On Saturday, the German Embassy and New Zealand Embassy to Manila held a joint event to honor the philanthropic works of Operation Restore Hope, which had been conducting the charity surgeries in the Philippines for at least 20 years.
Stratchan said the more than 30 doctors this year are dedicating their own professional time to the humanitarian work on a voluntary basis.
In an interview with reporters, Tristan de Chalain, head of the Operation Restore Hope said this year’s medical mission will be in Parañaque City.
Hector Gonzales, a New Zealand medical expert born in Bulacan province, was among the 30 medical experts who took their annual leave especially for the yearly humanitarian mission.
“It’s very humbling because we like this to be a good inspiration for families and children that we see, that in the future, they will be able to strive to attain their dreams,” he said when asked what drives him to continue the cause.
When asked with the same question, de Chalain said Operation Restore Hope is simply an act of giving unconditionally.
“We believe that if there is somebody in need, what will happen to that person if we don’t do something? And if we can do something, why don’t we do it? That’s what it’s all about.” (PNA)
