Surgery for Children
Surgery for Children (SFC) is an Italian association based in Vicenza that primarily focuses on reconstructive surgery for congenital urogenital and gastrointestinal malformations in countries with low socio-economic development, where these conditions are considered "neglected" rather than "rare" diseases.
The association is comprised of volunteer nurses and medical doctors, including pediatric surgeons and anaesthetists, who carry out intensive surgical missions free of charge during their vacation periods.
Its strengths lie in the specialized professional skills which are offered to referral hospitals, healthcare institutions, and small NGOs operating in "resource-limited" countries.
From 1995 to December 2024, SFC has carried out 46 intensive surgical missions in 11 different countries across Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East, where thousands of children have been examined and approximately 2,000 of them have undergone surgery. Uganda, Venezuela, Ecuador, and the Gaza Strip are among the countries where surgical activities have been more continuous.
In Ethiopia, where the maternal mortality rate is unacceptably high and among the highest in the world, SFC has initiated a project aimed at improving prenatal care and maternal and child health. All projects are conducted in close collaboration with local doctors and health authorities.
The goals of SFC are:
-To promote reconstructive surgery for congenital malformations in countries where children have limited access to care.
-To raise awareness about the burden of congenital malformations on public health, particularly in low-income countries, and to develop broad-based collaborations to enhance pediatric surgery within the context of "Global Health."
-To support on-the-job training for local healthcare staff.
In 2012, the short film “Dreaming for Children,” which focuses on SFC's activities in Uganda, received a special jury mention at the “Festival of Solidarity” in Genoa, Italy.
In 2016, SFC became part of the Global Initiative for Children's Surgery (GICS), a US-based consortium of universities, institutions, and NGOs aimed at developing and sharing strategies to improve the quality of surgical performance and facilitate access to surgical care for all children worldwide.
