Rotary District 5300 Disaster Relief

DISTRICT 5300’S Cleft-Lip/Palate Project MISSION for RY 2025/2-26

Saving Smiles…Changing Lives

1. Nagamangala, India – 2 Weeks – December 6 – 21, 2025          Four (4) Non-Medical Volunteer Positions Available
2. Kampala, Uganda – 2 Weeks – June 07, 2026 – June 21, 2026         Several Non-Medical Volunteer Positions Available

Mission Flyer (Link to current Mission Flyer)

VOLUNTEERS

On most missions we have eight (8) non-medical volunteer positions for each mission with Rotaplast International open to Rotarians and Rotaractors, if a Mission Co-Sponsor we will have fewer volunteer positions. The cost: non-medical volunteers are responsible for travel costs that include roundtrip airfare with the group from San Francisco, insurance, VISA and a background check.

• Quartermaster
• Medical Records Keeper
• Sterilizer
• Mission “historian” (photographer/bloc)
• Ward Coordinator
• Recovery Room Helper
• Patient Transport
• Recreation Therapist

Applicants need to:

• Complete the Rotaplast Mission Interest Form (Link to Interest form)
• Submit a short personal statement addressing: “Why you might be interested in joining a Rotaplast team and what skills you would bring to the team.”
• Review the Rotaplast website: www.rotaplast.org about various positions.

Email the interest form and personal statement to the Project Committee Chair by date indicated in flyer: Drexel L. Smith – [email protected] 

CONTRIBUTIONS

Help us fund this mission with club and individual contributions. Any amount is appreciated. Your donation will change children’s lives.

Donations should be made out to:
“Rotary District 5300”
Please indicate “Cleft Lip Project” on the memo line.

Send donations to:
Rotary International District 5300
10624 S. Eastern Ave. Ste. A-16
Henderson, NV 89052

QUESTIONS

Questions or to schedule a club program, contact (or any member of the committee) or to Project Chair: Drexel L. Smith Tele: 951.202.2012  email: [email protected]

PROGRAM

Purpose: To provide free reconstructive surgery and ancillary treatments for cleft lips, palates, burn scarring and other deformities.

Where: In developing countries throughout the world.

Who: Volunteer medical professionals and District 5300 Rotarian non-medical volunteers.

ROTAPOLAST

District 5300 works with Rotaplast International, Inc., to provide life-changing surgeries to those with cleft lips and/or palates, burn scarring and other deformities.

• Rotaplast was started by Rotarians and the Rotary Club of San Francisco.
• It has been in existence for 30 years.
• Rotaplast International traditionally carries out 8 to 12 two week missions a year and has worked in 26 developing counties.
• It relies on local Rotarians as support and outreach for patients in surrounding communities.
• It recruits highly killed volunteer medical staff, and most missions utilize Rotarians as non-medical support.
• It is a 501(c)3 non-profit, humanitarian organization and has received a 4 Star Rating from Charity Navigator (the highest and the same as TRF.) It operates with very low overhead and does no advertising.

DISTRICT MISSIONS

A typical mission will be two weeks long and include a full team of 30+ volunteers, 2/3 of which are medical staff. District 5300 has sponsored 9 missions.

• 2011: Retalhuleu, Guatemala
• 2013: Monrovia, Liberia
• 2015: Retalhuleu, Guatemala
• 2017: Lima, Peru
• 2019: Arusha, Tanzania
• 2020: Agra, India
• 2022: Medellin, Colombia
• 2023: Medellin, Colombia
• 2024: Cebu, Philippines
• 2025: Kampala, Uganda (Mission Postponed to June of 2026)

Through these surgical missions District 5300 has impacted the lives of many families:

• 626 Patients Treated
• 891 Procedures Carried Out

The 2024 mission to Cebu was supported by eight (8) non-medical Rotary volunteers from across District 5300 :

CLUB INVOLVEMENT

Volunteers: The district reaches out to clubs for non-medical volunteer applicants. These volunteers should be active Rotarians from the district, available for the full two-week mission, travel with the team out of San Francisco and be comfortable traveling/working in a developing country. The non-medical volunteers are responsible for their own travel costs and miscellaneous minor expenses that may include VISA fees, insurance and other direct costs.  Assistance with travel expenses may be provided, please inquire with a committee member.
For our nine past missions the District has provided about 50 non-medical volunteers in various roles.

• Recovery Room Helper
• Recreation Therapist
• Quartermaster
• Interpreter
• Medical Records Keeper
• Ward Coordinator
• Equipment Sterilizer
• Mission Historian
• Patient Transport

CONTRIBUTIONS: To support these seven missions, our Rotary clubs and individuals have generously contributed over $400,000. Often, the district co-sponsors a mission with another entity, this year, District 5300 will be the sponsor the Kampala, Uganda 2025 Mission.

In addition to individual and Club donations, because of the Rotary Club of Las Vegas, our Cleft Lip/Palate Program has been the fortunate beneficiary of major gifts from Welles Family Foundation. The District will be forever grateful for the donations as it will allow us to provide mission support on an annual basis going forward.

QUESTIONS and ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Club Presentations: We can arrange for one of our non-medical volunteers from a past mission to give a club presentation about their life-changing experience serving on a Rotaplast mission. Contact one of the committee members to schedule a presentation.

Rotaplast Website: Photo blogs of past missions, job descriptions for non-medical volunteers, and extensive general information is available on Rotaplast’s website: https://rotaplast.org/

District Office Contact Information

Rotary International District 5300
10624 S. Eastern Ave. Ste. A-16
Henderson, NV 89052

702.274.0660

Email: [email protected]