The team of health officials arrived in Ghana on October 8 and are expected to conduct some 120 free reconstructive surgeries within the one-week period.

Screening of patients at the Ho Teaching Hospital began on Sunday, October 9.

The mission will be the team's third medical mission this year after successful programmes in Senegal and Cameroon early in the year.

This will be the 15th year that the R.E.S.T.O.R.E. team has embarked on such a humanitarian mission. The team of selfless volunteers has visited and performed reconstructive surgeries in Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Laos, Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal, and Vietnam.

R.E.S.T.O.R.E. at 15

Dr. Michael K. Obeng recently announced that R.E.S.T.O.R.E. Worldwide Inc., The Foundation for Reconstructive Surgery, reached its 15th anniversary this year.

As founder and CEO, he looks back at those years with nostalgic fondness and is proud of the continuous expansion and growth, all made possible with the assistance of a strong donor base that has helped RESTORE reach this milestone.

Since its inception in 2007, R.E.S.T.O.R.E. and its dedicated group of highly skilled medical professionals have provided humanitarian assistance to 11 different countries on three continents. With the aim of alleviating suffering and changing people’s lives, the team has performed over 1,600 surgeries and tackled many complex reconstruction cases, all free of charge,

The monetary value of surgeries performed has exceeded well over $80 million USD. Moreover, a countless number of patients of all ages have indirectly benefited from the foundation’s work through non-surgical management and the education and training of local doctors.

As R.E.S.T.O.R.E. races towards its 15th anniversary, Dr. Obeng states he is not only keen on replicating the same success, but also envisions reaching new horizons with a goal of raising $2.5 million USD in a year to make an even greater impact. He says it is no secret that there is strong demand and constant requests for R.E.S.T.O.R.E. missions in new regions and countries, all unfulfilled because of the heavy weight of logistical costs associated with providing medical and surgical supplies and transporting the team. While some donors provide value by donating time and volunteering, the non-profit needs donors to provide crucial financial support.

This past June, R.E.S.T.O.R.E. completed a mission to Cameroon and has upcoming trips that include the Volta Region of Ghana in October and Senegal in December. If RESTORE reaches its fundraising goal, it can envision expansion to Central and South America, as well as Southeast Asia, and grow to become one of the leading non-profit charity organisations across the globe.

Dr. Obeng says that any support, great or small, helps RESTORE to get closer to its very special goal of changing lives and giving hope, function, and aesthetic form to those in need.

He expressed deep gratitude for everyone’s generosity and hopes it will inspire others to make the same move by supporting R.E.S.T.O.R.E.’s noble cause.

He made special mention of Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, the management of Volta Serene Hotel in Ho, Ms. Penelope M. Jones-Mensah, lawyer and founder of the 40 Roses Foundation, Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra; and Mr. Yaw Boakye, CEO of West One Ghana Limited for their support and generosity of spirit.

On his part, Mr Ablakwa expressed excitement that the R.E.S.T.O.R.E mission is in the Volta Region this year. He applauded Dr. Michael K. Obeng and the team of volunteers for their humanitarian assistance to the people of the Volta Region and urged them to continue touching lives with their incredible benevolence.

The CEO of the Ho Teaching Hospital, Dr. John Tampuori, expressed gratitude for R.E.S.T.O.R.E.'s medical mission.

He pledged his full commitment to the initiative and called on other non-governmental organisations to emulate such humanitarian initiatives.