Medical Teams Abroad Program
Our Medical Teams Abroad Program reaches across national boundaries to provide our world’s children with desperately needed medical care. We arrange teams of volunteer doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other medical professionals to go to less developed countries where they provide medical treatments and surgeries for children in need.
2025 Summary
During 2025 our Medical Teams Abroad Program sent out 14 teams consisting of Facial Plastics, Cleft Lip and Palate, Speech Pathology, and Burn & Hand Reconstruction. These teams traveled to Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Tanzania and Ukraine. 226 team members traveled with us, of which 89 were new members. 848 children were helped by our Medical Teams Abroad Program in 2025.
2025 Breakdown of children treated by specialty
Facial Plastics & Cleft Lip and Palate
Speech Pathology
Burn & Hand Reconstruction
Trauma Surgeries in Ukraine
Examples of what we provide
Facial Plastics/Maxillofacial surgery, cleft lip and palate/microtia (ear), Speech Pathology, Burn and hand reconstruction, dental services such as extractions, minor oral surgery, filings, hygiene and education.
Our Cleft Teams treat cleft lip and palate deformities which are two types of birth defects that occur during the early stages of pregnancy. When the nose, lip, palate and jaw are supposed to fuse but fail to do so, results in a deformity known as a cleft lip or palate. The cleft lip is a gap in between the nose and mouth, while the cleft palate is a huge fissure on the roof of the mouth. This deformity can make eating, drinking, speaking and in some cases breathing difficult.
Millions of children where we travel go untreated and live in isolation. Cleft surgery is simple and the results are life altering.
Did you know?
- A cleft lip/palate surgery for one child costs $250.00
- Disposable supplies cost as little as $10.00 per surgery
- Surgical Blades cost as little as $25.00 per surgery
- Sutures cost as little as $50.00 per surgery
- Instruments cost as little as $100.00 per surgery
International Inbound Program
The International Inbound Program brings children from developing countries to the United States where we match the needs of the child with a volunteer doctor and/or hospital with that specialty. We arrange for travel to the U.S., as well as visas for the child and parent. A volunteer host family is found who will open their home for the child and parent while the child is receiving medical treatment in the U.S.
Through our International Inbound Program, HTCNE continues to support Nagalem, a young girl from southwestern Ethiopia, who had a large venous malformation on her neck and jaw. HTCNE brought her to the US in 2021 for treatment and continues to support her health and dental care needs. Unfortunately now the malformation is coming back. She requires steroid injections to slow and potentially stop the regrowth. She can not get these injections in Ethiopia and our team is working with specialists that might be able to treat her again in the US. In the meantime, we are monitoring her situation and will provide financial support for her medical expenses as needed. In 2026 we expect Nagalem to return to the US for more treatment.
Nagalem and her mother at a dental clinic in Addis Ababa. The venous malformation has returned.
Domestic Kids Program
The Domestic Kids Program has provided medical treatment and assistance to children in our local communities who were unable to get these services due to a lack of financial resources. We have arranged for children to receive services such as dental care, eye care and glasses, hearing screening and hearing aids, medical and surgical care, medical equipment and apparatus, prescription medications, physical therapy & speech therapy.
The Domestic Kids Program has evolved over the years and is now an annual Medical Career Scholarship to New Milford High School seniors who plan to pursue a career in the medical field.
In 2025 we presented 3 scholarships, donating $1,500 in financial support to Connecticut students.
Our Domestic Kids Program also contributed $1,000 to help provide 320 local children with back to school backpacks.
