Mending Kids International are the most amazing, inspirational, dedicated & compassionate team of professionals committed to healing, saving and positively changing the lives of kids all over the world. MKI are love and empathy personified. The incredible work they do constantly leaves me in awe of each and every one of them and they are supported by a great group of supporters, fundraisers and volunteers. Bless Mending Kids International...
Mending Kids does a great job getting resources in regards to the surgical needs of children to where they are needed. We have worked with them for years and been very pleased with the partnership
Mending Kids goes above and beyond to help kids around the world get better access to safe surgical care by mentoring and training surgeons on the ground. They are amazing! This is truly an exemplary organization made of incredible, hardworking people who do everything they can to help.
My family will forever be grateful to Mending Kids for giving my daughter Nathalie Drew a second chance at life. She was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot in 2007 when she was just one year and three months. We came to know Mending Kids thru a friend with the help of Miss Menchu Sarmiento of the PAL Foundation.I and my daughter came to the US in October 2007 where she had her open heart surgery free of cost at UCLA a month after we arrived ( series of tests were made to make sure she was ready for the major operation). My daughter couldn't have made it without Mending Kids because my family couldn't afford the expenses. Now Nathalie is 14 years old and she is a Y8 student enjoying school and her friends.Mending Kids is about loving,caring and saving children especially the most underprivileged ones. Thank you so much for saving my daughter and to all other kids around the world.Mending Kids will forever be in our hearts.
Traveled the world (when one could do such a thing) as a volunteer with Mending Kids.
To see the life of a child saved is enough, but to know you had a small part in it...priceless.
Now our surgeons are holding worldwide symposiums, continuing to teach doctors and save lives virtually.
Mending Kids is also mending America. Donating masks, PPE and a ventilator to US hospitals and clinics.
Still mending, here and around the world.
Mending Kids is a phenomenal organization with an extraordinary mission, to help children from all over the world receive life-saving surgeries which in turn affords these children a much better life
Mending Kids truly is a life changing organization. What they do for these poor kids is one of a kind. I’ve seen multiple kids and the procedures they were able to receive here in the United States is remarkable. So glad that there is this amazing organization in the world.
Mending Kids is fantastic doing such great work...I have donated and encourage others to do the same !!
What an amazing organization and spectacular group of doctors and support staff. The world is a better place because of their dedicated focus on healing those in need but without any access to the help they need.
Their additional focus on training doctors means long-term good that spreads around the world.
I can’t say enough about everyone involved. Outstanding human kindness.
Hands down, the best non-profit organization for helping kids needing surgery worldwide. The staff is dedicated and committed to educate would-be donors by taking them on missions to see the good work done by the volunteer doctors and nurses. They also offer missions to less-traveled, yet equally needy destinations in order to help as many kids as possible. These are kids who do not have access to specialized care in their home countries. There is truly no better organization I have had the privilege to work with.
Previous Stories
I have been volunteering for different non-profit organizations for overseas surgical missions for over 10 years. None come close to the efficiency and reach of Mending Kids. Excellent and committed staff, efficient allocation of resources, and a commitment to go anywhere there is a child in need. Mending Kids is my main go-to organization when it comes to medical missions.
The dedication, caring and kindness of the staff and medical team and the non-medical volunteers on the mission of which I’ve had the honor to be a part is beyond compare.
Mending Kids is an amazing organization! I have been involved for many years and I've seen how it saves and changes lives. One impressive aspect is that the staff coordinates surgical teams from all over the world to perform surgeries for kids all over the world. World-class surgeons! Also, MK focuses on training local surgeons so that MK's surgeons are no longer needed. It's pretty spectacular!
I am grateful with Mending Kids because they made my son's trip from Honduras possible, thanks to their help we are able to travel and seek medical help to improve his quality of life. We waited for ten years for and opportunity and we cannot thank them enough.
Mending Kids transformed the life of Victor and in the process made life more abundant for so many who were involved in this miraculous work. Victor was born with a birth defect that made life difficult for him and his family. He was a brilliant 6-year old when we first met him in Kamulu, Kenya. He was fluent in both English and Swahili, able to read, write, and speak in both languages. We learned soon after meeting him that due to his physical condition, he was not afforded the privilege of attending school beyond the pre-school level. Through Mending Kids, Victor's life was completely changed... for good. People from throughout the world, including Gene Simmons, Dr. Freedman and an incredibly skilled teams of doctors and nurses at Cedars-Sinai, came together to provide resources for complex and life-changing surgeries that gave Victor a new lease on life. Today, Victor is a vibrant teenager, successfully attending school, living a healthy life... one filled with hope and vision for a bright future. Mending Kids and its people use their amazing gifts and abilities to make life abundant for so many around the world. Their transformative work in Victor's life is nothing short of miraculous. The hundreds of people who came together to love on and provide for Victor through Mending Kids have been transformed as well... for good. I am so thankful for Mending Kids! Their work transforms life, infuses hope, strengthens love, and betters humanity. Such a powerful testament to the goodness in our world!
Mending Kids is a truly amazing non-profit. I have had opportunity to work alongside the amazing team of people at Mending Kids, who really care about the work they do on a day to day basis. Extreme energy and effort is put forth every day to save children's lives and make in impact in medical communities around the world. I am honored to be able to work for an organization that is changing lives and making the world a better place.
What an incredible organization. I have had the honor to not just work alongside their wonderful staff but to see firsthand the fruits of their angelic efforts change the lives of many children. And, beyond their direct impact on children's lives through surgical intervention, Mending Kids is a standout organization for the indirect and important long-term consequences they are imparting on whole communities through medical education.
I wrote to mending kids few years ago about a baby in Africa who has a complicated heart situation. His family could not financially afford to have this baby get the proper treatment needed. Cristina , replied to my email to learn more about the family and their situation. After back and forth emails and Cristina’s follow up the baby went to India and got his surgery done. It may sound easy but this organization and their dedicated stuff saved a life . It’s not only words but it’s action taken that makes a huge difference on this young first time parents and their son. Thank you so much for all you guys do and keep up the good mission.
My name is Jose Trejo. My son is Jorge Trejo he was born with a birth mark in his face, little by little was growing in his face, Jorge notice more because other kids stared to making fun of him. He lost interest in having friends and didn't want to talk as any one or go to school.my son was so depressed and sad. I tried to get help with my medical insurance but they denied,because for them was more like cosmetic issue. One day I saw on TV the report on news about Mendind kids I did contact them and they did change my kids life also our life my son now enjoys life and he is a happy boy. Thank you mending kids foundation.
12 years ago I was introduced to Mending Kids. The impact of the work this organization has done is unmeasurable. The life changing and life saving surgery’s performed is one aspect of the greatness of Mending Kids. But the true impact comes from the passion and commitment of the staff and volunteers. These people are amazing and have a love and commitment beyond anything you can think of. I am happy to donate and support this wonderful organization. May God Bless them all. They do a great job.
I met a young man in Jamaica whose face is badly disfigured. He needs surgery in order to live a more normal life. I researched hospitals, non-profits, and doctors all over the U.S., and finally I found Mending Kids. Mending Kids is the only organization which has been able to help me help this boy to get the surgeries he needs.
There are no words that can describe the feelings , the experience and the story-
The love for life , the gratitude these amazing people have is immeasurable- yet , they have very little -
Mending Kids was an incredible organization to work with. Every individual I had the pleasure of meeting and working with was incredibly dedicated and kind. They truly put their hearts into this organization and work tirelessly to accomplish their mission. I am honored to have worked with such an amazing group of people, who strive everyday to make an impact on so many young lives!
I have volunteered with Mending Kids for the past 10 years in Ecuador, the Philippines and Tanzania. I started out as a medical student and am now a pediatric surgeon, and I credit my incredible experiences with this organization as my inspiration for my career path. I am humbled by the work that Mending Kids does to provide life-saving surgery for children and surgical education in the places in the world that need care most.
My daughter and I have volunteered on two pediatric surgical missions to Guatemala with Mending Kids. This organization is filled with heart and the ability to get children the surgeries they need to change, and even save their lives. I cannot think of another experience more gratifying than helping a family to get care for their child in need and seeing the life-altering effects of that surgery. It is humbling to be thanked so genuinely by families of the children we serve.
Mending Kids is such an incredible nonprofit organization comprised of dedicated staff and volunteers. This organization truly works for the overall health and wellbeing of children both locally and internationally. Reading and seeing their work through their social media, you can instantly tell the difference in each child that is impacted by Mending Kids. It is so inspiring to read the stories of the patients, and even more inspiring to see how Mending Kids has created an opportunity for a happy ending for all of them.
I have joined MKI on 3 trips as a volunteer and cannot express how wonderful this organization is. All the doctors, nurses, and volunteers agree that they get enormous fulfillment from their ability to help children in such a vital way. Obviously the parents gratitude is indescribable. This organization is very well run - efficiency is one leg of the winning formula.
I had the chance to help/volunteer with Mending kids and I've seen directly the great work they do with kids. They really do make an impact on kids by giving them a better quality of life or changing their lives for better. Awesome organization!
My name is Arinaitwe Overson. My daughter Primrose Namara from Kampala city in Uganda was diagnosed with a condition called tetrallogy of fallot and we contacted mending kids for help. this was a congenital heart condition that threatened the life of Primrose. with the full support of mending kids , we were able to get Primrose treated and the first two sugeries were carried out at UCLA California between 2007 and 2009 and she is now doing very well. she has made 12 years. we commend and thank the entire team at mending kids for the great work they are doing in transforming the lives of young children whose lives are in danger mainly from congenital heart complications.
the services we got from mending kids was first class and our words can not express how grateful we are. only God can reward you. be blessed beyond measure. Am looking forward to at least working as a volunteer in this organization. blessings and blessings forever.
Review from Guidestar
My time with Mending Kids has been very heart warming and giving. By giving I mean everyone involved with MK is for the Kids. All energy is spent on what is best for the children. I have volunteered with MK for 7 years helping wherever needed....stuffing envelopes, setting up for Gala's, Golf Adventures, Poker Night, Home Town Mission and even a yard sale. Everyone pitches in and does whatever is needed from sweeping floor's, unloading U-Haul's to the big clean up at the end of every event. At the end we are all tired, by have smiles on our faces because we know more children will be mended and go on to a better life. Please volunteer wherever your heart takes you.
Previous Stories
As a volunteer I look for charities that help children and Mending Kids does that in BIG way. Children that may be cast away in some countries now have a chance to live a good life. MK reaches out in so many ways they are able to help more and more children. There is no better reward than to see a child smile, that once could not, or walk, or go out in public with their head held high. I am always looking for the next opportunity to help children and I have found it here.
This is my favorite non-profit! I have been involved hosting children for heart surgeries, as well as volunteered on a hometown mission. It is an incredible feeling to save children and know their families get more time with them on this earth!
Previous Stories
We have been hosting children since 2005 with Mending Kids International. This is our absolute favorite organization to work with! Every person, whether employed or volunteer, gives 100% and then some. This foundation has become part of our family. There is so much love spread around and everyone at Mending Kids cares not only for the children they treat, but also for the parents, the host families and each other. Without Mending Kids, many of these children would not survive. What a miracle their parents have been given to have their children healthy in a situation where they could do nothing. Our family has gotten so much out of this foundation as well. It has helped teach our own children to be more compassionate towards others and not always think about themselves first. It is a gift to be able to help others in need. We have truly been blessed to work with such an amazing group of people at Mending Kids International!
7 years ago, I set foot in the Mending Kids family as a non-medical volunteer joining a team of surgeons from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center who were headed to China to operate on orphans with congenital malformations and give them a chance to being adopted into families. The experience not only was an epiphany for me, it gave me an opportunity to use my filmmaking skills to share this experience with others. I volunteered for 2 more years on subsequent missions to Guatemala, Christmas Island and Ethiopia (to name a few) before being hired as a communication specialist. Mending Kids not only gave me a window into the rest of the world and woke me up to needs of so many children who lack access to the care they need (including in the USA,) it supported me with in-the-field team management experience and added to my responsibilities from Mission Coordinating to running the department and to now being the Director of Global Outreach for Mending Kids. Having coordinated and traveled now on more than 40 missions and helped more than 2000 kids gain access to the surgeries they needed, I had no clue heading off on that first trip to China in 2011 that the path would lead me to this humbling adventure and amazing organization.
I started as an employee of Mending Kids just a few months ago. All of the other employees have been very welcoming of me. I have been immersed into all of the wonderful work that Mending Kids does. I see, first hand, all of the hard work that is being done, constantly behind the scenes. It is a great honour to be able to help out with such an excellent charity.
Mending Kids is committed to helping children in all countries, of all backgrounds and faiths. I traveled on the India 2016 Surgical Mission. The volunteer surgeons fought daily to help more and more children at the participating hospital directly and through training of local medical staff to keep the Mending going.
Mending Kids is an incredible organization! Mending Kids gives children a chance to live a healthier life with the potential to a brighter future. We not only change the life of each child we mend, but we also make a difference in the community by giving them hope that there are people who truly care about other human beings. Mending Kids is simply amazing!
Mending Kids has a fantastic team and an incredible team dedicated to provide access to surgery to kids, whether it’s a few blocks away from the office in LA or all over the world. I have had the chance to work with the innovation team to provide innovative surgical care in Guatemala and while I didn’t make the trip myself, I am very happy and proud to have been able to contribute to the fantastic work they are doing. Go team mending kids!
Alexandra Inoyame would probably be dead today were it not for the partnership of JAPI WITH Mending Kids. When one of our doctors, Dr. Edgard Fortune, saw this young 14 year old girl who was injured by the 2010 earthquakes in Haiti he had compassion for her. As a physician, he wanted to do anything in his power to help that family and especially that poor little girl. Dr. Edgard called JAPI USA and asked if there was anything that JAPI could do to help. The answer was yes “if there is anything any body and or organization can do JAPI can help”.
After JAPI made contact with Ms. Isabelle Fox through Mending Kids, a partnership to save lives in Haiti went in motion. In November 2016 Alexandra Inoyame received a $30K surgical gift from Mending Kids and was restored to her family. Before AFTER
Thank you MendingKids. Thank you Isabelle Fox. Thank you Doctors. Thank you Dr. REEF. You are world class ambassadors who save lives!
Wholistically Yours,
Team USA/Haiti
JAPI Ambassadors and 3x4 ministries
Mending Kids is the best non=profit ever! They deserve recognition for all of the children they save all over the world!
My daughter, a R.N. has been working with and our family has been supporting Mending Kids for many years. The work they do abroad and in the States is life-changing, life-saving for the children and their loved ones. The passion that they exhibit day after day for their patients and the many, many volunteers that work with them is commendable and not often seen with other organizations.
My sister works for Memding Kids and it brings out the best in her because her heart is 100% in everything she does.
Just had a wonderful trip To Guatemala
Organized by Dr Varma and Willner and our wonderful nurse Gwen Nagao
This team had the spirit making a difference in the lives of Guatemalan Children with ENT problems!!
Amazing
i've been to Maputo, Mozambique two years in a row now with Mending Kids on a Paediatric Burns Reconstruction Surgery mission. The organisation by Daniel Belshe and the leadership by Dr David Kulber were inspirational and second to none on both occasions. The way the mission continues to evolve and grow each year is particularly impressive. I certainly hope to be able to join the mission again next year!
They are all about facilitating the surgeon to work on the kids who really need it most. Staff is friendly and thoughtful and dedicated. I’ve done three missions with Medina kids plus several hometown missions and they’ve all been successful and life changing to everyone involved. I highly recommend them.
I volunteered with Mending Kids in 2015 and can without hesitation say that it was one of the best experiences of my life. The group is full of wonderful people that all share the same passion to help children in need. Isabelle goes above and beyond to not only make these missions successful and life changing for the children but enjoyable for those that tag along for the journey.
I attended a medical mission with Mending Kids as a non-medical volunteer in Guatemala, and I was amazed and the quality of care that this organization provides. All of the doctors and nurses not only went above and beyond to treat their patients physical needs, but also ensured that both the patients and their family members emotional needs were met. The doctors and nurses provided emotional support and true compassion for the patients in a way I have never seen in a regular hospital setting before. The mission was extremely organized and run very efficiently thanks to the amazing mission directors. It was truly an eye opening experience and taught me what health care should look like: pure and selfless.
I have been blessed to work for Mending Kids for the past 10 years and I have seen first hand how we are changing the life of children around the world. They are an awesome non-profit.
This is a wonderfully worthwhile cause! I have learned so much in such a short time looking through the eyes of the Mending Kids team. Not only are they orchestrating surgical missions around the world benefitting children who would not otherwise receive any care, they also take the extra step of training local physicians and surgeons so that they are better prepared to give back within their own communities in the future. Perhaps most impressive to me was the insanely high percentage of donated dollars that go directly to the cause. I believe it was 95% last year! 5 STARS ALL THE WAY! Nobody does it better!
I volunteered to go on a trip sponsored by Mending Kids on a medical mission to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. This is the 3rd trip with Mending Kids to this area where we help children with heart defects that are making them very sick. Each time we go the non-medical volunteers that come from Mending Kids have been fantastic with this trip being no different, they very much help us fulfill our mission of helping the children and their families.
I had the privilege of working with MK in Mozambique in the past two years. The work done is amazing and it has a measurable impact on kid's quality of life. Teaching local surgeons is also a big part of the mission, a work in progress that has proved much worth it.
Its amazing to work with an organization that makes such a lasting impact on the lives of the children and the communities they visit.
Mending Kids is an amazing, high impact organization that significantly improves the lives of kids around the world. Providing life saving and life changing surgeries to children who can't afford them, this non-profit deserves far more than five stars!!!!
The organization is well run, well staffed, and has missions which serve in the long term, being focused on education of the local medical staff. Serving on five missions so far, I have always come away feeling a renewed sense of humanity !
The work they do is life saving, life changing and truly remarkable! My daughter and I saw this firsthand when we were non-medical volunteers on a Mending Kids Mission this past summer. The doctors were selfless, giving of their time and expertise to provide children the surgeries they needed to live. The experience we had with Mending Kids opened not only our eyes but also our hearts to the needs of children in the world, so much so that our plan is to volunteer on a Mending Kids Mission again next summer!
Outstanding organization committed to the care of children.
Extremely supportive staff and infrastructure for coordinating missions which focus not only on patient care but training local providers.
I went on the Guatemala trip in October of 2017. It was a life changing experience and I would not trade it for anything. Extremely grateful for everything that Mending Kids offered!
I volunteered in Mozambique this August! What a wonderful organization!!!!! The amount of help on the misssion, the love, the donations, made our trip unforgettable. It was a life changing experience not only for me, but the children and families that we helped. Thank you Mending Kids for the Amazing opportunity to help make a difference in people's lives.
amazing commitment to children - especially their concern for the children of Haiti. the organization works hard to address this specific need year after year.
Every year I go to Mozambique with this on profit. Their dedication and efficiency are unparalleled. The work done is always impressive and the staff at the local hospital are always very happy.
I've had the privilege of going on several missions with MKI and I also hosted a Mending Kids sponsored child that came to USA to have heart surgery. I have been able to see first hand how MKI can positively transform a chid's life. The medical teams that volunteer for MKI are beyond amazing, talented, and inspiring. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with them.
I have had the privilege of seeing first hand just how wonderful Mending Kids International is. From my first encounter with the foundation, I just knew that somehow, I had to be a part of it. The Home town mission was where I got to "dip my toe" and see just how thoughtful, organized, and dedicated this group is. I couldn't wait to go on my mission! I was lucky enough to accompany them to China and Mongolia and see the difference that MKI makes. Not only for the children and families, but for the medical personnel and for us, the volunteers. As corny as it sounds, my life was changed. I'm a wife, a mother, a hard worker...little did I know that this small role that I played in their truly LIFE SAVING mission, would save me.
All you need to do is look at the smiles on the faces of the children after they get their surgeries from MKI. Truly inspiring. Marcelle and her staff are as talented as they are dedicated.
I've witnessed the life changing surgeries Mending Kids provide to so many children all over the world. Hope. Love. Mend
Mending Kids is a great organization! I appreciate the work they do for kids, and think the staff and volunteers are great people working towards a great cause!
Wow, that's about all I can say. After having the honor of participating in several missions with Mending Kids, I feel humbled and thankful to be part of a mission team and group that does so much for so many kids throughout the world. From the top flight mission coordination team, to the local volunteers, no end is left loose, and the missions run beautifully. My hat is off to the Mending Kids team for taking such good care of so many kids!
