Kids Operating Room

07/10/2026

It was an honour to be part of this year's Scotland's International Development Alliance, 'When Everything Matters: Making Tough But Positive Choices.'

We're especially proud that our co-founder, Garreth Wood, and CEO, David Cunningham, were invited to share Kids Operating Room’s experience of working alongside local partners to strengthen children's surgical care in , including opening our first dedicated paediatric operating room in the West Bank.

As funding pressures, conflict and growing humanitarian needs continue to challenge the international development sector, it was inspiring to stand alongside so many people and organisations committed to creating a fairer, healthier future for children and communities around the world. 💛

03/10/2026

One surgeon in a million. 💛

For more than 15 years, Dr Ijeoma Ogbebor has cared for children at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. She knows what it's like to work through power cuts, equipment shortages and long waiting lists, all while trying to give children the care they need.

In 2024, a dedicated Kids Operating Room was installed at the hospital, complete with specialist equipment and reliable solar power. Since then, surgeries can happen sooner, families spend less time waiting, and surgical teams can focus on what they do best: caring for children.

As Dr Ijeoma says, "When staff have the right environment and the tools they need, it brings out the best in them."

One million operations didn't happen by chance. They were made possible by local surgical teams like Dr Ijeoma's, whose skill, commitment and compassion change children's lives every day. ✨

02/10/2026

This week we're celebrating hitting one million operations. 💛

And what better way to do it than with Joel – one of the very first.

At just 14 days old, Joel needed life-saving surgery for oesophageal atresia. It was a complex, lengthy and risky operation, requiring specialist equipment that was extremely limited in low- and middle-income countries.

But something had changed.

A new operating room designed specifically for children had just opened in Kampala, Uganda – the very first built by the team that would go on to become Kids Operating Room.

The surgical team decided to try once more. And it worked.

Ten years later, Joel loves playing football at school, wearing number seven just like his hero Cristiano Ronaldo. He does brilliantly in class and can't decide whether he wants to become a pilot, an engineer or a doctor.

What he does know is that, whatever he ends up doing, he wants to help his dad with his work, buy his mum her dream car and pay his little sister's school fees.

Access to safe, timely surgery made this possible. A childhood filled with football, school and family. Dreams for the future.

So, when the time comes, we have no doubt that Joel will make it all happen.

But for now, he's got a game of football to win. ⚽

01/10/2026

Standing in Murrayfield Stadium, our co-founders Nicola and Garreth Wood reflected on a dream they shared in the earliest days of Kids Operating Room: filling every seat in the stadium with a child whose life had been changed by safe surgery.

Back then, it seemed like a hugely ambitious goal… One million operations later, we've gone well beyond a full stadium. 💛

01/10/2026

Standing in Murrayfield brings back a memory.

At the start of this journey, reaching the stadium's capacity in operations felt like an extraordinary ambition.

What began with a single operating room and a big idea has now grown into one million operations made possible for children around the world.

This milestone belongs to the children, families and local surgical teams at its heart, and to every supporter, partner and colleague who helped make it possible.

Watch the full film here: https://youtu.be/WFMMwxuK2ZU

Making safe surgery possible, so children can make anything possible. ✨

30/09/2026

A million is a big number.

Too big, really, to make sense of on its own.

What it represents is easier to imagine.

The journey home. The first day back at school. Kicking a ball in the park. Growing up surrounded by family. Dreaming about the future.

One million operations means one million moments like these.

Not just operations completed, but possibilities unlocked.

We are making safe surgery possible, so kids can make anything possible. 💛

29/09/2026

One million operations, one million children with a story. 💛

God's Desire is one of them.

At 14 months old, she loves to eat crackers, playing with her baby shakers and tussling with her brother and sister. When someone teases her, she flashes a bright, two-toothed smile. 🥹

For her mum, Gift, those ordinary moments mean everything.

When God's Desire was born with an advanced cleft lip and palate, feeding was a daily struggle. Milk leaked through her nose, mealtimes ended in tears, and her family faced endless worry about how they would keep their daughter healthy. Despite the stigma, setbacks and people telling her there was no solution, Gift never stopped searching for help...

That determination eventually led her to a child-friendly operating room equipped by Kids Operating Room, where God's Desire received the surgery she needed.

Today, she can enjoy her favourite snacks, play alongside her siblings and grow up with the freedom every child deserves.

Behind every single operation is a child, a family, and a future filled with possibilities that once felt out of reach. ✨

29/09/2026

To celebrate reaching capacity for ✨ one million operations ✨ for children around the world, we've spent the last two days sharing free coffee with our neighbours in Edinburgh.

Over many coffees and conversations, we've had the chance to share the work we do, celebrate what this milestone represents, and welcome new supporters into our community through our newsletter. 💌

Thank you to everyone who stopped by for a coffee and a chat.

One million operations is an extraordinary milestone, and we're proud to share it with you.

The coffee cart will be outside our Edinburgh office until 2pm today, so there's still time to come and say hello. ☕

28/09/2026

ONE MILLION OPERATIONS MADE POSSIBLE! 🎉✨

Today, Kids Operating Room has hit a milestone that once felt unimaginable - we have now created surgical capacity for one million operations for children around the world.

From one single operating room, installed in Kampala, Uganda, in 2015, to operating rooms and surgical teams across the world that have now created capacity for one million life-changing and life-saving operations.

And countless moments made possible afterwards. First steps. Returning to school. Playing with friends. Growing up. Dreaming about what comes next. We could not be more proud.

To every single person who helped us reach one million: thank you.

One million operations is an extraordinary milestone. But for every child who receives surgery, it's just the beginning.

Kids Operating Room makes surgery possible, so kids can make anything possible.

28/09/2026

Free coffee! ☕️

We have HUGE news - and we want to celebrate it with our neighbours in Edinburgh.

So come grab a coffee on us by our office on George Street and find out what the big news is. 🥳

We make safe surgery possible, so kids can make anything possible.