The charity, which is based in Edinburgh, Scotland, opened the facility on June 24, five years ahead of its target to install 100 dedicated surgical theatres by 2030. Just two days later, the team will open its 101st operating room in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “This new operating room will be truly life-changing for children in Botswana,” said Dr Kutlo Moalosi, the head of Paediatric Surgery at Princess Marina Hospital.
“It allows us to treat conditions earlier, avoid complications and help children grow up healthy and strong. More than that, it provides hope. It signals that children here matter just as much as children anywhere else in the world,” Moalosi said. Founded in 2018 by Garreth and Nicola Wood, Kids Operating Room has so far enabled over 680,000 surgeries for children in countries across Africa, Asia, and South and Central America. In some places, the facilities are the only ones that focus exclusively on surgical care for children. The operating room in Gaborone was made possible through the support of British entrepreneur Steve Lansdown and his wife Maggie, who have partnered with the charity to expand surgical access in Botswana. Each facility is designed to carry out up to 2,000 operations a year. The Gaborone room is equipped with child-friendly tools, colourful walls, and solar power, which allows surgical teams to continue their work during power outages. “This is not just a number,” said Nicola Wood, co-founder of the charity. “It represents lives saved, disabilities prevented and a global movement that believes every child deserves access to safe surgery.”
