Saving lives in Timor-Leste (2025 Pilot)
Every child deserves access to safe, timely surgical care. Yet, in Timor-Leste, a critical shortage of paediatric surgeons and specialised medical training means that children suffering from treatable conditions often face life-threatening delays.
Last year, the Guido Valadares National Hospital, Dili Timor Leste, reached out to the Queensland Children’s Hospital, and inturn Children First, as there was a dire need for paediatric surgical support.
The Today Tomorrow Project Timor-Leste is a pioneering designed to build surgical capacity where it is needed most—ensuring that Timorese children receive life-changing and life-saving care in their own country, now and into the future.
In the coming months, an expert surgical team will travel to Timor-Leste to deliver essential surgeries to approximately 60 children while working alongside local medical professionals to strengthen their skills. This collaborative approach ensures that Timor-Leste’s medical workforce is empowered to provide safe, sustainable surgical care for generations to come.
By investing in capacity-building rather than crisis intervention, we are laying the foundation for a future where no child is left waiting for the care they desperately need.
Thanks to our surgical partners, the Queensland Children’s Hospital, logistics partners the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) and local partners at the the Guido Valadares National Hospital.
This project is funded thanks to the Australian Communities Foundation.
Together, we can make a lasting impact.
Saving lives in Samoa (2024 and ongoing)
In 2023, the Samoan government reached out to Children First as they have no paediatric surgeons on the island nation. All children requiring surgery had to go overseas. Children First was keen to help, but the surgical load of an entire nation was too much to bring to Australia under our care. A new solution was needed.
In 2024, teaming up with highly skilled Australian and New Zealand surgeons volunteering their skills and RACS, 29 children were assessed, 23 undertook surgical procedures and 18 accessed life-changing and even life-saving surgical care in Samoa. Not only that, but a Samoan surgical registrar, anaesthesia registrar and theatre team also accessed essential training and will receive ongoing mentoring to enable them to meet the needs of Samoan children in the future.
This 2024 project was funded thanks to Kiwanis Australia.
Saving lives in Papua New Guinea (2023-2025)
Partnering with the RACS and our local partners in Papua New Guinea we worked to to build the capacity of clinicians (from grassroots local health workers through to surgeons) in Advanced Paediatric Life Support.
These clinicians are now able to save the lives of children who are in a critical condition following an accident, illness or rapid decline post-surgery. They will be able to save the lives of children who currently would not make it.
Between 2023 and early 2025, five courses were run, training 107 clinicians in Advanced Paediatric Life Support. These clinicians treat up to 2,000 children each year. They are surgeons, A&E doctors, nurses, midwives and even paramedics.
By up-skilling health workers, the Today Tomorrow Project will directly impact the child mortality rate in PNG.
This project is entirely funded thanks to our partner, the Australian Communities Foundation. We are thrilled to report, thanks to the success of this project, funding has now gained for RACS to expand this critical project nationally throughout PNG.
Support the Today Tomorrow Project
If you would specifically like to support the Today Tomorrow Project, please contact us directly ([email protected]). We’d love to hear from you!