Dear Friends and Supporters of Operation Walk,
Let me start by expressing our gratitude for your ongoing support of Operation Walk Manitoba, it has been a challenging year for us and I wanted to ensure that you are kept up to date.
As most of you may have heard we, unfortunately, had to cancel the 2018 mission to Nicaragua due to the civil unrest in that country. This resulted in a travel advisory being issued by the Canadian Government and as the safety of the team members is the board’s primary responsibility the mission was canceled, as were all other medical missions from Canada and the United States.
We were delighted to hear just recently that the travel advisory has been downgraded and other teams have resumed their missions to Nicaragua. It is our intent to return to Nicaragua in November 2019 to continue our work in providing hip and knee replacements.
Our fundraising efforts last year allowed us to purchase two brand new sterilizers for the hospital in Managua, which have arrived and are being installed.
Donations that were targeted for patient sponsorship and surgical supplies have been held over for this year’s mission.
As always there is a need for additional funds for patient and infrastructure support and therefore the Operation Walk board decided to host a fundraising event this spring which raised funds to support the upcoming mission. We would love to see you there to support our 2019 Mission. Or visit our donation page anytime to make an online gift.
On behalf of the Operation Walk, Manitoba Board – thank you for your support.
Dr. David Hedden
Medical Director