Author: Moinul Islam

 

Dr. Rob Dunn has been quite a keen recreational cyclist. Along with his wife, Patricia, he has completed two Great Victorian Bike Rides in 2004 and 2009 and even completed a 220km Around the Bay in a Day ride in 2005..!

When Dr. Dunn joined Rotary Club of Box Hill Central earlier this year, he was introduced to the club’s international project, Operation Cleft. The idea to “come out of retirement” and do the 100km Sorrento to Docklands ride in October 2018 was born in order to support of Operation Cleft!

Children with cleft palate are ostracised by society in Bangladesh, but surgery is not an option for many because it is not covered by their public health care system. Operation Cleft provides free surgery to repair cleft lips and palates, giving Bangladeshi children the opportunity to lead a normal life, get an education, build a social network and contribute to society, for just $AUD300 per operation.

Dr. Dunn is excited to about the campaign and the challenge to make a difference to many disadvantaged children born with cleft lip/palate who can’t afford the corrective surgery.

We hope you will join Dr Dunn in his journey, support him and help Operation Cleft Australia continue to provide free cleft lip and palate surgeries for poor children in Bangladesh.

Please follow his journey and support him – click here

Last year a very special friend of the Operation Cleft Australia, Jeff Wright of Melbourne, geared to run across continents to raise vital funds so we could provide free cleft lip/palate operations to underprivileged children born with this deformity. The campaign raised funds to provide four operations at AUD$300! We thank Jeff and the supporters from the bottom of our hearts!

We can’t keep a good man from running! And the need to raise funds to achieve OCA’s ‘1000 Smiles’ a year is still very crucial.

So in 2018, Jeff is planning to run again! He will be participating on a numerous Marathons throughout the year,  He will be running at King Island Imperial 20, Australian Running Festival in Canberra, Alice Springs, Melbourne and Portland Treble to continue to raise funds for Operation Cleft Australia!

Over 5000 children are born in Bangladesh each year with cleft palates. The medical system there doesn’t have the capacity to care for them and the condition can lead to infection, malnutrition and rejection by their communities. Operation Cleft raises funds to allow surgical repair for these kids to allow them to lead a normal life.

We hope you will join Jeff in his journey, support him and help Operation Cleft Australia continue to provide free cleft lip and palate surgeries for poor children in Bangladesh.

Please follow Jeff’s journey and support him – click here