Hi, we're the Frenzens, and we've been volunteering at the Bwindi Community Hospital (BCH) in rural southwestern Uganda since 2009. Over the years, we have self-funded an annual Orthopedic Surgical 'camp' focused on providing much-needed care for the BCH community and on capacity building for the hospital. Our typical camp includes seeing 30-50 patients in clinic and performing 15-25 major surgical procedures - all with an educational component for developing the skills of in-country staff. Hard to believe this will be our thirteenth surgical mission to BCH!

In anticipation of our arrival, announcements are being made on the radio and in churches that the 'bone doctor from America' is coming to the hospital. Local healthcare teams have been identifying orthopedic patients on outreach visits to rural villages and prescreening patients for many months. Our ongoing relationship with this extraordinary community hospital enables us to prepare for anticipated surgical cases by ordering implants and other surgical hardware in advance of our travel.

We are anxiously awaiting our return to BCH in late February this year. While we have always self-funded this work (with the support from friends and family), this year we are again hoping to raise $10,000 to help cover the hospital's cost of running the surgical camp (operating room, staff wages, etc.). While this sum is significant, it would cover a fraction of a single surgery in the US... yet, it will enable us to provide high-quality orthopedic care for dozens of deserving Ugandans. Any funds raised beyond $10,000 will help offset other camp expenses like surgical implants, equipment, and medications.

Thank you, in advance, for giving what you can... and for sharing this fundraiser!

Sincerely,

The Frenzens