Koreatown Rotarian Visits Operation Smile in Korea

Last November, we went to Vietnam with our sister club in Seoul and operated on 137 children.  After we came back from Vietnam to Seoul, the IPDG from District 3650, Mr. Yun, saw the pictures and was impressed with the surgery outcomes and started promoting this.  This is what made the Governor-Elects decide to support the cost for 1000 surgeries for children with cleft-lips and palate.  Furthermore, our club and our sister club in Seoul is helping to set up an Operation Smile organization in Korea which can provide many surgeries throughout Asia.  We are planning an opening gala ceremony this coming November.  A lot of volunteers including surgeons, nurses, and doctors are joining this organization.  Many thousands of children will benefit from this.

As you know, Vietnam does not have any Rotary Clubs yet.  When we had a surgery trip last November in Vietnam with Operation Smile, the co-founder, Kathy Magee, personally introduced me to two high government officials: a National Committee of Foreign Affairs member and a Director General who controls all NGO in Vietnam.  When we asked them about the possibility of opening a Rotary Club in Vietnam, their response was very positive.  They asked us to keep dong the humanitarian services we are doing in Vietnam and maybe someday they will give us the opportunity to set up Rotary Clubs in Vietnam.

The 1000 pledge from Governor-Elects in Seoul indicates that they want to do missions in Vietnam.  If this happens, it may accelerate the establishment of Rotary Clubs in Vietnam.  I am currently working on how we can perform these 1000 surgeries with Operation Smile in Vietnam by next year.
 

After my trip to Korea, before coming back to LA, the District Governor and Past-Governor of 3650 invited me to join their trip to Nepal, in District 3292.  They had scheduled to participate in an opening ceremony of one of the hospitals where they donated medical equipment.  The Governors were aware that our club and our sister club from Seoul has planned to perform surgeries for children with cleft-lips and palate in Nepal next spring.  Everyone I met in Nepal was very excited for the upcoming Operation Smile mission.

Nepal is such a small country with a huge population.  Now they have their own District separated from India.  There are around 70 Rotary Clubs in one District.  They highly contribute this success to RI President 08-09, DK Lee.  He visited Nepal and sent an RI Representative to promote the Rotary in Nepal.  This country needs lots of help from our side.  Rotarians in Kathmandu, Nepal are actively performing humanitarian services. 

The District 3292 Governor was Secretary of Defense in Nepal.  He also had other numerous high ranking government jobs.  He arranged for us to meet the Secretary of Health Department, Prime Minister and the President.  Also, the Speaker of the House joined our farewell dinner.  It was such an honor.  This showed that the Nepal government hopes for Rotarians to do more for their people. 

Throughout my whole trip in Korea and Nepal, everybody was aware that I came from District 5280. Photos from the visit can be viewed here