There is a particular kind of injustice in watching someone die from a condition that could have been treated. Not an incurable disease or something beyond the reach of modern medicine, but a burst appendix, complications during childbirth, or a wound that simply needs stitching. Conditions that, elsewhere in the world, would be treated quickly and routinely without a second thought. The difference is not medical possibility, but geography, access, and inequality.
Global surgery rarely dominates headlines, yet the scale of the crisis is impossible to ignore. Millions of people around the world still lack access to safe, timely and affordable surgical care, with devastating consequences for individuals, families and communities. One of the most effective ways to change that is through long-term investment in the places that need it most, training surgeons, strengthening infrastructure, and supporting sustainable local healthcare systems that continue long after short-term interventions end.
That is the work of Global CARE: funding scholarships, projects and initiatives that expand access to surgical and dental care in underserved communities across the world. Over the past year, that work has continued to grow, with several significant milestones helping to drive meaningful and lasting impact.
This week, to mark Global Surgery Week, we will be sharing a series of posts across our social channels to highlight the importance of closing the global surgery gap.
Two Years of Global CARE by Numbers
Since launch, Global CARE has awarded funding and scholarships across nine countries, supporting eight specialties and a diverse cohort of surgeons, trainees, and researchers working at the frontline of global health.
Global CARE Grant and Scholarship Awards 2026
This year we have awarded £31,904 towards Global CARE Grants and Scholarships that were accessible through open application, and a further £12,500 to Kids Operating Room (Kids OR) as part of a new partnership established this year.
We received a total of 64 applications, which were reviewed by a returning panel of distinguished experts. Mr Mohammad Riaz, Consultant General Surgeon with 30+ years of disaster surgery experience; Miss Ann Sunny, Consultant General Surgeon at Royal Lancaster Infirmary; Dr Aravinda Guntupalli, Senior Lecturer in Global Health at the University of Aberdeen; and Eimear Monaghan of NHS Grampian.
The panel members (pictured above) chaired by Professor Angus Watson OBE (left), awarded the following:
Andrew Kent – Large Grant £10,000 for Implement the cascade of PTC training in Nigeria and enable the region to be self-sustaining with PTC training
Sean Daniel – Small Grant £3,000 for Strengthening ENT clinical skills education at the University of Zimbabwe (Funded by the Russell Trust)
Alsadig Suliman – Small Grant £3,000 for Laparoscopic Skills Advancement: Low-Cost Simulation Training Initiative in Sudan
Marcella Ryan-Coker – Scholarship £5,300 for an 8-week clinical lower limb reconstruction and arthroplasty pathway development in a West African setting, to return home to strengthen Sierra Leone's healthcare system
Bhawana Dangol – Scholarship £6,100 for an observership, Lateral skull base dissection course in Italy, return home to strengthen Nepal's healthcare system
Abdoulie Bah – Scholarship £4,504 for an observership in minimally invasive surgery, neonatal surgery and neonatal intensive care in the UK, return home to strengthen Gambia's healthcare system.
KidsOR
Global CARE awarded KidsOR £12,500 to support their surgical training. This funding will help build paediatric surgical capacity in low- and middle-income countries, where nine out of ten children currently lack access to safe and timely surgical care.
An Update On Our Global CARE 2025 Awardees
In 2026, a total £44,404 was awarded in funding, an increase of 7.8% compared to 2025. Since the launch of Global CARE in 2025, five projects and one scholar have been underway. Here is an update from each of our awardees:
Dr Kuburat Adenrele Global CARE Scholarship 2025
Since completing her Global CARE-funded cataract surgery training at Aravind Eye Hospital, India, Dr Adenrele has returned to Nigeria and performed over 50 cataract surgeries without intraoperative complications – with the majority of patients having regained functional sight.
Jayanth Kesave Global CARE Large Grant
Jayanth Kesave's Nutritional Support for Paediatric Surgical Patients in Nepal project was generously funded by the Sir Henry Wade's Pilmuir Trust. His project is now in full implementation, with training sessions delivered for local healthcare workers to build sustainable screening capacity.
Dr Becky Sandford, Mr Mustafa Musajee and Professor Paul Odula
Their Global CARE Large Grant — Limb Salvage Surgery Training in Kenya has made significant strides in building surgical capacity across the region. The project is currently ongoing, with a regional community of practice having emerged among surgeons managing chronic limb threatening ischaemia, fostering mutual support across the region.
Rachael Collins and Dr Kenneth Mlay
Their Global CARE Large Grant — Improving Access to ENT Care in Rural Tanzania, has made a strong start, combining direct patient care with rigorous research. Their outreach clinic conducted at Huruma Hospital in the Rombo district in September 2025 saw over 50 patients presenting with ear-related conditions. Their project is currently on-going.
Dr Meron Mulat Gebrehiwot and Dr Ashenafi Yitbarek
Their Global CARE Small Grant — Improving Pre-Hospital Burn Care in Ethiopia, Partially funded by the Triennial Conference Donors is working to prevent burn-related complications and increase survival rates by improving pre-hospital management of burn victims in Mekelle.
Haleemah Abdul-Razakq
Haleemah Abdul-Razakq's Global CARE Small Grant project — Salivary Biomarker Research for Early Oral Cancer Detection in Thailand is exploring salivary biomarkers as a non-invasive tool for early oral cancer detection is now underway. The project commenced in 2025 and is currently on-going.
Donate Now, Your Contribution Matters!
Behind every statistic is a person for whom the absence of a safe surgical care is the difference between life and death.
Five billion people worldwide still lack access to this basic human right, but Global CARE has started to close this gap. There is so much more to do, and none of it is possible without your support.
Please donate to Global CARE today, and help build a world where no one dies from something that can be cured. Your donation will directly fund our grant programme, and ensure our next cohort of awardees have access to the resources they need.
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