CHARITIES WE LOVE

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 AARCS is a non-profit organization that relies on the generosity of the public to help cover the costs of all our expenses, the majority being veterinary care for our animals. Their goal is to help homeless animals in our community and enact societal change, so that we may all witness a Compassionate World for All Animals. While they have the manpower, drive, and ambition, financial support is essential to cultivate and maintain not only the basic costs but to further develop our programs and initiatives. 

Rescuing severely damaged faces. Facing Africa funds two teams of highly skilled and experienced volunteer surgeons from the UK, Ireland and Canada to Ethiopia each year to perform complex facial reconstructive surgery on the victims of the disease noma and other severe facial disfigurements.

In 1998, Chris Lawrence heard about the terrible plight of the hundreds of thousands of children suffering the dreadful and shocking destructive and devastating effects of "Noma".  Chris wanted to do something, anything to help, and contacted Allan Thom, a Consultant Orthodontist whom he had known for several years to ask if he had ever come across the disease.

Together, Chris and Allan researched, spoke to dozens of people, scoured the internet and finally conceived and registered the charity “Facing Africa – NOMA”. 

Facing Africa NOMA sends two teams annually to travel to Africa and spend 2 weeks performing pro-bono facial reconstructive surgeries on patients, mainly children, effected by the horrifying disease, noma. Each team is made up of 4 surgeons (plastic, maxillo-facial and cranio-facial), 3 anesthetists, 3 operating room nurses, 3 ward nurses, a doctor and 2 wound care nurses. Each surgical mission spends 2 weeks in Ethiopia and generally carries out 25 – 35 facial reconstructions.

In addition to the surgery, Facing Africa also encourages local doctors, surgeons and nurses to attend lectures and presentations done by our volunteers in order to teach them new and better procedures and techniques. Ethiopian surgeons are invited to observe and assist during surgery. Facing Africa also donates surgical instruments, consumables and disposables to Ethiopian hospitals at the end of each mission.