In Mali, there is only one physician for every 12,800 people—and no reconstructive plastic surgeons. But Dr. Oumar Coulibaly is out to change that. He hopes one day to be his country’s first pediatric plastic surgeon to help poor children receive the reconstructive care they need.

For the last four years, ReSurge International has witnessed the remarkable dedication of this young, local physician during its volunteer surgical team trips to Bamako. Our volunteers saw that he potentially could restore the lives of hundreds of impoverished children every year with further training.

With help from generous donors Nancy and John Cassidy, founder of Klutz, ReSurge is building the surgical capacity in Mali by helping Oumar receive additional specialized pediatric surgical training.

Oumar is now studying pediatric surgery in Côte d'Ivoire. That training will hopefully be followed by a two-year fellowship in reconstructive plastic surgery to give him the skills necessary to renew the lives of children who have debilitating impairments. During his years of continued training, Oumar will return to Mali whenever ReSurge teams visit, to learn from the surgeons and help in the care of his country’s patients.

Empowering doctors like Dr. Coulibably to transform the lives of children in their own countries has proven to be a very cost-effective means of increasing medical access.