IT STARTED WITH A FAMILY TRIP...

In 2014 our children asked if we could do a "volunteer trip" instead of our usual summer vacation. We took their idea to heart, and in August, 2014, the six of us flew off to Ethiopia, to spend a week in the village of Gondar. We ran activities for the children, and what we saw and experienced changed our lives. Severely malnourished children, no medical care, and a level of poverty that was unimaginable. On our last day, the locals heard I was a doctor, and lined up by the hundreds to see me. I had no medical equipment, but examined each person with a pen light, doing the best I could. When we returned home, we could not stop thinking about the people we met, and the poverty we saw. We decided to return the following summer, and this time to focus our efforts on medical care. We brought medical equipment, donations of medications and eye glasses, and we set up our first mobile eye-clinic in the village. From there, Operation Ethiopia was born. We have expanded our efforts each year and now provide medical training, a feeding program, surgeries, and more. We partner with other organizations whenever possible. We never imagined all that could come from one family vacation. We invite you to read more about our work and support our efforts. 

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~Dr. Morris Hartstein, MD, FACS.

LEARN WHAT WE ARE DOING IN AFRICA AND SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP

FEEDING PROGRAM FOR MALNOURISHED CHILDREN

Providing two stable meals a day to 500 children aged 0-5, and nursing mothers in Gondar.

ON-SITE EYECARE CLINICS IN THE VILLAGES

Setting up on-site mobile eye clinics in Gondar and surrounding villages to treat patients.

PERFORMING OCULOPLASTIC SURGERY

In the local hospital in Gondar, to both pediatric and adult patients

DOCTOR TRAINING IN ISRAEL

Bringing Ethiopian doctors to Israel for advanced training. 15 Ethiopian doctors have now completed ophthalmic training in Israel.

FIRST-AID AND CPR TRAINING IN GONDAR

Training youth in First Aid, CPR, and Covid preventive care, and doctors in CPR.

CATARACT CAMPAIGNS

Performing sight-restoring cataract surgery in villages surrounding Gondar, where individuals have little access to eyecare.

DR. MORRIS HARTSTEIN, MD, FACS

Operation Ethiopia was founded by Dr. Morris Hartstein MD, FACS, who specializes in Ophthalmic Plastic, Reconstructive, and Cosmetic Surgery. He trained at Harvard, Tufts, and NYU, and is currently the Director of Oculoplastic Surgery at Shamir Medical Center in Zrifin, Israel and lectures at Tel Aviv University Medical School. He has made over 10 trips to Ethiopia, all at his own expense, to treat and operate on those who otherwise have little or no access to care. He brings Ethiopian doctors to Israel to train in his hospital, and has personally trained three of the five Oculoplastic surgeons in all of Ethiopia. Prior to moving to Israel in 2004, he was Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Plastic Surgery at Saint Louis University. He has published four texbooks on ophthalmic surgery, given hundreds of lectures, and trained seven fellows. He is a husband and father of four, and Operation Ethiopia continues to be a family effort.

CONTACT OPERATION ETHIOPIA

Get in touch with Operation Ethiopia to learn more about our work, partner with us, and find out how you can get involved.
Please fill out the contact form below. We look forward to hearing from you.