Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) recently reported on the work of the Children's Surgery Foundation in an segment on the "MDR um Vier" program. The report focused on our medical missions in Africa, where the Foundation's team is committed to providing surgical care for children.

The report shows what a difference these missions can make for the affected children and their families.

We are delighted with the media attention and the interest in our work.

You can watch the full report here:

German pediatricians at their limit: Between power outages and emergency surgery.

Spiegel TV accompanied our team to Hawassa and impressively showcases the challenging daily reality of medical aid on site. Learn more about our foundation's work in the current report.

Click here for the complete press release.

Martin Lacher in conversation with Kreuzer about pediatric surgery in Leipzig and North Korea – and his Federal Cross of Merit.

On May 27, 2025, Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer presented the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany to Prof. Dr. Martin Lacher, Director of the Clinic for Pediatric Surgery at Leipzig University Hospital.

The award recognizes his many years of humanitarian commitment to children and his dedication to training pediatric surgeons abroad within the framework of the Children's Surgery Foundation.

The honor also received widespread media attention; among others, the Deutsches Ärzteblatt reported on it.

The HAWASSA CHILD exhibition of the Pediatric Surgery Foundation was on display at Friedrichshafen Hospital. The organization has been volunteering for years to perform surgical procedures on children in Ethiopia. Around 30 impressive photographs offered insights into the daily hospital routine on site, the fascinating landscape around Hawassa, and the everyday lives of the people in the region.

Impressions from a special mission: Dietmar Craß and specialist nurses Carmen Craß and Melanie Graf report on their experiences with challenging hygiene conditions and unusual clinical pictures in Africa."

Hirschsprung's disease, anorectal malformations, and other congenital anomalies are just some of the many childhood diseases that require surgical treatment. However, in less medically developed countries, the necessary expertise to perform these procedures is often lacking. The Children's Surgery Foundation aims to change that.

The anaesthetist Dietmar Craß was working for the Children's Surgery Foundation for the eighth time – this time in Ethiopia. Often, they lack the most basic things there.

When a child is born in Germany with a malformation in the gastrointestinal tract, it is usually operated on directly in the first days of life. But in poorer countries, this is by no means a given.

Dietmar Craß, an anesthetist from Tettnang, recently operated on infants with severe malformations of the gastrointestinal tract, tumors, or other diseases in Ethiopia. Every year, he travels to Africa for the Children's Surgery Foundation and works there as an anesthetist in the operating room.