Kids Operating Room reaches landmark 100th operating room.

Today marks a major moment in the history of Kids Operating Room, as we proudly announce the opening of our 100th dedicated paediatric operating room – in Gaborone, Botswana.

This milestone is more than symbolic. It means that Kids Operating Room now has the capacity to support more than 200,000 life-changing operations every year, helping to ensure that children around the world can access the surgical care they need, when they need it.

Founded in 2018 with a bold vision to install 100 operating rooms by 2030, this goal has now been achieved five years early. From the very first room in Uganda to a global network spanning over 40 countries, this moment represents years of partnership, perseverance and belief in one simple idea: that surgery is not a luxury - it’s a fundamental right.

“This new operating room will be truly life-changing for children in Botswana. It allows us to treat conditions earlier, avoid complications and help children grow up healthy and strong.

More than that, it provides hope. It signals that children here matter just as much as children anywhere else in the world.”

 Dr Kutlo Moalosi, Head of Paediatric Surgery at Princess Marina Hospital

The 100th operating room was made possible by the philanthropic support of entrepreneur Steve Lansdown CBE and his wife Maggie, who have been central to the charity’s wider surgical initiative across Botswana.

“To have completed 100 dedicated operating rooms is a deeply emotional moment for all of us. This is not just a number. It represents lives saved, disabilities prevented and a global movement that believes every child deserves access to safe surgery.” - Nicola Wood MBE, Co-Founder

Each Kids Operating Room is equipped to perform around 2,000 surgeries per year, and the global network now enables approximately 200,000 procedures annually. These facilities are designed with children in mind - bright artwork, specialised paediatric equipment, and increasingly, solar-powered surgical systems that allow hospitals to keep operating even during blackouts.

“When Nicola and I founded Kids Operating Room, it was with a vision that no child should suffer or die simply because they were born in the wrong place. This milestone shows what can be achieved through collaboration, local leadership and relentless commitment. But we are not stopping here and have already re-focused on how we build on this success so no child is left behind. We believe surgery is not a luxury, it’s a fundamental right. The children we serve deserve dignity, opportunity and care. This is the work we’ll continue to do until every nation can provide for its children independently.” — Garreth Wood, Co-founder and Executive Chairman

“Since we began this work, every 27 days our team has opened a new operating theatre, always in complex and/or low-resource settings. These are world-class, solar powered surgical facilities but before they’re deployed the hospitals have to be surveyed, the staff interviewed, the patient demand assessed and the funds raised. Then, despite often working around conflict and natural disasters, our amazing people build amazing facilities. I could not be more grateful to everyone who has contributed to this success and look forward to continuing to scale that impact in the years to come.” — David Cunningham, Chief Executive at Kids Operating Room

With the 101st operating room opening just two days later in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the momentum continues — but today, the team celebrates a milestone that once felt impossibly far away. And now, it's just the beginning of what comes next.

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