Children’s charity milestone reaches millions

Official opening of world’s first operating room in a refugee camp takes the media by storm

Scottish PR agency graphic illustrates Children’s charity milestone operating room opening that reached millions

Encapsulating the meaning of ‘Feel Good News,’ Scottish charity Kids Operating Room (KidsOR) marked the official opening of the first children’s operating room in a refugee camp on the 13^th May.

This amazingly touching story is one that we were particularly proud to share and one that we knew would make a big impact, both in the nature of the story and in the media.

Located in Kakuma, Kenya – the world’s largest refugee camp – the installation delivered and installed more than 3000 items of equipment and surgical tools to provide safe surgery in one of the world’s most challenging settings.

Due to lockdowns and terrorist threats in the country, plans for the ceremony at Kakuma General Hospital were put on hold since the Operating Room was established in June 2020 which only made the delayed event even more special.

This incredible achievement was one that had to be shouted from the rooftops and after drafting a release, we got to work in sharing the news far and wide. We also pushed for deserving coverage in primetime news programmes.

After steering the story though signoff, our Scottish PR agency issued the story to the media, receiving 66 items of coverage providing a huge 22 million opportunities to see, with highlights including ITV, The Herald, The Scotsman and The National.

The story received immense coverage across national, regional and specialist press and secured a slot on STV News at 6.

Read the original story here:

Official opening of first children’s operating room in a refugee camp

Photos of the transformed Kakuma operating room brought the story to life and when we received images of the opening ceremony itself, we sent these on to the media to further help with visualisation of the story.

The Kakuma operating room has capacity for operations on 1,000 children every year, providing life-saving treatments that were previously unavailable in Kakuma due to the lack of necessary surgical equipment and paediatric surgeons.

One of the heart-warming first-hand accounts told the story of 10-year-old Jibril Hussein Imidi who received life-saving treatment in KidsOR’s new operating rooms. This was key to bring the story to life and show how the installation is already making a big difference.

The official opening of the Kakuma operating room marked a hugely significant landmark achievement and their message was rightly shared far and wide. It highlighted the importance of providing all children with the safe surgery they require, a core part of KidsOR’s all-encompassing ethos.

In addition, the story showcased KidsOR as a carrier for key change required throughout the world and shone a light on the charity’s aims in progressing this vital requirement not only in Africa but other developing countries.