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Dr. Julia Berkei in a colorful surgical hat and a mouth mask holding a baby lovingly in her arms, in a hospital room with medical equipment in the background.Dr. Julia Berkei, in a colorful surgical hat and a mouth mask, holding a baby lovingly in her arms, in a hospital room with medical equipment in the background.

A heart for charity

Dr. Berkei’s heartfelt project for a better life for children in Myanmar.
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Dr. Julia Berkei on the Board of Trustees of the YOU Foundation

During my medical studies, I spent three months at a clinic in Hyderabad, India. Starting in 2002, I organized aid missions for people with cleft lips and palates in Mandalay, Myanmar, and co-founded the Medical Intervention Team e.V.

Due to political circumstances, missions in Myanmar are currently not possible. I am therefore all the more delighted to have been appointed to the board of trustees of the YOU Foundation on June 25, 2024, which oversees projects there and promotes education for children in need. The YOU Foundation was founded in 2002 by UNESCO Special Ambassador Dr. Ute H. Ohoven and is still headed by her today.

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Committed to the future.

Even during her studies, Dr. Berkei had a desire to provide aid in developing countries.

She gained her first experience when she traveled twice with Dr. Patrick Tonnard's team to Mandalay, Myanmar, to operate on children with cleft lips and palates. After returning home, she founded the Medical Intervention Team e.V. together with Dr. Barun Sarkar and friends to give children a better life and a future full of possibilities.

Dr. Julia Berkei in a green surgical gown and colorful bonnet with a face mask, assisting a colleague during an operation in the operating room, with surgical instruments and a patient in the background.
Dr. Julia Berkei is in blue surgical clothing and a light blue surgical cap. Smiling and carrying in her arms a child who has a cleft lip and cleft palate. The child is already wearing surgical clothing.

Charity for children in Myanma

My heart project.

Dr. Julia Berkei lacht mit einem Kind in Myanmar im Rahmen des Hilfsprojekts „Ein Herz für Kinder“ mit ZDF
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Success story of the Medical Intervention Team

Thanks to dedicated relief efforts, more than 500 children received free surgery.

The Medical Intervention Team initially financed the trips themselves and, thanks to support from patients, banks, and companies, developed into major annual charity events. Between 2008 and 2017, more than 500 children with cleft lips and palates and burn scars were treated free of charge. Dr. Berkei and Dr. Barun Sarkar organized all aspects of the process, from charity events and marketing to preparing for the operations. The entire practice team was involved, and instruments and supplies were stored in the practice basement.

A cheerful smiling baby with cleft lip and palate in a yellow floral dress held in a pink top by Dr. Julia Berkei in a bright room.

„The Road to Mandalay“

On the last day after a fulfilling, challenging, exhausting, and relieved week in the operating room of Sitagu Ayudana Hospital in Mandalay, where we operated on and treated approximately 70-80 children, this video was created to the song by Robbie Williams: The Road to Mandalay.

Dr. Berkei would like to thank the team, helpers, and patients for their many years of commitment. The missions at Sitagu Ayudana Hospital will never be forgotten. We hope to be able to provide further assistance as soon as the situation in Myanmar eases. Interested colleagues and supporters are welcome to contact us at info@drberkei.com.

More than
500
children operated at no cost
Since
2002
organisation of relief missions
Founded in
2009
M.I.T e.V.
Since
2024
on the board of trustees of the You Foundation
More than
500
children operated at no cost
Since
2002
organisation of relief missions
Founded in
2009
M.I.T e.V.
Since
2024
on the board of trustees of the You Foundation
More than
500
children operated at no cost
Since
2002
organisation of relief missions
Founded in
2009
M.I.T e.V.
Since
2024
on the board of trustees of the You Foundation

Help that comes from the heart.

Even after handing over the project to Dr. Sarkar, the association “Medical Intervention Team-e.V.” remains close to Dr. Berkei's heart, and she continues to support it wholeheartedly.

If you would also like to enable further missions, MIT-e.V. would be grateful for donations to the Medical Intervention Team's donation account. You can also give children around the world hope by supporting the YOU Foundation – Education for Children in Need, of which Dr. Berkei is a member of the board of trustees.

Donation account
MIT-e.V.

Medical Intervention Team logo.

Medical Intervention Team

IBAN: DE05 5007 0024 0016 7999 00

BIC: DEUTDEDBFRA

To Website →

Donation account
YOU Foundation

Logo of the YOU Foundation. A foundation for education for children in need.
in official relations with UNESCO

YOU Stiftung – Education for children in need

Commerzbank AG Düsseldorf

IBAN: DE66 3004 0000 0348 0100 11

BIC: COBADEFF

Online: www.you-stiftung.de/spenden

Paypal: www.paypal.me/YOUStiftung

To Website →

Thank you very much for your donation!

Giving the gift of a better life.

During the numerous missions of the Medical Intervention Team in Myanmar between 2008 and 2017, Dr. Berkei and her colleagues were able to experience firsthand how they could positively change the lives of children with a 2-3 hour operation.

Surgery has successfully treated children with cleft lips and palates – they can drink again without liquid flowing out of their noses and without being excluded by others. The smiles of the healed children one year later encourage every team member to continue helping with all their strength. The picture shows a boy who returned for a check-up one year after his operation.

Two-part picture of a toddler: Above is the child with a congenital cleft lip and palate in the area of the upper lip. At the bottom, after successful surgical correction, you can see the same child with a closed upper lip and a fine scar line.

Memories that last.

Impressions from many years of numerous aid missions that have brought smiles back to children's faces.

Three people stand close together and smile at the camera: a smiling woman in a white blouse, next to it a woman in a green top and straw hat, and a toddler in a colorful T-shirt with a congenital cleft lip and palate.Three surgeons in sterile surgical clothing, caps and mouth and nose protection stand around an operating table. Two of them look at the operating field under an operating lamp, and sterile instruments are available on a blue cover.A smiling man in medical clothing squats next to a toddler who is holding a plush bear and has a congenital cleft lip and palate. The child is wearing a surgical hood cover, with other children wearing hospital clothes in the background.Close-up of a toddler with a fresh cleft palate scar line on the upper lip sitting in the arms of an adult person. The adult person is only partially in the picture, with blurred garden or street scenery in the background.Two medical professionals in surgical clothing and colorful surgical caps sit on a hospital bed and each hold a toddler in their arms. The children wear white wraps and look at the camera. Behind them, you can see a brightly painted wall.Four people stand in a hotel lobby in front of a fountain decorated with plants. A woman in a patterned top holds a certificate in the middle, next to her two men in casual and formal clothing. On the far left, there is a young man wearing traditional Burmese clothing. Everyone is looking at the camera.Three surgeons in sterile surgical clothing, caps and mouth and nose protection stand around an operating table. Two female surgeons wear magnifying glasses and concentrate on the procedure under the operating lamp, while an intern observes with a green hood cover.Close-up of a sleeping toddler with a fresh suture on the upper lip after cleft palate surgery. A strip of bandage covers the lower area of the face, the eyelids are closed.A man and Mrs. Dr. Berkei each hold a toddler in their arms. The children wear colorful clothes and have congenital cleft lip and palate. The adults smile affectionately and look at the children. Blurred white wall in the background.In an airport arrival hall, a group of helpers stands behind several large, silver transport boxes and rolled containers with yellow warning stripes and red logos. In the Background, You Can See Luggage Trolleys, Monitor Displays and Travelers in Casual ClothingThree people stand close together and look at the camera: A woman in medical clothing with a surgical mask around her neck is smiling, next to a smiling woman in a white blouse holding a toddler with a fine scar line on her upper lip. The child is wearing a bright dress and looks curiously at the camera.Three medical professionals in surgical clothing, surgical caps and mouth and nose protection stand next to a table with ordered sterile instruments. One specialist grabs scissors wearing sterile gloves, while another holds a container of liquid and the third stands in the background.A smiling healthcare professional in dark blue surgical clothing and with a stethoscope around her neck holds a toddler in her arms. The child is wearing colorful clothes and looks attentively at the caregiver. In the background, a bright wall and door of a treatment room.A young female surgeon in light blue surgical clothing and a colorful bonnet holds a toddler wearing a green retinal wrap and a white patient coat. Next to it is a doctor wearing blue surgical gowns and mouth and nose protection. In the background, other medical workers and a woman wearing traditional clothing look at the camera.Two-part close-up of a child with closed eyelids: On the left before surgery with an open cleft lip and palate, on the right after the procedure with a fresh suture on the upper lip and a surgical probe for the respiratory tract.Six people sit and stand around a table in a treatment room. Two medical professionals wearing white clothing and gloves are discussing treatment records with a group of local patients. There are medical supplies and documents on the table.Several medical professionals in surgical clothing and colorful caps gather around a lying patient in the operating room. Two stand at the head end, two on the body, one on the sides, and a woman in dark clothing smiles at the camera. Surgical lights and medical equipment in the background.Two women stand next to each other and smile at the camera. The woman on the left is wearing surgical clothes and a colorful bonnet, the right is wearing a pink shirt. They both hold a toddler with a congenital cleft lip and palate sucking on his finger.Four medical professionals in surgical clothing and caps stand close together and smile at the camera. The second from the left is Dr. Berkei, she is holding a toddler in a green surgical hood cover who looks up curiously.Livia Berkei in surgical clothing and colorful bonnet bends over a toddler lying on a couch with a smile. The child is wearing a green patient wrap and grabs Livia's hand. A gray plush rhinoceros is lying on the bed next to him, with medical equipment and packaging visible in the background.In a room, several people meet Buddhist monks in orange robes. A woman wearing black clothes and a colorful surgical cap shakes hands with one of the monks, while another monk holds a red textile delivery package. In the background, a white board and door with the inscription “Preparation Room.”A smiling woman in a patterned top holds a toddler in her arms. The child is wearing a blue T-shirt with a floral motif and has a fine scar line on the upper lip after cleft palate surgery. In the bright background, wall tiles and other people are slightly blurred.Close-up of a toddler sitting on the operating table with closed eyelids with protective strips attached to them. A fresh suture connects the upper lip after cleft palate surgery, and a surgical probe secures the airways. A gloved hand guides the suture material.Group photo in a bright room: Around 16 people, mostly wearing medical clothing with colorful surgical caps and dark blue outfits, pose around two Buddhist monks in orange robes. Some are sitting, others are standing, white plates and a wall clock visible in the background.