The IOWD anesthesia team comprises anesthesiologists and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), as well as trainee physicians and nurses pursuing graduate education in anesthesia and global health.  The anesthesia team supports IOWD’s surgical mission in collaboration with local anesthesia providers.  We have a dual purpose: to provide safe anesthesia to our patients and to form stable, collegial teams with the local staff that are capable of responding to the need for essential and emergency surgeries.  Members of the anesthesia team conduct formal lectures as visiting faculty at the University of Rwanda and at various clinical sites.  Our model supports the ideal that short-term surgical missions can contribute to sustainable delivery of safe anesthesia when programs are integrated within the local health system.