The question of whether small non‐government organizations with comparatively small budgets can make a substantial contribution to sustainable improvement in health care in low‐ and middle‐income countries is crucial to funding global surgical projects. The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and its Fellows have partnered with local organizations and clinicians to deliver a wide range of projects in South East Asia. These projects have proved sustainable and have increased healthcare capacity in these nations. This provides strong evidence that small non‐government organizations such as the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons can make a major contribution to global surgeryI