We hear from Zahrah, Sophia and Amy – three unsung heroes who keep things running smoothly and make sure there’s always a friendly welcome when you contact Operation Smile.
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Inspiring stories
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We’re bringing cleft care closer to people in Rwanda, by creating new regional treatment facilities where more plastic surgeons can train. Meet some of the doctors involved in the programme.
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After years of waiting, five surgical programmes and countless obstacles, Leana reaches the end of her courageous journey to a new smile.
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A Q&A with Jeanie Barjum, Executive Director of Operation Smile Honduras.
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In northwestern Rwanda, six month old Adolphe receives much needed care thanks to Operation Smile.
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Joycelyn was abandoned by her mother because of her cleft. She needed urgent help. Thankfully Operation Smile and a lady called Cynthia stepped in to give her the love and care she needed.
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Last year we welcomed three new trustees to our UK Board of Trustees. One of the three, Diana Dalton, tells us more about her experiences during her first 12 months with Operation Smile.
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Clinical nurse specialist and Operation Smile volunteer Jackie uses her skills as an educator to improve care for patients with cleft conditions. She tells us more about her experience training local teams in Ethiopia.
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We catch up with volunteer anaesthetist Mohan, who has recently returned from an Operation Smile surgical programme in China. Mohan’s been an Operation Smile volunteer for 10 years and tells us more about his experiences.
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This beautiful smile belongs to Jupiter. Today he’s a confident and happy 14 year old who loves basketball. But, his beaming smile is a world apart from the lonely little boy we first met ten years ago. A shy four year old who was teased because of his cleft condition.
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Surgeon and biostatistics leader Dr. Caroline Yao explains how the new technology is being piloted at the organisation – and is the subject of the new branded series presented by Partnership on AI (PAI) and produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions, “Beyond the Code.”
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In our last financial year, we’ve trained local teams, invested in healthcare facilities and brought safe cleft care to more people, closer to home. Here’s some of the highlights from FY23/24, from Malawi to Madagascar.
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As parents who had been raising two healthy children, Armand and his wife, Solo, couldn’t have foreseen what happened when their third child, Brunel, was born with a cleft lip.
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Volunteer nurse Lindsay Allen has been changing lives with Operation Smile for more than a decade. We chat to her after a recent surgical programme in the Philippines to find out more.
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Isaac is a sweet 2 month old who was born with a cleft condition. His mum, Noemí, found support through Operation Smile Dominican Republic.
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Plastic surgeon Dr Ghulam Fayyaz has transformed the lives of more than 80 patients during his time as a volunteer. Patients like Enok, who lived for years with his cleft condition.
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Volunteer plastic surgeon Dr Bart Stubenitsky discusses his work as a long-standing volunteer and his new role on Operation Smile UK’s Medical Sub Committee.
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The love Sabine’s mother had for her wasn’t diminished by the reality of having a child with a cleft lip. If anything, her love intensified when she set out to find a solution.
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After cleft surgery, this Rwandan baker has a confidence that shines across his community.
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In this Q&A we chat to medical volunteer Morgan. He tells us what inspired him to choose a career in speech therapy and why it’s such a vital part of comprehensive cleft care.
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Holding her 3-week-old child in her arms, Benjebi tried to process the news she’d just received: Her son, Mohamed, was too young to receive cleft surgery.
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Investment in local health systems and training is already having a huge impact for people in countries like Madagascar, thanks to the Global Essential Surgery project.
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Patient Coordinator Clement talks about Operation Smile Ghana’s vital work to find patients in remote areas and challenge deep-rooted stigma about cleft conditions.
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Volunteer cleft surgeon Elliot tells us more about his work to bring new smiles and new voices to children with cleft conditions in Ghana and beyond.
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Cleft surgeon Dr Hannah John has just returned from her first Operation Smile surgical programme in the Philippines. She tells us more about her journey to become a volunteer surgeon.
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During a recent surgical programme in Antsirabe, Madagascar, more than 120 children and adults received life-changing cleft surgery and cleft care.
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We met six-month old Farida at the Korle Bu Teaching hospital. Farida has an infectious smile and brightened everyone’s day while she waited with her mum for life-changing cleft surgery.
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We caught up with volunteer anaesthetist Anuraag Guleria to find out more about her experiences on Operation Smile surgical programmes around the world.
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We ask 11-year-old Ramata about her hopes for the future following cleft surgery and speech therapy sessions with Operation Smile.
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Operation Smile provided safe surgery and comprehensive care to over 120 patients in Antsirabe, Madagascar.
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In Ghana, Operation Smile’s hub and spoke model of care is tackling the shortfall of trained surgeons and specialists, and putting safe surgery and cleft care in reach of more people.
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Plastic surgeon and Operation Smile volunteer Dr (Wg Cdr) Ankur Pandya tells us more about his work in burns care and complex reconstructive surgery around the world.
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EMEA Recruitment founder Paul Toms discussed with Kathy Magee about Operation Smile.
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Growing up in rural Ghana with an untreated cleft condition was tough. On the rare occasions Hannah did go to school, she would often run home to escape the cruel taunts from other children.
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For 11 years, Dayana’s mum Eluvia couldn’t answer her daughter’s question, “When am I going to get the surgery?”
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Volunteer nurse Naggie Tsang has recently returned from an Operation Smile surgical programme in Morocco. After her return to the UK, Naggie sat down with us to discuss her experience with Operation Smile.
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With many patients living in remote areas without the means to travel long distances, Ghana’s speech therapy programme has gone mobile to solve the problem.
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We caught up with volunteer nutritionist Georgina, at the Korle Bu Teaching hospital in Accra to find out more about her life-saving work with the nutrition team in Ghana.
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The youngest of seven children, Haitam was the only one of his siblings born with a cleft lip.
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We caught up with Zoe’s mum Ana during an Operation Smile Honduras surgical program where she discussed the challenges she faced and overcame.
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Volunteer anaesthetist Adam shares his experiences and favourite memories of Operation Smile surgical programmes.
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Looking at Samuel today, you’d never know the isolation he faced as a child, and the increasing despair he felt as a teenager growing up with an untreated cleft lip in Ghana.
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We recently caught up with five patients who previously had their life-changing surgery in 2015, in Ho, Ghana.
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Parents Rakhi and Milton were shocked when their son Shyam was born with a cleft lip.
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We are pleased to announce the appointment of three new trustees to the Operation Smile Board of Trustees. The new…
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2022-2023 has certainly been an amazing year – we celebrated forty years of Operation Smile and committed to finding and treating 1 million patients in our next decade.
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Siblings Lanto and Rindra were both born with a cleft lip in rural Madagascar. Their loving parents Rolland and Adeline worried what the future held for their youngest children if they couldn’t get surgery.
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Valery turned to the internet to find out more about cleft conditions and finding help in Peru.
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As our director of nutrition, Charlotte Steppling has seen first-hand how lacking proper knowledge and guidance on nutrition can have…
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Long-standing medical volunteer Jackie Matthews, has recently returned from the first Sub-Saharan Africa ‘Patient Management and Community Health Initiatives’ workshop,…
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For Brandon’s parents, Emma and Victor, excitement turned to overwhelming surprise and sadness when doctors informed them of their son’s…
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Having already raised four children, Denise and her husband, Cyril, never could’ve anticipated what happened on the day their fifth…
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When Magret was born, her parents received no explanation about her cleft condition or where to seek help. Severe bullying…
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The more Operation Smile can foster stronger, more inclusive health systems worldwide, the better equipped these health systems will be…
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Linsday shares our belief that every child deserves the very best care, and the chance to smile and thrive without…
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In Malawi, Operation Smile aims to find and treat all children and adults living with untreated cleft conditions, so they…
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Nine-year-old Isaac takes a two hour walk to school every day. He loves mathematics and is keen to learn, but…
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Q: Can you tell us how long you’ve been in practice and where you currently work? A: Since qualifying two…
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Hugh was born with a cleft condition, and openly shares his experiences and motivation to help others in a recent…
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Today Mercy’s a bright and energetic five year old, and a ray of sunshine to all who meet her. When…
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Around 5 billion people globally, lack access to safe, affordable and timely surgical care. Low-and middle-income countries like Ghana carry…
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At Operation Smile, we believe everyone deserves access to safe medical care – access to safe surgery is not a…
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“She was born on a Friday morning, and the nurse immediately placed her high up on my chest so I…
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Chanju’s a volunteer speech pathologist, providing vital support to patients, both before and after surgery. After initially being invited to…
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In March 2023, volunteers, staff, donors, patients and their families gathered together to celebrate the grand opening of the Bill…
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Meet Ake On a day that is intended to bring a family joy, the birth of Akekapop “Ake” was met…
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One of the patients who passed her comprehensive health evaluation was 24-year-old Paulina. As a single mother of two, she explained…
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Children born with a cleft lip or palate face a number of significant oral heath challenges, including missing teeth, extra…
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Q: What does it mean to you to be an Operation Smile medical volunteer? A: “When you visit some countries…
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Building capacity Dr Ampomah has taken part in over 25 surgical programmes, but importantly he has also been instrumental in…
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Love for their daughter But she was also born with an inner strength and courage that would guide her as…
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Changing a child’s life While it has been over a decade since her first surgery with the organization, Laura’s family…
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Meet some of our patients who received care during our first surgical programme in Mzuzu, Malawi.
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Facing starvation – a life in the balance Afia was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. Her condition…
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Medical volunteers from Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia and the UK came together to provide exceptional care to over 40 children in Mzuzu, in the Northern Region of Malawi.
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After loving and raising three daughters together, Nioti and her husband, Monbula, remained hopeful that they would finally welcome a son into their family.
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A deeper feeling of significance emerged as volunteers arrived in Cebu City, Philippines. Not only was the devoted medical team…
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The lives of Yaniris and Jonathan turned upside down after their son, Jose Luis, was born.
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Our November 2021 resident training program we conducted in Kigali took our education efforts to the next level.
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In the three years after receiving surgery to repair his cleft lip, Samuel’s life has changed in unimaginable ways.
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Our Transcending Borders signature initiative strives to create more resilient and inclusive health systems that serve the needs of patients with cleft conditions regardless of their immigration statuses.
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Our Transcending Borders signature initiative strives to create more resilient and inclusive health systems that serve the needs of patients with cleft conditions regardless of their immigration statuses.
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Around half of children born with a cleft palate will need support with learning to speak – thankfully, volunteer speech and language therapists like Erika Bostock are helping to ensure children with cleft conditions have a voice.
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EMEA Recruitment founder Paul Toms talks to Executive Director Mairead O’Callaghan about our goals for the next decade and her experiences on surgical programmes around the world.
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From the moment the last patient departs for home with their new smile, to the months that lead up to the next surgical programme, a patient advocate’s work is never finished.
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Nearly four decades after Dr. Bill Magee and Kathy Magee held Operation Smile’s first surgical programme in the Philippines in 1982, the founding principles of love and leadership not only remain major pillars of the organisation’s mission but also a guiding philosophy that has been passed down through generations.
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Nora received three prenatal ultrasounds before her son, Damian, was born.
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Operation Smile UK is proud to partner with AS Watson’s Superdrug and Proctor & Gamble’s Oral B for its ‘Smiles…
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Plastic surgeon Wone Banda hopes for a future where patients aren’t forced to live with the burden of their untreated cleft conditions.
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While there are thousands of people in Guatemala living with untreated cleft conditions, there is also a total of 5 million people in need of cleft care globally.
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Before Rania’s birth, no one in her family had seen another person with a cleft condition.
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We caught up with trainee plastic surgeon Priyanka Naidu in Rwanda.
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Dr. Francoise Mukagaju is Rwanda’s first female plastic surgeon and recently completed her medical training through Operation Smile’s partnership with the University of Rwanda.
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Something Iddrisah never anticipated after living his entire life with an untreated cleft lip was finding love.
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A once exciting ultrasound appointment quickly became memorable in a way that Naira never imagined.
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For far too many families of children born with a cleft condition, they encounter obstacles trying to discover where to go for help. But through having people like Paola Arroyave by their side, parents living in Guatemala have a direct line to Operation Smile.
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A decade of worry and uncertainty leads to a lifetime of happiness and healing for Mina and her family.
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Find out how Operation Smile India continues to strengthen its community outreach programmes and bring cleft care closer to the homes of more families like Dilfa.
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Inspiring stories of adversity and resilience of three families in Guatemala whose lives were changed by Operation Smile.
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Thailand’s beauty is not only seen woven within its towering forests and cascading waterfalls, but also in the smiles of its people.
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For 38 years, Andrea lived with an unrepaired cleft lip. But as she waited during patient screening at Operation Smile Peru’s medica programme in Lima, Peru – surrounded by her family and hundreds of people who were also in need of care – Andrea wasn’t thinking about herself.
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Holding their newborn baby for the first time is often one of the most joyous moments a parent can experience. But for Ani and her husband, Roberto, seeing their son, Alex, brought feelings of fear and despair.
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The weeklong programme, conducted provided life support training to 73 Operation Smile medical volunteers from 11 countries across Latin America.
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As soon as Iris gets off the bus and, together with her mother, moves through the crowds of people at a bus station in Managua, Nicaragua, she hides.
Walking behind her mother, she holds one hand on her mother’s shoulder and the other covers her mouth. Her eyes are locked on her mother’s back, as if she doesn’t want to meet the eyes of any of the strangers staring at her.
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Domingos has an indomitable spirit with a physique to match: calloused hands, muscled arms and shoulders that look like they could carry the weight of the world.
In a sense, they have. Domingos carried the weight of living with an untreated cleft lip for 48 years.
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The sun was just peaking over the horizon as sweat ran down my arms and dripped onto the clean and empty streets of Nay Pyi Taw. I was still trying to adjust to the time zone and the heat in Myanmar.
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Inspiring stories of adversity and resilience of four families in Jordan whose lives were changed by Operation Smile.
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Cinthia didn’t understand what was wrong with her daughter, Britany, when she was born with a cleft lip and palate,
conditions she’d never seen or heard of before.
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At four-years-old, Nazifa hadn’t spent much time outside of the clay and straw hut where she lived.
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Amid political turmoil in Libya, two neighbouring countries united to spread peace and healing for families affected by cleft conditions.
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Along a dusty roadside in the state of Ceará in northern Brazil, Antonia sips a cold drink on a hot day at the local coconut stand with her father and sister.
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In the countryside of West Bengal, India, a neighbourhood in the farming village of Amdole lies on the banks of a pond lined with trees and small brick and clay homes.
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Whether travelling from surrounding villages or distant islands, families in the Philippines seeking cleft surgeries for their children must sacrifice precious time and resources to reach Operation Smile medical programme sites.
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In Guatemala, where one in every two children suffers from chronic malnutrition, Monica Arredondo’s lifelong passion is not only saving lives but helping alleviate a need in the country she loves.
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After more than two years of the pandemic preventing Operation Smile from providing cleft surgeries in Madagascar, an international team of medical volunteers were finally able to unite to provide patients with care in Tamatave during the last week of April 2022.
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Joseph walks in flip-flops through his neighbourhood in San Remigo, on the Philippine island of Cebu.
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At 31 years old, Ephraim is proud of the life he has built for his family. He and his girlfriend, Ldaudzine, are raising their two young sons, Nkhosama and Tawananyasha, in Centurion, South Africa, where he works at a natural gas company.
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Claudina knew that her 16-year-old daughter, Wara, had a high-risk pregnancy. But she never imagined the series of challenges that would ultimately unfold after Wara went into labour.
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Through the actions of dedicated and loyal volunteers who strive to make an impact, Operation Smile Malawi’s goal of increasing local surgical capacity remains at the core of its mission.
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Operation Smile revitalized its relationship with the University of Rwanda to begin hosting new surgical training rotations.
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Despite the love of her husband and family, Rong Zhen’s cleft condition prevented her from being truly happy for 57 years.
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The lives of Yaniris and Jonathan turned upside down after their son, Jose Luis, was born, with a cleft lip.
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The International Family Study is pioneering research into the causes of cleft working in partnership with the University of Southern California.
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Ethan had a tough start in life. Born two months earlier with a cleft lip, he had to fight for his life.
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Janat’s story Remembering back to the day when she saw her daughter’s smile for the first time, Fatima recalled the…
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Clara’s story In their tiny village in the highlands of Madagascar, their neighbours would quietly gossip about Clara and her…
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Corporate partner Align Technology recently raised over £30,000 for Operation Smile thanks to the efforts of their UK and Ireland…
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Play to recover Cathy has been an Operation Smile volunteer for five years and has volunteered on six surgical programmes,…
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Shijun’s story Although the harassment he received made him angry, Shijun chose to walk away instead of fighting with those…
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Operation Smile Ghana Aba brought Moses to Operation Smile Ghana, hoping he would be treated, but at three-months-old and suffering…
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Launching into its 20th year, Operation Smile Morocco continues to be one of the most active and respected non-profits in the country through its work of delivering safe surgery to patients with a team of more than 400 volunteers.
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Pedro’s story Across a dry ravine, a sun-parched clay road bends toward an array of small lots lined with fences…
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Faustina’s story The condition of the road stands in stark contrast to the lush natural beauty that surrounds it as…
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Increase capacity four fold Anaesthesia is as vital to a surgical procedure as any instrument wielded by the surgeon. As…
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Lilia’s story Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, health systems in developed countries were pushed to their limits while the healthcare inequities…
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In Vietnamese, Ngan’s name means “star,” but she wasn’t able to smile brightly when she was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate.
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Seven-month-old Genesis was full of joy and energy throughout Operation Smile’s November 2019 medical programme to Quito, Ecuador
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EMEA Recruitment founder Paul Toms discussed with Dr Phil McDonald about his involvement with Operation Smile.
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Programme updates
Find out how our surgical programmes are strengthening local health systems and training the next generation of medical leaders.
Training anaesthetists in Rwanda
Anaesthesia is vital to the delivery of safe surgery, but there is a dramatic shortage of trained anaesthetists in Rwanda. In this densely populated country, 11.9 million people are served by just 15 anaesthetists and anaesthesiologists.
Dr Paulin Banguti is working to fill this void – he’s director of the post-graduate anaesthesia programme at the University of Rwanda. During the March 2016 Operation Smile surgical training rotation at Rwinkwavu District Hospital, he led a group of anaesthesia residents to observe and learn from volunteer anaesthesiologists from around the world.
Strengthening health systems in Malawi
To enable Operation Smile to serve and treat more people living with cleft conditions, we focus on increasing the surgical capacity of low-and middle-income countries like Malawi so that cleft care for local people can continue, even after a surgical programme ends.
Operation Smile Malawi has worked to encourage and educate local surgeons, doctors and nurses, and now has nearly 50 percent of its medical volunteers from Malawi. Surgical training rotations train and empower local surgeons to help their own communities and strengthen health systems for the future.
