Summer Smile News
Welcome to the Summer issue of Smile News, bringing you stories from our life-changing work, made possible thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters.
His smile changed my smile
When a prenatal scan showed Maria her baby son Sebastian would be born with a cleft condition, she was determined to find help. Hope came thanks to Operation Smile Mexico. Maria’s worries soon eased as medical volunteers explained that after surgery Sebastian would be able to live the happy, healthy life she wished for her son.
Sisters in surgery
Women unite to bring new smiles in Morocco
In May, our social media channels were a hive of activity as the Women in Medicine programme took centre stage in Casablanca, Morocco. This inspiring event brought together 70 female medical volunteers from around the world, with one clear goal: to transform the lives of children with cleft conditions.
During the week-long programme, 111 young patients received life-changing surgery and comprehensive care, delivered entirely by the all-female team. This inspiring group included surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, dentists and speech therapists.
Star support shines a light on the programme
Media attention was raised thanks to the involvement of philanthropist and former Dragon’s Den star Duncan Bannatyne, who personally funded this programme. His support was bolstered by further fundraising efforts from his network of UK health clubs, The Bannatyne Group.
Duncan travelled to Morocco with his wife Nigora and their children, witnessing first-hand the emotional and life-changing impact of the programme. His commitment to Operation Smile spans back to 2013, when he joined a surgical programme in Mexico — and he continues to be one of our most passionate advocates.
Lucky number 13 for volunteer nurse Naggie
This was the 13th surgical programme for volunteer nurse Naggie. She worked her usual caring magic for patients and their families before and after surgery and told us she loves the ‘uniqueness of being part of an all-women team’. During screening days Naggie met dozens of families – but was touched to be reunited with a mother and her child she’d met on a previous programme.
During screening day, a mother and daughter started waving at me. They rushed to hug me straight away. I was so excited to see them again. The young girl needed further surgery which we were delighted to be able to provide.
Naggie Tsang, Nurse
A firsthand account from the frontline
Our Executive Director, Mairéad O’Callaghan, was our eyes and ears on the ground during the programme. She captured events in real time with video updates from the Mohammed Bouafi Hospital in Casablanca. Reflecting on the experience, Mairéad shared:
It was an absolute privilege to spend time with Duncan, Nigora and their children during this programme and we are incredibly grateful for their continued support. I was blown away by the sheer skill and dedication of the all-female team in Morocco. Seeing firsthand how they worked together to transform the lives and futures of so many young patients was truly inspiring.
Mairéad O’Callaghan
Safer surgery and pain-free treatment
Here we chat to volunteer anaesthetist Jonty about his latest training placement in Malawi. Skilled anaesthetists like Jonty are vital for our patients’ safety and comfort at every stage of their cleft surgery. Jonty tells us more about how he’s been training local teams in Malawi to provide safer, pain-free care for the benefit of local communities.
Spotlight on Malawi
Malawi key facts
1 in 1,428
children are born with a cleft condition
89% of Malawians
are unable to afford the cost of surgery.
0.4 surgical workers
per 100,000 people (the Lancet Commission’s minimum target is 20 surgical workers per 100,000 people. In the UK we have 90 per 100,000 people)
In Malawi, access to surgery is limited and most family’s finances would be severely affected if they had to pay medical expenses. This leaves many people with untreated cleft conditions.
Operation Smile has been working towards a Cleft Free Malawi since 2012. We’ve grown from one annual surgical programme to several a year. To bring care closer to home, hub hospitals in Lilongwe and Blantyre support training for teams from spoke hospitals in Mzuzu and Zomba. We also partner with nine district hospitals to provide comprehensive cleft care, including nutrition and speech therapy.
In the next five years we aim to reach further, with surgery for 2,500 patients and comprehensive care for 4,000 people. Community health volunteers will reach more patients in remote areas, using robust rural Buffalo Bikes. And improved training pathways will create 960 opportunities for health workers across Malawi.
Lives changed at Kamuzu Central Hospital
Team effort at Malawi surgical and training programme
Last month, In the central region of Malawi, volunteers and staff from 11 countries came together to provide surgery and cleft care at the Kamuzu Central Hospital. Education was a key part of the programme with local trainees benefiting from 1:1 training with both local and international medical volunteers.
73
patients screened
41
patients had cleft lip or palate surgery
18
patients had dental procedures