From The Field
Read firsthand accounts of our volunteers' experiences on the mission field as Operation Smile works to heal children's smiles year-round in over 50 countries.
Here you'll find what Operation Smile is all about - touching stories of children whose lives have been changed by the generosity of our volunteers, supporters and donors.
On this mission, we met John Jairo and Renzo Jair Purizaca Calderon, baby twins who were both born with cleft lip and palate.
Two mothers came to the mission site each bringing a child—a 6-year-old girl with a cleft lip, and a 3-year-old boy with a cleft palate.
At first, quiet and quick to avert her eyes from strangers it was apparent her life had been severely affected by her broken smile.
Although he was well, the boy did not speak. He appeared happy, using hand motions, high-fives, and plenty of hugs...but his voice was nowhere to be found.
Among the 110 patients operated was a 3-year-old boy named Arthur with a bilateral cleft lip who was also born without hands or feet.
You see a lot of tough situations – today there was a 17-year-old girl and her 11-month-old sister, both with unrepaired cleft lips.
Rakesh was born with a facial cleft, much more than just a cleft lip. Despite his disfiguring condition, Rakesh has a bright spirit and a brave heart.
Not only did Operation Smile Brazil provide free medical evaluations to a record number of patients, but the mission saw extensive national media coverage and visits by dignitaries.
We were able to change the lives of 136 children and their families in one week and provide medical evaluations for 210 children.
Nozantui Lempoyio, a 23-year-old Maasai woman in Kenya, received surgery for her unilateral cleft lip.
Some patients traveled from the Limpopo Province and as far as Swaziland.
Qian Yu's mouth has been deformed by some type of past infection or burn when she was younger, an injury that likely went untreated at the time.
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