Leading the Cause

More than 25 years ago on a mission to Vietnam, we were compelled to take on the cause of cleft lip and cleft palate that afflicts millions of children throughout the world. We were driven not only by the desire to give these children the chance at a new life, we were committed to bringing exemplary surgical standards to each and every mission, while also building a global network to address the needs of the millions of children who are born with facial deformities.

Building the infrastructure to raise awareness and inspire action and leadership, to identify the causes of clefting and to actively participate in the world health community as an advocate for the cleft cause continue to be major initiatives for Operation Smile.