Stories You Make Possible

Stories You Make Possible

Explore Operation Smile stories from around the world highlighting the courage of patients and their families, the dedication of our volunteers and staff, and the generosity of supporters like you.

Morocco
Haitam holds a photo of him before surgery as he smiles wide at the camera four years after receiving free life-changing cleft surgery. Photo: Lorenzo Monacelli.

Haitam’s Journey Toward Healing and Happiness

Haitam and his family’s love for one another motivated them to push past the financial, emotional and geographical barriers that separated him from a new smile.
Mexico
Sebastian and his mom, María, who wears a mask, both stare upwards toward the sky. Photo: Jasmin Shah.

Hope Emerges From His New Smile

VIDEO: For María, facing the unexpected of having a son with a cleft condition became less daunting after connecting with Operation Smile Mexico and its team of caring and passionate volunteers.
Honduras
Alex and his wife, Adilia, hold their son, César. Photo: Rohanna Mertens.

A Promise Kept

VIDEO: Nearly a decade after Operation Smile gave his son a new smile, Alex Guerrero vowed to find every person in his country living with an untreated cleft condition. With his inspired patient advocacy program, Alex hopes no other family endures what his family went through.
Global

Celebrating National Nurses Month: The Essential Roles of Operation Smile Nurses

Operation Smile nurses represent the only medical volunteers who actively provide care for patients through every stage of the surgical process.
Madagascar
Six-year-old Honoré plays with fellow patients and their family members during the April 2022 Operation Smile surgical program in Tamatave, Madagascar. Honoré, who was born with a cleft lip and palate, is wearing a colorful T-shirt and is holding the edge of a colorful parachute. He and his playmates are smiling widely and playing joyfully. In the background, families sit in plastic chairs on the lawn in front of a medical facility waiting for their children's health to be evaluated for surgery.

Scenes of Hope and Healing: Tamatave Surgical Program

In late April 2022, Operation Smile hosted its first international surgical program in Madagascar since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Follow the stories of some of our patients and medical volunteers as they unite for this long-awaited and life-changing experience.
Ghana
Photo: Margherita Mirabella.

Picturing Her New Beginning

After living 52 years with an untreated cleft lip, Akosua discovered a new passion for helping people like herself.
Bolivia
Photo: Margherita Mirabella.

Timely Cleft Surgery, Brighter Futures

The early discovery of their son’s cleft condition transformed Felipe and America’s fear into determination as they searched for a solution in the months leading up to his birth.
Guatemala
Nutritionist Monica Arredondo from Guatemala cares for a patient.

Nourishing Her Country: Q&A with Nutritionist Monica Arredondo

In Guatemala, where one in every two children suffers from chronic malnutrition, Monica Arredondo is not only saving lives but helping alleviate an immense need in the country she loves.
Madagascar
Photo: Rohanna Mertens.

After Decades Without Surgery, Two Lives Changed in an Instant

Amid the bullying and painful treatment, Arsene refused to let anyone diminish his happiness.

Make Your Gift

Every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft condition. Your gift today will help transform lives and increase access to essential surgical care.

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