Tanzania

In 2024, Operation Smile established a presence in Tanzania, seeking to provide high-quality care for children born with cleft conditions. ​

To increase access to high-quality cleft surgery and care for all Tanzanians, Operation Smile plans to enhance access to medical education and target care delivery in underserved areas — all in support of Tanzania’s medical leaders.​

Operation Smile’s work is locally-led, globally supported. To drive this work, Operation Smile has held meetings with plastic, maxillofacial and dental surgeons and a pediatrician from Muhimbili Hospital, the head of the Society of Anesthesiologists based at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) and the chief of medical services at the Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT). 

Expanding Access to Care

To ensure that every child has access to care close to home, we equip the providers within our patients’ communities with skills and resources to deliver high-quality care. We build the needed capacity by harnessing the talent and resources that exist within the country, usually in the bigger cities, the hubs, to train providers in under-resourced areas, the spokes, where most patients lack access to care.​​​

In Tanzania, our hubs at Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS) in Mwanza and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Dar-es-salaam will provide year-round surgical care for our patients. ​​

We are currently exploring opportunities to establish spokes in the south of the country, in regions where there is a high need and a lack of health care resources.