This post was co-written by Amy Neumann.
Watching a child beam with joy, a wide smile across her face, can fill you with wonder, awe, and inspiration. The happiness children carry with them is unbounded and expressed at every opportunity, big or small. But for some children with cleft lip or cleft palate, even the simple human emotion of smiling is impossible.
Operation Smile, and world-renowned athlete Tony Hawk, are on a mission to create more smiles.
“To most of us a smile is an effortless expression. Something we take for granted, like eating, speaking, socializing. There are people in this world, children, that would love to be able to smile, but can’t. This a global problem, your problem, my problem. These are our future doctors, teachers, leaders, inventors, people who can change the world. Together, can change their lives forever.” ~Tony Hawk
Operation Smile is an international children’s medical charity that heals children’s smiles, forever changing their lives. They provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery and related medical care for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.
Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft. One in 10 of those children will die before their first birthday. The children who survive are often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places, they are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can’t afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a productive life.
Every child deserves access to safe, quality surgical care. Every child deserves a future filled with hope.
That’s where Operation Smile comes in as the largest volunteer-based medical charity providing free cleft surgeries. Since 1982, Operation Smile — through the help of dedicated medical volunteers — has provided more than 3.5 million comprehensive patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with facial deformities. Their work creates a lasting global impact. They train local doctors in developing countries and strengthen healthcare systems so more children in some of the poorest areas in the world can be treated.
As one of the most prominent charities for children in the world, they work in over 60 countries to heal children’s smiles and bring hope for a better future, healing thousands of children per year.
“Our passion for children drives everything we do at Operation Smile. There is nothing more devastating than to meet a child who has no hope of being accepted into society. We believe every child deserves to smile and be given a future of endless possibilities.” Bill Kliewer, Chief Executive Officer, Operation Smile
To learn more about how you can help a child get cleft surgery, take a look at Operation Smile’s website, follow them on Twitter @OperationSmile, and Like them on Facebook
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