Spring Smile News
Welcome to the Spring issue of Smile News, bringing you the latest heart-warming stories from our life-changing work around the globe.
Hannah’s story
Growing up in rural Ghana with an untreated cleft condition was tough. On the rare occasions Hannah did go to school, she would often run home to escape the cruel taunts from other children.
Hannah was surrounded by a loving family, but she still recalls how strangers would shout abuse whenever she passed. And how people she knew refused to eat meals with her. Hannah tells us she didn’t feel ‘human’ back then. She spent her teenage years comparing herself to her friends and wishing she wasn’t different.
18 years had passed by the time Hannah found out about Operation Smile. After carrying the heavy emotional burden of her cleft for so long, it’s easy to imagine her joy when she first spoke to Patient Coordinator Clement. He told her she could have her cleft lip repaired for free. Imagine Hannah’s relief when she met other Operation Smile patients and realised at last she wasn’t alone.
When Hannah saw her new smile in the mirror for the first time, she couldn’t stop smiling. Her delight at finally being able to fit in was hard to contain, “When surgery was done for me, I became so happy. Now I am not being laughed at. I am a happy person.” she says.
Hannah is now 26. She has a husband and a beautiful daughter, Felicia. Surgery has given Hannah the confidence to make plans for their future. She hopes to learn a trade and earn more money for her family, and dreams that her daughter will one day become a doctor.
Reaching more people in more places
The ‘hub and spoke’ model of care explained…
Imagine you needed urgent medical treatment but your nearest doctor or hospital was hours or even days away. And, even if you could find the means to tackle the journey, imagine the costs of your treatment were more than you could ever hope to afford. Then you discover there isn’t a trained specialist to help you, or the equipment needed to treat you safely. This is the situation for thousands of people around the world and the reason behind Operation Smile’s ‘hub and spoke’ model of care.
Expanding the reach of healthcare
In Ghana, the ‘hub and spoke’ model is already proving vital in meeting the shortfall of trained surgeons and specialists in the country. The model focuses staff, training and resources at central ‘hub’ hospitals, and expands the reach of care into more remote areas via partnerships and investment in smaller ‘spoke’ hospitals.
Hub hospitals are usually located in areas where there is a concentration of medical expertise and resources. In Ghana’s capital Accra, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital serves as the hub, and actively trains surgeons, and specialists including anaesthetists, nurses and speech therapists. Hub hospitals serve as the primary site for surgery, diagnostics and post-operative care.
Spoke hospitals are usually located in more remote or underserved areas. In Ghana, the spokes are based in the regions that surround the country’s capital – where there is the greatest need – and in the far north of the country. The spokes call on the hub hospital for additional resources, training and expertise when needed. Strengthening resources in the spoke hospitals means more patients can access specialised care closer to home.
Investing in the future
With a population of 32million, Ghana has an ever increasing need for trained surgeons and specialists. Although short-term surgical programmes provide lifechanging care for many patients, training local teams and investing in local resources is the key to long-term success.
Dr Opoku Ampomah is Operation Smile Ghana’s Medical Director and cleft surgeon. He recalls how things were in 2011 when Operation Smile first started working in the country. Only a couple of hospitals were able to provide reconstructive surgery, and resources were stretched to breaking point.
When I came on board, we tried to build local capacity in terms of cleft care. Initially, I was the main surgeon for Ghana. Now, we have about five or six surgeons who have been trained through the Operation Smile system.
We’ve also been able to build a local team involving nurses and all the other workers, including child life and other disciplines. We’ve transitioned from just about 10% of the volunteers were Ghanaians to a situation where over 70% of the volunteers are local people. That’s how much capacity we’ve built. The Ghanaian volunteers are now a resource Operation Smile can count on.
Dr Opoku Ampomah
From the field
A bright future for Janat
We first met Janat when she was a tiny baby. Her mum Fatima was struggling to feed her because Janat’s cleft lip and palate made it almost impossible for her to suckle. Janat became dangerously malnourished, but thankfully when the family arrived at the surgical programme in Oujda Morocco, help was waiting.
Volunteer dentists made a feeding plate for Janat to cover the gap in the roof of her mouth and allow her to feed properly. Janat was so hungry, the first time she used her plate she drank two and a half ounces of milk in less than eight minutes. Previously she could only manage three ounces a day.
Janat soon started to thrive and gain the weight that she needed to grow strong enough for her life-changing surgery. In October 2021 Janat got her new smile, and later her cleft palate repair.
The life-saving impact of the care Janat received is clear. Today she’s a happy, healthy little girl with a bright future ahead of her.
Nicolle loves to dance thanks to surgery
In Guatemala, police officers, Jessica and her husband, Maynor, were distraught when their baby daughter Nicolle was born with a cleft lip and palate. No one at the hospital explained why their daughter had been born with a cleft, and the family returned home troubled by fear and unanswered questions.
New mum Jessica admits one of the hardest things about having a child with a cleft was coping with stigma and rejection from members of their community. Research told them that surgery was possible to repair Nicolle’s cleft. The couple spent months trying to find organisations who might be able to help, without success.
Then Nicolle’s grandmother saw
an advert about Operation Smile in the newspaper. This was the turning point for the family. They called the number and were invited to a surgical programme in Guatemala City.
Nicolle had her cleft lip repaired and later returned for follow-up surgery to repair her cleft palate. Today, eight years on, she’s a lively, happy young girl who loves school and dancing.
Building trust, building hope
When Okoh was born with a cleft lip and palate, his mother Victoria couldn’t stop crying. People in her community told her she must have done something wrong during pregnancy. As Okoh grew up and went out to play, he would often come home crying because of teasing from other children.
Thankfully, Okoh wouldn’t have to face the bullying for much longer. In 2015, Operation Smile Ghana was actively looking for patients for its first surgical programme in Cape Coast. It was during this initial community outreach programme that Okoh was found.
Victoria was understandably suspicious of these strangers at first, but the team in Ghana worked for weeks to build trust and eventually convinced them that surgery for Okoh was safe.
When the family arrived at the surgical programme, it was the first time Victoria realised she wasn’t alone, or to blame. There were 400 other patients too and many children just like Okoh.
Today Okoh’s 19, and Victoria is so proud of her handsome son. Although his life is vastly improved after cleft lip repair surgery and palate surgery, Okoh is still self-conscious about his speech, so he will soon have speech therapy to boost his confidence further.
Volunteer focus
One of a kind – meet volunteer plastic surgeon Wone Banda
It’s easy to see why Dr Wone Banda is an inspiration to so many. She’s the only female reconstructive surgeon in Malawi. Growing up, she witnessed the negative impact of the shortage of doctors in the country and chose a career in medicine so she could play her part in improving healthcare for her fellow Malawians.
Add to this the fact that Wone is an Operation Smile volunteer, and she dedicates her time and expertise, for free to children with cleft conditions, it’s hard not to be impressed by her achievements. We ask Wone to tell us what motivates her to volunteer, and she says,
I’m very passionate about cleft in general and I enjoy building a relationship with the parents and guardians, because it’s mostly the mothers or guardians that bring their children to the hospital. They come in anxious and with all sorts of horrible stories from their background. Stories of stigma and people just not understanding cleft conditions in their communities.
Dr. Wone Banda
Like many of our volunteers, Wone tells us the reward of seeing the joy from patients and their families is what drives her, “It’s really great to know – that usually within 45 minutes for a cleft lip repair – you’ve completely transformed somebody’s whole life, and not just the patient, but also the relatives of that patient. It’s a really good feeling!” she says.
Gratitude is key for anaesthetist Adam
Adam Dobson says volunteering gives him a feeling of ‘wellbeing’ and sense of gratitude for the resources he has to work with in the UK. By day, he’s a consultant anaesthetist at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester.
Volunteering reminds Adam of the stark contrast between medical resources here in the UK, and those in the countries where Operation Smile works. “I have to say I tend to get a little bit more impatient with my colleagues when I get back, when they’re moaning about not having this, that and the other. When you think actually, ‘You don’t know how lucky we are!’ with the resources and infrastructure that we have here.” He says.
But helping others is the main reward for Adam. He recalls one particular patient whose story has stayed at the forefront of his mind, “I remember a 14-year-old girl who turned up on the last day of the programme when we were just packing up the surgical tables. She’d ridden on horseback for three days just to get to us for her surgery. We kept a table open to actually make sure she got it!
Not only do you know how important this surgery is, and the people don’t necessarily have access to the resources that we take for granted, but the incredible team ethic and goodwill of the team involved who went the extra mile to make sure the surgery could happen. It’s very inspiring to be involved with it all.
Smile Heroes in action
A legacy for future generations
We are excited to introduce our new partnership with the European Aligner Society (EAS). They are committed to creating a legacy for future generations with a phased three-year donation to Operation Smile.
The EAS has been established to bring together clinicians and manufacturers involved with aligner therapy and use their combined strengths to raise the awareness of the effectiveness of aligner-based treatment. The EAS also organises conferences and congresses to bring together key stakeholders in the sector.
The most recent congress took place in Valencia in February and welcomed more than 1,300 delegates from 69 countries all keen to hear speakers discuss the future of clear aligner therapy and digital dentistry.
The EAS will be apportioning funds from registration fees and sponsorship contributions at the congress to an EAS Legacy Fund, contributing to the future of the profession and prospective patients, particularly those in developing countries.
Sloth brings new smiles for children
Sloathar the Sloth is the brand-new children’s book raising vital funds and awareness for Operation Smile.
Paul Toms, the book’s author, was born with a cleft lip and palate. As an entrepreneur in the recruitment and property industries, Paul’s company, EMEA Recruitment, became an Operation Smile Corporate Partner in 2020.
Eager to find a way to honour the many children born with cleft lip and cleft palate around the world, Paul was also keen to challenge himself creatively, and Sloathar the Sloth was born.
Aimed at children aged three to seven, Sloathar the Sloth helps readers understand their own emotions, as well as their impact on other people. The book highlights the importance of relationship building and empathy, and the way our choices can affect friendships.
“I want to help Operation Smile bring new smiles to as many children as they can. To that end, I am delighted to have written Sloathar the Sloth and hope the book raises awareness and funds in aid of the great work Operation Smile does.”
Sloathar the Sloth is available to purchase exclusively through Amazon, with all profits donated to Operation Smile. Learn more at: www.sloatharthesloth.com
Smile heroes like you
Are you thinking about living a gift in your will
When we receive a letter notifying us that someone has left Operation Smile a gift in their will, we feel tremendously for the sadness the family and loved ones are going through. At the same time, we are profoundly grateful that the supporter can continue to make a difference to children with cleft conditions across the world. That is something which will always be a part of their legacy forever.
So often we are unaware that a supporter has intended to include us in their will. It’s incredibly important to us that we can thank our kind supporters who thought of us and the children who need our help when writing their will. Our hearts feel exceptionally full to know that we were able to thank the supporters whose legacy will live on in the children’s lives we transform through surgery and comprehensive care.
If you are intending to leave a gift to Operation Smile in your will, please do consider getting in contact with our Senior Legacy & In Memoriam Manager, Pippa Fawcett at pippa.fawcett@operationsmile.org. Your gift truly means the world to us and to the children who need our help.
A little extra makes the world of difference
Did you know that making a regular gift can ensure we continue to reach children with cleft conditions all over the world?
Through our work, we have provided life-changing surgical and comprehensive care for more than 326,000 patients. That is a number we are truly so proud of, and grateful that you’ve been right there with us along the way. But we need to do more, and we need to do it now.
It’s no secret that our 10-year goal is an ambitious one. Over the next decade, we have vowed to continue to provide cleft surgery in more than 30 countries, invest in 40 hospitals, and increase safer care for 1 million patients. But this goal would not be attainable without regular gifts as this truly makes our work possible.
The reality is that for every child we help, there are thousands more waiting for life-transforming surgery, and that number increases each and every day as more children with cleft conditions are born.
If you can, please do consider giving a regular gift. A little extra really does make the world of difference.
Updates from around the world
Welcome to our new trustees
We are pleased to announce the appointment of three new trustees to the Operation Smile Board of Trustees.
The new members Diana Dalton, Judy Nyaga and Saqib Alam bring a wealth of experience from the third sector, public and legal sectors, and will support our vision to provide free, safe surgery and comprehensive care to 1 million people in the next 10 years.
25th anniversary for Morocco
This year Operation Smile Morocco celebrates 25 years of helping children and adults with cleft conditions. The celebrations began with the first surgical programme of the year in Oujda at the Al Farabi Hospital in January. Medical volunteers met 104 people during the programme and 82 patients went on to have their life-changing surgery.
Student leadership conference
In January, the Student Programmes team welcomed more than 100 students to Rionegro, Antioquia, for the 11th annual Latinoamérica en Acción student leadership conference. The students took part in workshops, listened to speakers and donated stationery to make kits for local school children as a thank you to the host country.
Ethiopia nurses conference
In February the Sub-Saharan Africa Nursing Conference brought together more than 30 nurses from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, Madagascar and Ghana. The conference focused on training and networking, with special guests from Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health, corporate partners Johnson & Johnson, and the Ethiopian Nurses Association.
Advocacy in action
In Ghana, Operation Smile signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ghanaian government, committing to work in partnership to strengthen health systems in the country. During the ceremony, Ghanaian Minister of Health Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu talked about his own experience as a father raising a daughter. He asked Operation Smile to work with the health systems in Ghana to ensure patients can get the care they need closer to home.
