My twitter feed is often filled with harrowing stories about war, famine, corruption and other catastrophes, you name it and it’s there. So I want to contribute an unashamedly feel good story about a great organisation, Operations Smile, that works around the world giving kidlets a better start to life.
For those who haven’t heard of Operation Smile they are an international children’s medical charity that provide free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. Operation Smile has provided 2 million patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries since starting in 1982. Check out the clip below to see just how inspiring the team at Operation Smile are.
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to tag along on a mission to Hohhot, China to see them in action. The mission completed 101 operations and screened over 120 patients. In China, as well as other countries, children born with cleft lips and/or palates can experience significant discrimination and are often marginalised by not being able to attend school and/or get a job. A cleft palate will often affect the child’s speech and ability to breathe or even eat. Operating on a cleft lip or palate will significantly increase their chances of living a ‘better’ life.
One particular inspiring story was a 10 year old boy called Zhang Le, who accompanied by his father Chang Yuk Do, had travelled from the countryside to receive surgery on his cleft palate. As the boy was taken into surgery, the Operation Smile staff began chatting with the boy’s father. After talking more about Zhang Le’s story the father disclosed that he wasn’t actually the boy’s biological father. Chang Yuk Do had found him abandoned 10 years ago in a box on the side of the road. It is thought the baby was abandoned because of his cleft palate. Chang Yuk Do has raised Zhang Le as his own since that day. Zhang Le’s cleft palate surgery was a success and he will hopefully go on to live a happy and healthy life.
Operation Smile in China does an amazing job of working with their community investment partners, which include a range of corporations. Here are some examples of why they are so successful:
Well organised – The Operation Smile team in China do an amazing job of working with their corporate volunteers to make sure they are engaged to their full potential. A team of volunteers from JW Marriot Hotel in Beijing joined the mission in Hohhot. Everyone from the General Manager to marketing staff were flat out making sure patients were prepared and ready for surgery. The volunteers assisted with, amongst other things, language translation, administration of medical files and also patient and family support. All of the corporate volunteers I spoke with were extremely engaged with the cause and told me the experience in Hohhot has impacted positively on their professional work.
Transparency – A significant challenge for companies looking to initiate community investment in China is transparency. From my experience working with the team in China, Operation Smile are extremely willing and eager to answer any questions I had about where the money goes and how they ensure accountability. However, just by witnessing the mission in Hohhot it was very clear where the money went and what level of impact they have on communities. Operation Smile’s annual reports are detailed and informative. They also have a monthly report that details what missions they have been doing around the world.
Integrated approach – Operation Smile has a long lasting commitment to sustainability and understand the challenges that medical facilities face in less developed countries. So in addition to the hundreds of life changing surgeries they complete, they also focus on Building Self-Sufficiency through developing resource centres and comprehensive care centres.
Check out some of my pictures from the trip below.
Header image source
Recent Comments