“Every child that has a facial difference is our responsibility. If we don’t take care of that child, there’s no guarantee that anyone else will.”
- Kathy Magee, Operation Smile Co-Founder and President
Siham was born with a cleft lip and was bullied from the beginning of her life. The pain was so great, she dropped out of school. For 12 years, she suffered, nearly abandoning hope. Then, she learned about Operation Smile and finally got the new smile she had been waiting for. But our work didn’t stop there. Siham received continued support including orthodontic treatments. Now she loves going to school and dreams of being a teacher.
During this time, we had to make the difficult decision to pause surgical missions. That means, right now, more children are waiting for surgery every day. Children with cleft conditions like Siham are born every 3 minutes that’s nearly 500 children a day in addition to the 9,500 that are already waiting.
By becoming a monthly Smile Partner, you can make a lifelong impact on the lives of these children. Your gift will help provide life-changing surgeries for many waiting children as soon as we’re able to resume our medical missions.
For children who have waited their entire lives for surgery, your monthly support creates: