It all started when Jim Heston at California 2, a long-time supporter of Operation Smile, suggested my friend Ian and I witnessed one of its surgical missions. Being a warm and boring Phnom Penh day I thought, why not?
I was stunned. First the location, the Khmer-Soviet Friendship hospital; it’s not exactly a five-star Bangkok health centre. Second, the kids. I have read that cleft lips and palates occur in 1/500-1/750 births worldwide. I had seen photos and read about the condition, but this was different. When one of these kids smiles, you see past the cleft lip or palate and into to their hearts. It is hard not to be moved.
Third, the families. In some cases they made long and arduous journeys from all over Cambodia. Leaving everything they had ever known to go to the big city, families were sleeping in hallways, up to 15 of them sleeping in a small room. Hammocks were slung between beds and halls as parents watched over their children in the hope they would be given a chance at a better life. Even at this brief glimpse Ian and I could see the impressive logistical organisation and support behind Operation Smile: international and Cambodian medical, support staff and volunteers all working together to help these children.
Operation Smile was founded by Dr William and Kathleen Magee in 1982 with a mission of medical volunteers to the Philippines. Since that time, more than 115,000 children have been treated and Operation Smile now supports medical missions in more than 26 countries. Its first mission in Cambodia took place in 2002 in Phnom Penh and a year later Operation Smile Cambodia was formed. To date, about 1,000 children have received corrective surgery in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang.
Last March the mission was held in Phnom Penh, where more than 200 patients were screened and approximately 130 treated over five days. This was only possible with the assistance of 49 international medical volunteers from nine countries, 29 Cambodian medical volunteers, international and local support volunteers, OSC staff, directors and donors, support from Operation Smile worldwide and the Cambodian families who trusted OSC with their children. I want to single out Dr Theavy from the many who worked diligently to make such missions successful.
OSC is beautiful in its simplicity and focus. It brings together local and international resources to provide a straightforward procedure that changes a child’s life. From a medical perspective, people with cleft lips and palates often have difficulty eating, talking, hearing and breathing. From a social perspective, repairing a cleft can lead to greater acceptance and confidence.
Looking forward, OSC is considering more surgical missions outside Phnom Penh. While considerable assistance is received from the international Operation Smile organisation, OSC raises funds from local and foreign businesses and individuals in Cambodia – you may have seen donation boxes in Lucky supermarkets – and focuses on the specific needs of children with cleft lips and palates and the unique challenge they present.
If you want to learn more about Operation Smile, its website is www.operationsmile.org. If you see a donation box, think about putting something in; OSC deserves your attention and, most of all, your financial support.