How can I help?

Surgery to repair a child’s cleft condition takes as few as 45 minutes and costs as little as $250. This is possible thanks to the generous contributions of medical professionals who volunteer their time, as well as corporations that donate the critical supplies and equipment necessary for safe surgery. 

What are cleft lips and cleft palates?

A cleft is a gap in the mouth that didn’t close during the early stages of pregnancy, and this kind of birth defect happens more often than you may realize. Worldwide, it’s estimated that a child is born every three minutes with a cleft — about one in 500-750 births. Oftentimes, a cleft can be easy to see because it’s an opening in the lip. However, it can be harder to know if someone has a cleft condition when it affects the roof of the mouth, which is called the palate.

A cleft can create serious health issues if not corrected, including illness, malnutrition, and even death. Dental development and speech and language development can also be impaired, and many children suffer from bullying and social isolation and are unable to attend school and receive an education.

A global reach.

For many families living in under-resourced countries, early surgery may not be an option due to lack of financial resources, qualified medical staff or other factors. Since 1982, Operation Smile has been dedicated to finding children living in those countries and providing them with the safe surgical care that will give them the chance to live happy and healthy lives.

Image Below: 6 month old Keziah cuddles up to her Mum during an Operation Smile mission in Koforidue, Ghana, in 2017. Keziah was born with a Unilateral Cleft Lip, and thanks to our volunteers and donors, she was able to receive a free, life-changing surgery!