Our Stories

Dr. Kabetu’s introduction with Operation Smile happened by accident, as he calls it. He walked into work one morning to see his name was on a list posted in the…

Whether traveling from surrounding villages or distant islands, families in the Philippines seeking cleft surgeries for their children must sacrifice precious time and resources to reach Operation Smile medical mission…

The bus stopped outside the gates of Miller Adventist Hospital in Cebu City. Dozens of medical and non-medical volunteers filed off the bus and onto the hospital grounds taking photos…

Her name means “solution.” The moment Meheftehe was born, she was in desperate need of just that. Meheftehe suffered from a severe facial cleft which extended from her right eye…

As Senaida sat next to her son Virgilio, she couldn’t help but smile widely when she looked at him. Since 21-year-old Virgilio’s severe bilateral cleft lip was repaired during Operation…

Energetic and talkative, Bui loved preschool. As he bounced around the playground in his rural Vietnamese community, the 3-year-old paid no mind to his cleft lip while playing ball games…

Shocked and heartbroken when her baby Valeska was born with a cleft lip, Zorida received more discouraging news within the first moments of her daughter’s life. No sooner than learning…

Enok remembers being jeered, mocked, chased by packs of children and having people recoil in disgust at his cleft lip. While his memories echo the stories of thousands of Operation…