Operation Smile has been working in Egypt since 2005, providing care for children born with cleft conditions.
Since then, we have provided over 2,410 cleft surgeries, more than 330 burn surgeries and approximately 2,700 comprehensive cleft care services. This work has been possible with the support of dedicated volunteers who offer their time and talent to improve the health and wellbeing of children born with cleft conditions.
But there is more to do.
During Fiscal Year July 2025 – June 2026, Operation Smile will invest $871,100 to deliver life-changing surgical care for over 620 patients and provide training for nearly 2,660 health workers.
In the next five years, Operation Smile will deliver surgical care for over 3,000 patients and comprehensive cleft care consultations for more than 15,000 patients.
Cleft Care Programs
Operation Smile plans to provide safe and high-quality surgery for 620 patients, oral health care for nearly 3,800 patients, speech care for nearly 100 patients and nutritional care to 220 patients.
Education Programs
Partnering with local universities and Egyptian medical leaders, as well as enabling access to education opportunities, allows local health systems to increase access to high-quality care for patients. Over the course of the fiscal year, Operation Smile will train approximately 2,660 health workers in surgery, anesthesia, pediatrics, nursing, biomedical technology, speech therapy, oral health, ENT, psychosocial care, post-burn care and rhinoplasty. Medical students will intern with Operation Smile Egypt, and we will deliver courses in collaboration with the American Heart Association.
The Need
One in 600 births. In Egypt, it is estimated that over 5,000 children are born with a cleft condition every year – around one in 600 births. Many of these children live beyond the reach of any hospital care. According to Operation Smile’s survey, 52% patients arriving at Operation Smile programs do not have a hospital within two hours of their home. The Lancet Commission proposed that at least 80% of the population should live within two hours of a hospital.
Financial Burden. 25% of the population in Egypt is at risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgery. Operation Smile’s survey revealed that 38% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs in Egypt could not have undergone surgery without the support of Operation Smile. With nearly 30% of the 118.4 million people living in Egypt falling below the poverty line, patients with cleft conditions face financial barriers to receiving the care they need.
Limited Health Workforce. Compared to high-income countries, which have an average of 11.4 nurses and midwives per 1,000 people, Egypt faces a critical shortage, with just 1.9 nurses and midwives per 1,000 individuals. Egypt has 50 specialized surgical workers per 100,000 population, while in high-income countries, the rate stands at 71 specialized surgical workers.
Bringing Care Closer to Home
To ensure that every child has access to care close to home, we equip the providers within our patients’ communities with skills and resources to deliver high-quality care. We strengthen health system capacity by harnessing the talent and resources concentrated in larger cities, the hubs, to train providers in under-resourced areas, the spokes, where access to care is most limited.
In Egypt, Operation Smile has one hub in Assiut.
We have spokes in three locations, Aswan, Minya and Cairo, which will receive investments as part of Operation 100.
Five-Year Vision
Over the next five years, Operation Smile will address barriers to cleft care in Egypt. Operation Smile aims to deliver surgical care for over 3,000 patients and comprehensive cleft care consultations for more than 15,000 patients.
To bring care closer to the patients’ homes, Operation Smile will work to establish a presence in five geographical regions through our hub and spoke model. We will establish at least one fully-staffed cleft team at five of our university hospital partners. We will also develop a National Comprehensive Cleft Center in Egypt that will serve as a hub for nationwide patient referrals, provide training to health worker sand deliver surgical and non-surgical care.
Operation Smile believes that health workforce education and training will help us achieve sustainable and long-lasting impact. In the next five years, Operation Smile will implement a cleft care diploma with university partners. This will be a nationally recognized, 12-month cleft care curriculum that transforms the delivery and quality of cleft surgery in Egypt through lectures, hands-on practice, simulation, skills training and fellowship opportunities. We will also provide training for health workers in Basic Life Support, Helping Babies Breathe, Helping Mothers Survive and Neonatal Resuscitation. Our large volunteer base will also contribute to awareness initiatives, administrative, non-medical and logistical support for program activities.