Since 1997, Operation Smile has provided surgical and comprehensive care for over 7,320 patients in Honduras.
But there is more to do.
During Fiscal Year July 2025-June 2026, Operation Smile will invest $875,800 to deliver surgical care to370 patients and provide training and education for nearly 290 health workers.
Within the next five years, Operation Smile’s network of volunteers will perform surgeries for approximately2,390 patients and provide comprehensive care for approximately 53,320 patients.
Cleft Care Programs
This year, we will deliver surgical care to 370 patients. Operation Smile will expand comprehensive cleft care services by providing consultations in oral health (∼1,660 patients), nutrition (∼990 patients), speech therapy (720 patients) and psychosocial care (∼2,150 patients).
Education Programs
Operation Smile will provide educational and training opportunities to nearly 290 medical providers in the fields of surgery, anesthesia, pediatrics, nursing, biomedical technology, speech care, oral health, nutrition and psychosocial care. In collaboration with the American Heart Association, Basic Life Support courses will be delivered. In addition, Operation Smile will equip over 1,900 caregivers in Honduras with the knowledge and skills needed to support children throughout their cleft care journey.
THE NEED
One in 500-750 births. It is estimated that, worldwide, a child is born every three minutes with a cleft condition — about one in every 500 to 750 births.
Shortfall of health workers. Honduras has just 14 specialist surgical workers per 1,000 people, which falls short of the target set by the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery of 20 surgical providers per 1,000 people. The brain drain from Honduras exacerbates the shortfall of health workers. It has been estimated that over 5,000 medical professionals emigrated between 1996 and 2010.
High levels of inequality. An Operation Smile survey revealed that 57% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs in Honduras live in poverty. In 2019, the poorest 20% received 3.6% of income, while the richest 20% received 52.2% — almost 15 times as much. High levels of inequality contribute to significant health care disparities, which puts children living with cleft conditions at an even greater risk. With 42% of the population living in rural areas, many people in need of care lack adequate access to health services and information about available treatments.
Financial burden. In Honduras, nearly half of the population faces the risk of catastrophic expenditure for surgical care, with 32% at risk of impoverishing expenditure due to high out-of-pocket payments, which often prevent families from accessing necessary care. This issue is further illustrated by data from Operation Smile. According to Operation Smile’s survey, 86% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs have no health insurance, and 89% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs said they could not have received surgery without Operation Smile. Additionally, 38% of 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.
Barriers to education and employment. According to Operation Smile’s survey, 24% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs in Honduras said that their condition limited their school attendance. Additionally, 51% of caregivers stay home with their children, resulting in a significant financial burden on the family.
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 Honduras, we deliver care at our hub, Hospital María de Especialidades Pediátricas in Tegucigalpa.
The spokes are at Hospital Juan Manuel Galvez in Gracias and Hospital de Occidente in Santa Rosa de Copan.
We have comprehensive care and education centers in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro.
Hospital San Felipe in Tegucigalpa and Hospital Leonardo Martínez in San Pedro Sula serve as hospital partner sites.
FIVE-YEAR VISION
Over the next five years, Operation Smile will provide surgery to approximately 2,390 patients. We will deliver consultations in the fields of oral health, speech therapy, psychosocial care, nutrition, pediatrics and ENT to approximately 53,320 patients. Over 2,300 new patients will be recruited through patient advocate programs, recruitment campaigns with the support of the Honduras National Statistics Institute.
Operation Smile will continue to provide education and training opportunities to medical providers, ensuring patients have access to the highest quality care. Formal agreements with three universities are being established to expand collaboration. Over the next five years, Operation Smile will offer training opportunities to over 1,000 health workers across multiple specialties.
Operation 100, our bold strategy to bring essential surgical care closer to patients’ homes, will impact Honduras as we equip cleft operative teams at Hospital Juan Manuel Gálvez in Gracias and Hospital de Occidente in Santa Rosa de Copan with advanced skills, essential equipment and enhanced health care infrastructure.
