Since its inception in 2014, Operation Smile Mozambique has delivered high-quality surgeries for approximately 230 patients living with cleft conditions.
But there is more to do.
In Fiscal Year July 2025-June 2026, Operation Smile will invest $716,500 to deliver surgical care to nearly 210 patients and train 145 medical providers.
In the next three years, we will perform surgeries for over 870 patients and provide over 1,100 patients with comprehensive cleft care consultations.
Cleft Care Programs
This Fiscal Year, Operation Smile will provide surgical care for nearly 210 patients and offer nutrition consultations to approximately 30 patients. Renovations to operating rooms at partner hospitals will create safer, fully equipped spaces, ensuring that every patient receives the highest standard of surgical care.
Education Programs
In Mozambique, 375 caregivers will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to guide their child through every step of the cleft care journey. Communities will gain vital education about cleft conditions and available treatment options, reducing barriers to seeking care.
Through visiting professorships and externships, 145 medical providers will expand their skills and knowledge. Basic Life Support training, delivered in partnership with the American Heart Association, will prepare providers to respond in critical situations. Surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, dentists, pediatricians, nutritionists, biomedical technicians, psychosocial providers, patient advocates, and speech therapists will also gain specialized training to strengthen their ability to provide safe, high-quality care.
Operation 100, our bold strategy to bring essential surgical care closer to patients’ homes, will impact Mozambique this year as we equip cleft operative teams at the Nampula Central Hospital in Nampula and at the Maputo Central Hospital in Maputo with advanced skills, essential equipment and enhanced health care infrastructure.
THE NEED
16,000 children. In Mozambique, it is estimated that nearly 16,000 children live with untreated cleft conditions.
Strained health system. The Mozambican civil war that took place in 1977-1992 and the insurgency in the northeastern province of Cabo Delgado that started in 2017 have had lasting effects on the country’s health care system. Almost one million people are currently displaced since extreme violence erupted in Cabo Delgado. Many displaced individuals lack access to adequate health services.
Barriers to care. The country’s severe shortage of health facilities means patients must routinely travel long distances to reach health care facilities. 66% of the population is at risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care, while 23% faces catastrophic expenditure for surgical care.
Shortage of hospital staff. Mozambique suffers from a significant shortfall of medical professionals. There are a total of 20 maxillofacial surgeons in the country, but only 6 perform cleft surgery, and only three perform plastic surgery. The lack of providers contributes to an insufficient number of surgical procedures. The Lancet Commission proposed that countries should perform 5,000 surgical procedures per 100,000 people. In stark contrast, Mozambique achieves just 367 procedures per 100,000 people, leaving behind many people born with cleft lip and cleft palate.
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 Mozambique, our hubs based at the Nampula Central Hospital in Nampula and at the Maputo Central Hospital in Maputo provide year-round care for our patients. These hospitals will receive investments as part of Operation 100.
We are working to establish a third hub at Hospital Central de Quelimane in Quelimane.
THREE-YEAR VISION
Working alongside Mozambican medical professionals, Operation Smile projects to deliver surgical care to approximately 870 patients in the next three years. Additionally, we will provide over 1,100 patients with comprehensive care.
Operation Smile will increase access to health care by providing high-quality education and training for health workers in Mozambique. Training medical providers will allow us to launch hospital-based partnership programs across the country and expand access to care closer to home.
