Since 1993, Operation Smile Venezuela has delivered more than 9,630 high-quality surgeries for patients affected by cleft lip and cleft palate.
But there is more to do.
During Fiscal Year July 2025-June 2026, Operation Smile will invest $193,900 to provide care for approximately 230 surgical patients and train nearly 240 health workers.
Over the course of the next five years, Operation Smile will deliver surgeries for approximately 1,070 patients comprehensive cleft care consultations to approximately 2,500 patients.
Cleft Care Programs
This year, Operation Smile will provide surgical care for nearly 230 patients. We will expand comprehensive cleft care services by providing consultations in oral health (~870 patients), nutrition (~230 patients), psychosocial care (~20 patients) and speech therapy (~400 patients). More than 70 dedicated medical volunteers in Venezuela provide care for children born with cleft conditions. Our nutrition programs ensure patients are healthy enough for surgery and anesthesia. This year, we will develop meal plans to teach families how to prepare nutritious, budget-friendly meals.
Education Programs
We will increase access to cleft care in Venezuela by training nearly 240 health workers. We also provide specialized training in various specialties, including surgery, anesthesia, pediatrics, nursing, post-anesthesia care unit support, biomedical technology, psychology, speech care and oral health. Through our collaboration with the American Heart Association, Operation Smile will deliver Basic Life Support (BLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) training to equip medical professionals with the necessary skills to respond in an emergency, advancing patient safety.
THE NEED
Cleft prevalence. It is estimated that, worldwide, a child is born every 3 minutes with a cleft condition — about one in 500-750 births. Operation Smile’s survey revealed that 85% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs in Venezuela could not have undergone surgery without the support of Operation Smile.
Shortfall of health workers. Venezuela faces a shortage of skilled medical professionals. Venezuela has just 18 specialist surgical workers per 100,000 population, which falls short of the average number of 71 specialist surgical workers in high-income countries.
Financial burden. In Venezuela, 67% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs live below the poverty line and 93% do not have health insurance. Out-of-pocket payments often prevent patients from accessing the treatment that they need. In Venezuela, one in ten individuals faces impoverishing expenditure for surgical care, while one in four individuals risks catastrophic expenditure for surgical care.
Lack of infrastructure. Venezuela suffers from a lack of critical hospital infrastructure. With less than one hospital bed per 1,000 people, medical facilities fail to meet the needs of the population. In stark contrast, high-income countries have 5.6 hospital beds per 1,000 people.
Barriers to education and employment. According to Operation Smile’s survey, 24% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs said that their school attendance was impacted by their condition. In addition, 44% of surveyed caretakers are forced to stay home to care for children born with cleft conditions, which creates an additional financial strain for families.
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.
Our hub is based at our Care Center in Caracas, the capital and largest city in Venezuela. Additionally, we have seven allied clinics across the country.
Operation Smile’s Care Center in Maturin provides oral health care, pediatric consultations, nutritional support and speech therapy.
Additionally, Operation Smile carries out patient screenings in the northeastern part of the country.
FIVE-YEAR VISION
Over the next five years, Operation Smile will provide surgeries for over 1,070 patients and deliver comprehensive cleft care consultations to approximately 2,500 patients.
From surgery and anesthesia to pediatrics, nursing, oral health and biomedical engineering, Operation Smile will equip medical professionals with advanced training to improve patient care. In collaboration with the American Heart Association, we will further strengthen emergency readiness through Basic Life Support training.