Biggest Free Surgical Mission in the Philippines 2012 - Operation Smile

Since 1982, through the help of dedicated medical volunteers and generous partners — has provided more than 2 MILLION PATIENT EVALUATIONS and over 200,000 FREE SURGERIES for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities AROUND THE WORLD. As one of the most prominent children’s charities in the world with a presence in over 60 COUNTRIES, we are able to heal children’s smiles and bring hope for a better future.

On NOVEMBER 8 to DECEMBER 2, 2012, Operation Smile will undertake another milestone as it celebrates its 30th year!

Operation Smile will celebrate with a special homecoming mission to the Philippines to give back to the country that gave birth to what is now a global children’s medical charity organization. It aims to provide free life medical treatments to at least 6,000 Filipino children and young adults in 24 days through 10 dental and cleft surgical missions sites in various parts of the country, namely, Koronadal City, Cavite, Cebu, Cagayan De Oro, General Santos, Silay City, Manila, Naga and Pampanga.

THE NEED FOR OPERATION SMILE

As proud as we are of the many children we have helped here at home and abroad, sadly, twice as many are left behind. Each year, ten thousands of children who need help have to be turned away. It should not be this way. This is why we continue to battle the growing backlog of children who suffer with correctable deformities. This is why we set such high goals for ourselves each year, why we always stretch to the absolute extent of our capacity, and why we are always seeking like-minded humanitarians – people who generously support our spirit and our missions. It is estimated that one in every 500 children born in the Philippines will have a cleft lip and/or cleft palate.

CONCLUSION

Children who must live with facial deformities live in the darkest corners of the world. They suffer in seclusion. Many children withdraw from school, and withdraw from the world. A 45-minute operation can change a child’s life forever and restore their dignity. A simple operation can open doors to a child’s future.

Operation Smile encourages private and public institutions to join its efforts to reach out to these impoverished Filipino children through a local mission.

OSP may not be able to fix the economic woes of Philippines, but together, the country can reach out to these forgotten children. To repair a child’s face is to rehabilitate not only their smile, but also their spirit. To repair a child’s face is to give that child an opportunity to go to school, to eat a meal, to speak so others can understand. Once the physical aspect of a deformity is treated, it allows for the emotional healing to begin.

It is an investment that will last a lifetime in the face of each child. It is how OSP is “changing lives, one smile at a time.”
“Alone we can do little; together we can do so much.” - Anonymous




2012 Program Plan

Date	Activity	Minimum Surgical Objective	Area Coverage
Jan 25 – 29	Local Cleft Surgical Mission (Mindoro)	40	Mindoro Island and Batangas
Mar 2 – 10	International Cleft Surgical Mission (Iloilo)	150	Panay Island (Iloilo, Capiz, Antique and Aklan) and Negros Occidental
Mar 16 – 23	International Craniofacial Mission (Davao City)	10	Mindanao
Mar 22-24	NCR Local Cleft Mission (Manila)	50	NCR, Bulacan, Laguna, Batangas, Cavite
May	Local Cleft Surgical Mission (La Union)	100	Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan
Oct 25-31	International Dental and Cleft Surgical Missions (South Cotabato)	5,000 dental 30 cleft	South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat
Nov 8 – 18 (1st Leg) Nov 23-Dec 1 (2nd Leg)	30th Anniversary Simultaneous Missions
	San Fernando, Pampanga	150	Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac
	Manila	150	NCR, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal
	Cavite	150	Cavite, Batangas, Mindoro, Palawan, Marinduque
	Naga City	150	Quezon and Bicol Region
	Bacolod City	150	Region VI (Western Visayas)
	Cebu City	200	Region VII (Central Visayas) Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
	Cagayan De Oro City	150	Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) Region X (Northern Mindanao) Region XIII (Caraga)
	General Santos City	150	Region XII (Socsargen) Region XI (Davao Region) ARMM
Year-round	Manila Cleft Care Center	50	Luzon
	Mindanao Cleft Center	150	Mindanao
TOTAL TREATMENTS		6,880	15 missions

Cleft lip/Palate Surgery: Cost Per Child

Item		Amount
Volunteer-Related Expenses (23.3%)		Php 3,500.00
Accommodations	1,340.00
Meals	1,680.00
Transportation	480.00
Patient/Surgery-Related Expenses (76.7%)		11,000.00
Patient Mapping & Pre-screening	200.00
Cargo Expenses (Medical Equipment)	300.00
Medical Supplies	4,000.00
Anesthesia Medicines	2,000.00
Laboratory	700.00
OR Fee	3,000.00
Post Op Follow Up Services	800.00
TOTAL		Php 15,000.00

For more information about Operation Smile you can visit Chatters Care for Kids Inc. website or you can check out their Facebook pages.