Smile NewsWinter 2015

I feel genuinely honoured to be the one introducing your latest edition of Smile News. Not long ago, I returned from an Operation Smile mission in Hanoi, Vietnam – part of a “Mega Mission” consisting of 7 teams of volunteers from 26 different countries who screened 920 children and operated on 462. I’m incredibly proud to have been a part of it so thanks for making it possible!

As an anaesthetist, I get to work with both local and international surgeons and paediatricians, so I know first hand just how high the standard of clinical care is that we’re able to provide with your help. I also get the privilege of seeing how grateful the children and families we work with are for your support.

So please, have a good read of today’s newsletter and remember that all this is only achievable thanks to you!

Dr Clive DukeConsultant AnaesthetistOperation Smile

>> AN INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT SNYDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Just £150 and a 45 minute operation can change a child’s life

What does it mean to you that Operation Smile’s supporters are so passionate about the organisation’s work?It means everything. In the UK particularly, our supporters want to be informed and involved. They’re very intelligent and we communicate with them differently to supporters in any other country because they want to know more about the background to our missions and the clinical outcomes

We’re lucky to have so much support in this country and it means a lot that they entrust us with their donations to do what we do. We try to meet that expectation every day.

Experience the joy of a child’s transformation by watching our YouTube videos. Get real-time updates on our Twitter feed @opsmileuk. Then share the smiles and spread the word on Facebook.

Follow the Smiles and get real-time updates online!

How did you first get involved with Operation Smile? Back in 2006 I started as a mission co-ordinator. Essentially I would organise medical missions – everything from volunteers’ visas through to cargo and supplies. I’d have to organise a team of around 40 medical volunteers to go to a certain city where a mission was needed, then be the person who was managing everything on site. It was a fantastic opportunity to work with some brilliant surgeons, paediatricians and anaesthetists, but also government officials, business leaders and board members. All-in-all it was an incredible introduction to global health.

When did you begin working in Vietnam? And how has it changed in that time. A year after taking the mission co-ordinator position, I applied for the role of regional programme co-ordinator and helped open the regional office in Hanoi. Even back then, Operation Smile had been working in Vietnam almost 18 years. We were the first NGO to go into the country after the Vietnam war, and since then, we’ve worked closely with health officials and the government. This relationship has led to a huge difference in the way local health care systems can deal with cleft lip and palate procedures. We want to improve capacity in that country and not just provide a temporary solution.

Mega Mission, Huge Success. Thank You!

We talked to Scott about his work for Operation Smile in the UK and Vietnam. We also asked him why your support means so much to him. The following is taken from the full interview, which you can see online at www.operationsmile.org.uk/smilenews

Baking a Smile To see the full interview with Scott, including a personal thank you message to everyone who makes Operation Smile’s work possible, visit www.operationsmile.org.uk/smilenews

How our World Care Programme transformed one child’s future

>> A LIFE-CHANGING JOURNEY

Operation Smile’s World Care Programme is a ground-breaking initiative that allows us to help children with severe and often life-threatening deformities.

Sadly we can’t always treat such serious conditions during our missions. And often this kind of complex surgery requires the expertise of different specialists, such as Craniofacial or Neurosurgeons. The treatment can also mean lengthy stays in hospital

and sometimes multiple operations.

But we believe that every child has the right to treatment – regardless of the severity of their condition. So with your help, we developed the World Care Programme. And recently, it made all the difference to a little boy called Jehad Dalanog, who arrived at an Operation Smile mission in the Philippines with a bulbous facial disfigurement which, if left untreated, could have been fatal.

Knowing we couldn’t treat Jehad there and then, we arranged for him to travel to Australia so that a team of specialists could remove the tumour before it became more serious and threatened his life.

The operation itself, performed by an Australian plastic surgeon – and founder of Operation Smile Australia, Dr Richard Lewandowski, was a huge undertaking. It involved prolonged anaesthesia in a highly controlled theatre

environment, but ultimately it was a huge success. Jehad’s mother described the moment she saw the results.

“It was like having a new son. The first time he looked in the mirror, he was so happy. This is a big relief for me, for our family and for our whole community.”

This particular Operation was funded jointly by Operation Smile in the UK and Australia. So without your support, Jehad’s life would still be in danger.

Why are you volunteering for Operation Smile?I was lucky enough to be selected as a Regan Fellow as an anaesthesia junior doctor in 2012. I joined the mission to the Philippines and knew I wanted to continue volunteering. I am looking forward to my first mission as a consultant anaesthetist in 2015.

What do you think will be the biggest difference between doing your job in the UK and being an anaesthetist on one of our missions? Operation Smile maintains a high standard and clinically there won’t be that much difference. The biggest difference would probably be the fact that my patients will be speaking to me in another language.

What are you most looking forward to?I can’t wait to meet the people - the children, their parents and my work colleagues from all over the world.

Meet the Volunteer

Nur Lubis talks us through her reasons for volunteering for Operation Smile

>> NEWS FROM HANOI

Cong and Thu’s initial delight on learning that they were expecting twins quickly turned to worry when Thu had an ultrasound at 20 weeks pregnant and her doctor told her that one of her babies would be born with a cleft lip.

Thanks to our network in Vietnam, the doctor knew about Operation Smile and so was able to alleviate their concerns and explain that surgery was possible.

Cong and Thu received lots of support and encouragement on their return home after the birth

Phuc’s story Cu’s storyof their twin boys, Thien and Phuc. A few days after the twins reached six months the family received the news that there would be an Operation Smile mission in Hanoi in November.

On arriving at the hospital Cong and Thu were very surprised to see so many other families with children who had cleft lips and palates. To their great relief and happiness Phuc was cleared for surgery and Phuc is now back in his mother’s arms with his new smile.

Hanoi was one of the locations for our Vietnamese Mega Mission that, thanks to your generosity and support, was such a huge success. Here, we take a look at two of the many inspiring stories that came from the mission.

Cu’s family have always accepted his cleft lip and palate were fate, and always loved him unconditionally. But we know from experience that the long-term barriers and associated problems can be seriously damaging.

It was her local pharmacist who first told Cu’s mother about Operation Smile and what a huge difference they could make to a child like Cu. So the family began making preparations for the three-hour journey to Hanoi.

When they arrived at the

mission site on Monday, they were surprised to see so many other children with cleft lips and palates. And when Cu was approved for surgery following a health check, the family was delighted – but not nearly as pleased as they were to see the fantastic results of Cu’s operation.

This has been an emotional and inspiring journey for Cu’s family. But perhaps the most uplifting part of this story is that Cu’s future now looks a whole lot brighter thanks to your support.

This time last year, we sent an urgent appeal asking for help to fund a mission to Kigali in Rwanda. As always, you were there for us and we were able to raise an incredible £56,000 – enough to fund the mission.

With your help, we sent 49 medical volunteers from 11 different countries, including the UK, to provide life-changing surgery to Rwandan children.

Together, the team provided medical evaluations to 216 patients and performed surgery on 95 children – a fantastic result

in itself. But as always, there was also a strong emphasis on the transfer of skills to local doctors and nurses.

Our overall aim is to ensure that local teams are trained to a point where they can take over the care of all new cleft patients in Rwanda. And this latest mission represents a big step forward in the country’s ability to deal with new cases of cleft lip and palate. We’re confident that as long as we have your amazing support, future missions can only help to build on this success.

RwandaMissionReport

More great news to thank you for!

VietnamBoliviaGuatamala

Nicaragua

Dominican RepublicSince 2009, Operation Smile has provided procedures to over 464 children.

CambodiaSince the first mission in Cambodia in 2003, Operation Smile has screened over 6,300 children and adults and has provided free surgeries to over 3,100 patients.

ThailandThroughout the year, Thailand will host four missions with a combined patient objective of 390

Honduras

>> UPCOMING MISSIONS>> NEWS FROM HANOI

Cong and Thu’s initial delight on learning that they were expecting twins quickly turned to worry when Thu had an ultrasound at 20 weeks pregnant and her doctor told her that one of her babies would be born with a cleft lip.

Thanks to our network in Vietnam, the doctor knew about Operation Smile and so was able to alleviate their concerns and explain that surgery was possible.

Cong and Thu received lots of support and encouragement on their return home after the birth

Phuc’s story Cu’s storyof their twin boys, Thien and Phuc. A few days after the twins reached six months the family received the news that there would be an Operation Smile mission in Hanoi in November.

On arriving at the hospital Cong and Thu were very surprised to see so many other families with children who had cleft lips and palates. To their great relief and happiness Phuc was cleared for surgery and Phuc is now back in his mother’s arms with his new smile.

A bold vision to eradicate cleft backlogsHanoi was one of the locations for our Vietnamese Mega Mission that, thanks to your generosity and support, was such a huge success. Here, we take a look at two of the many inspiring stories that came from the mission.

Cu’s family have always accepted his cleft lip and palate were fate, and always loved him unconditionally. But we know from experience that the long-term barriers and associated problems can be seriously damaging.

It was her local pharmacist who first told Cu’s mother about Operation Smile and what a huge difference they could make to a child like Cu. So the family began making preparations for the three-hour journey to Hanoi.

When they arrived at the

mission site on Monday, they were surprised to see so many other children with cleft lips and palates. And when Cu was approved for surgery following a health check, the family was delighted – but not nearly as pleased as they were to see the fantastic results of Cu’s operation.

This has been an emotional and inspiring journey for Cu’s family. But perhaps the most uplifting part of this story is that Cu’s future now looks a whole lot brighter thanks to your support.

This time last year, we sent an urgent appeal asking for help to fund a mission to Kigali in Rwanda. As always, you were there for us and we were able to raise an incredible £56,000 – enough to fund the mission.

With your help, we sent 49 medical volunteers from 11 different countries, including the UK, to provide life-changing surgery to Rwandan children.

Together, the team provided medical evaluations to 216 patients and performed surgery on 95 children – a fantastic result

in itself. But as always, there was also a strong emphasis on the transfer of skills to local doctors and nurses.

Our overall aim is to ensure that local teams are trained to a point where they can take over the care of all new cleft patients in Rwanda. And this latest mission represents a big step forward in the country’s ability to deal with new cases of cleft lip and palate. We’re confident that as long as we have your amazing support, future missions can only help to build on this success.

RwandaMissionReport

More great news to thank you for!

We’re always looking at how we can turn your support into the biggest possible difference for children born with cleft lip and cleft palate. And right now, we have some hugely exciting plans that could see you become an important part of a huge step forward.

The map on this page shows eight countries we have identified as having backlogs of cleft procedures that we believe we can eradicate over the next five years.

That’s right, with your help we’re going to carry out procedures on thousands of adults and children so that in the future, we’ll only have to operate on new cases of cleft lip and palate each year.

This is a bold, ambitious idea. And thanks to your generosity, together we can make it reality. But how?

The answer lies in the Mega Mission we’ve just completed in Vietnam. These projects, which take months of planning and generous help from brilliant medical volunteers all over the world, allow us to treat hundreds of patients in a relatively short period. By continuing with this style of mission and other initiatives over the next five years, we’ve predicted that in the eight countries listed on the map – including Vietnam – we can eradicate cleft backlogs and change the lives of thousands of men, women, children and families.

What an opportunity – and one that only exists because of your incredible generosity – so thank you once again for being a part of this vision.

Mega Missions will allow up to 1,000 patients to be treated in one visit, helping us to clear the backlog of procedures over the next five years.

The Sky’s the Limit!Meet the Operation Smile surgeon whose dedication knows no bounds.Between his own brush with lymphoma and four tours of Iraq and Afghanistan with the RAF, Wing Commander Ankur Pandya has somehow managed to fit in 22 Operation Smile medical missions in 12 countries over the past six years.

Describing why he got involved in the first place, Dr Pandya says, “with an interest in both burns and cleft surgery, the opportunity to help children and communities was too good to pass up, and also a healing step after being involved in the horrors of war.”

We’re proud to work with Ankur and all the volunteers involved in our missions, so thank you for making their work possible.

Please see our website for the latest news, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter

0844 581 1110 • operationsmile.org.ukCharity Reg No.1091316

This August, over 80 remarkable cyclists joined Team Miles for Smiles for the Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100.

They made their way across London and

84 Miles, 624 Smiles!

>> EVENTS

£1000 Raised in memory of Operation Smile supporter!When Operation Smile supporter Sylvia Smith died in February 2014, her family decided that they would honour her memory by raising money for her favourite charity.

They encouraged friends and family to give donations to Operation Smile instead of flowers at her funeral and then set about raising more themselves by selling some of Sylvia’s possessions –

altogether raising over £1,000.Sylvia’s husband told us, “She was an

avid supporter of Operation Smile and would be so pleased to know she was still supporting you”.

There are so many ways that you can help to support Operation Smile, and doing something in memory of a loved one is just one of them.

>> IN MEMORIUM

This newsletter costs just 10p to print. Please share with friends or family, or leave at your doctor’s surgery for others to read.

Baking a SmileWhile the boss is away, it’s time to play – or so the saying goes. But not for Duncan Bannatyne’s employees it would seem!

While he was in Vietnam for our 25th Anniversary mission in November, staff and members of Bannatyne’s clubs across the UK held Bake a Smile mornings, spun 1,000s of miles, Zumba-d in fancy dress, held raffles, hosted quizzes and much more to raise a phenomenal £15,000.

We’re a land of great bakers and so many supporters have been

whisking eggs, sieving flour and sprinkling sugar in support of Operation Smile. So a HUGE thank you to everyone who donned an apron to change a child’s life in 2015 including friends Patricia Skittrall & Patricia Target who, as well as baking, sold delicious homemade marmalade at Upwood Primary School.

Our target for Bake A Smile is £30,000 which would enable us to fund another mission, creating more smiles for children affected by cleft lip and palate.

Gift Aid allows us to make your generosity go even further. That’s because if you’re a UK taxpayer, we can reclaim basic rate tax on your gift. That means more funding for Operation Smile and more successful projects like our recent mega mission to Vietnam. So to make your gifts worth even more, just look out for the Gift Aid section of your donation form.

Make your generosity worth more with Gift Aid

If you would like to know more about how to give in memory – or for information on leaving a legacy to Operation Smile, visit our website at operationsmile.org.uk/inmemory or call 0844 581 1110 to speak to Pippa Fawcett, our legacy & trusts manager.

To take part this year or join our cheer team visit operationsmile.org.uk/ridelondon

Find out more at operationsmile.org.uk/bakeasmile

through Surrey, battling the elements, multiple punctures and poor visibility for 84 very wet miles to give a massive 624 children surgery.

At 6am, the first wave left the Olympic Stadium and just before 10am, the first of our amazing Team Miles for Smiles cyclists, Gosia and Steve were enjoying well-deserved massages at the post Ride Reception at Hyde Park Corner.

A shout out to Tim Weller who was not only was our top fundraiser, he cycled the last 10 miles with only one pedal!