Mission Reports

Jamshedpur, Jharkhand - March 18 to March 26, 2010

International Mission

Guwahati, Assam - January 30 to February 9, 2010

International Mission

Mumbai, Maharashtra - January 9 to January 17, 2010

Burns Mission

Guwahati - December 2 to December 19, 2009

Operation Smile is currently working in Guwahati on its largest mission in India to date. From Dec. 2-19, over 150 medical volunteers will work to treat 500 children and young adults suffering from cleft lip and cleft palate. Read our blog >>

Sikkim - October 8 to October 16, 2009

International Mission

Jodhpur-Rajasthan - September 17 to September 25, 2009

International

Bhavnagar - August 20 to August 28, 2009

Operation Smile Completes Successful Mission In Bhavn agar

Bhavnagar: August 20-28
- Allison Bradshaw Gonzalez, Program Coordinator

Dear Friends at Operation Smile,

It is with great honor that I announce the completion of Operation Smile India’s mission to Bhavnagar. Volunteers from India, the Philippines, Russia, Ecuador, Canada, Israel and the United States came together to provide new smiles for 53 patients – 47 of whom returned for post-op! It was truly inspiring to see this group come together to change so many lives.

One patient in particular was sure to bring a smile to all of our faces. Rakesh was born with a facial cleft, much more than just a cleft lip. Despite his disfiguring condition that even other patients noticed as different, Rakesh was full of a bright spirit and a brave heart.
After his surgery, his parents joined him in the recovery room, their tears of joy acknowledging the different life their son would now have. When the surgeon walked in, Rakesh’s mother leaned over to touch his feet, a true sign of respect and gratitude. It was an amazingly touching moment for the entire team. The pictures attached are of Rakesh before his surgery and then after his surgery, looking at his own before and after pictures.

We would like to thank the volunteers for their tireless work, as well as the immense support from Operation Smile India and Operation Smile International. It was only with the teamwork involved that we were able to accomplish what we did.

Wishing you all the best,
Allison and Rohan

Mission Images: (Click to enlarge)

Guwahati - May 21 to May 29, 2009

Operation Smile Completes Successful Mission in Guwahati, Assam

I am happy to announce the successful completion of the second Operation Smile international mission in Guwahati, Assam, in the north eastern part of India! In many ways, this mission was a very important mission for Operation Smile.

This was the first time we did a seven (6+1) table mission in India; and the results were exceptional. We achieved something we had always dreamt of: 200+ surgeries. In six surgical days we were able to change the lives of 226 kids and their families.

We had an incredible team of 70 volunteers, lead by a very strong leadership team. There were volunteers from six different countries.

Above all, we were privileged to have amongst us Dr. Magee and Kathy Magee, their presence was very inspirational for the team.

As a team we did face some obstacles and problems, but I feel all these obstacles and the willingness and determination to overcome them is what made us feel like a family, and what made this mission great.

Operation Smile India is planning extensive activities in the North East of the country, and this mission has been a great foundation stone. In two weeks, our team was able to change the lives of not only 226 children and their families, but we have also created hope in the minds of several children and their families. We have shown them that a cleft lip and cleft palate is curable. We have shown that it is not a miracle that they have to wait for - there is a solution.

Operation Smile will be committed to fulfill this hope and promise. As a step to fulfilling this promise we inaugurated our first Comprehensive Care Center in the North East and the third in the country on this mission.

The Care Center will be fully functional in a couple of months. This was inaugurated by the Chief Minister and the Health minister of the state along with Dr. Magee and Kathy Magee at a small function at the hospital. Also present for the occasion was Mr. Prateek Hajela, District Commissioner, and other members of the Operation Smile family including Mr. Ranjit Barthakur, Chairman of the Board, Operation Smile India, and Mr. Ajit Varma, Executive Director, Operation Smile India.

We have also planned two big missions in Guwahati. We plan to do a 500 Smiles (500 surgical objective) mission in November and 1,000 Smile mission in February 2010!

Regards,
Abhishek Sengupta
Regional Coordinator
Operation Smile India

Since Operation Smile's first mission to India in 2002, volunteers have provided free physical examinations for more than 4,880 patients and life-changing surgery for more than 2,306 children and young adults during international medical missions in India.

First international mission: 2002
International mission sites: Bolpur, Deesa, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Himachal Pradesh, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Manipal, Rajkot and Vijayawada
Local mission sites: Kolkata and Deesa

Operation Smile's medical mission to Guwahati, India, May 21-29, 2009. (Photo credit: Diana Mulvihill, volunteer photographer for Operation Smile)

Mission Images: (Click to enlarge)

Bolpur - March 15 to March 21, 2009

Operation Smile Completes Successful Medical Mission in Bolpur, West Bengal
Operation Smile recently completed its sixth cleft lip and cleft palate medical mission in Bolpur, West Bengal, from March 15-21, 2009. The 33-member Operation Smile volunteer team from Australia, Belgium, China, Ireland, the Philippines, Vietnam and the United States joined their Indian colleagues to provide life-changing reconstructive surgery to 57 patients.

Although this was Operation Smile’s sixth medical mission to Bolpur, it was the first mission held at the Pearson Memorial Hospital: a 60-bed hospital located within the campus of Visva-Bharati University. Visva-Bharati University authorities and hospital staff went out of their way to ensure the success of this mission. The William H. Donner Foundation Fund sponsored the medical mission in addition to generously funding five previous medical missions held in Bolpur.

The Operation Smile medical mission was formally inaugurated March 26 by Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, the Honorable Speaker of Lok Sabha. Mr. Chatterjee welcomed the Operation Smile team to Bolpur and wished them luck. He emphasized the immense need for such work in this district. Also present for the occasion was Mr. Ranjit Barthakur, Chairman of the Board, Operation Smile India; Mr. Ajit Varma, Executive Director, Operation Smile India; Mr. Mukut Mani Mitra, Registrar, Visva-Bharati University; and Mr. Amiyava Chowdhury, Public Relations Head, Visva-Bharati University.

A medical mission to Bolpur is special to Operation Smile India because of the hundreds of people in this part of the country who suffer from cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. During the first medical mission in 2005, an Operation Smile team provided medical evaluations to 595 patients, but the team only had the time and resources to provide surgery for 140 children. Each subsequent Operation Smile medical team has been met by hundreds of families who hope their loved one will be selected for surgery. This is exactly what brings Operation Smile back to Bolpur year after year.

Jamshedpur - Jharkhand - February 19 to February 27, 2009

Operation Smile recently completed its first ever cleft lip and cleft palate medical mission in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. The 45-member Operation Smile medical team from Australia, Canada, Colombia, Italy, Mexico, the Philippines and the United States, joined their Indian colleagues to provide reconstructive surgery to 181 patients whose lives were changed forever. This medical mission was unique in terms of the unprecedented involvement and cooperation received from the Tata Group, principal sponsors for this mission. Funded by the Dorabji Tata Trust, this medical mission was held at the Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur. The host hospital, along with the management of Tata Steel, Jamshedpur, went out of their way to facilitate and ensure the success of this program.

Operation Smile medical missions always expose us to deeply touching stories of love and compassion, and the Jamshedpur mission was no exception. Pinki, a young woman of 19, had come to the mission site in hopes of receiving surgery to repair her cleft lip. When the Operation Smile team announced the names of those patients who had been selected for surgery, they noticed a woman’s face gleaming with joy upon hearing Pinki’s name amongst those selected for surgery. The woman was Kheloo Devi, Pinki’s mother, who also suffered from the same cleft lip deformity as her daughter, but had not undergone the medical evaluation process at the mission site. When Operation Smile medical volunteers asked her why, Kheloo Devi said she feared if there were two members from the same family needing surgery, it might hurt her daughter’s chances of being chosen; Pinki’s surgery was the obvious priority to her mother. Operation Smile volunteers immediately facilitated Kheloo Devi‘s medical evaluations, and after being cleared for surgery, she was placed on the surgery schedule along with her daughter. Their surgeries were a great success. The sight of the mother-daughter duo, filled with so much happiness and renewed confidence, brought a great deal of joy to the entire Operation Smile team.

Mission Images: (Click to enlarge)

Bolpur - West Bengal - November 13 to November 21, 2008

Mission Site: Sian Sub-Divisional Hospital
Medical Evaluations: 13 -14 November, 2008
For more information about this mission please contact Rohan Das

Hyderabad - Andhra Pradesh - August 7 to August 9, 2008

Mission Site: Rainbow Children's Hopital & Perinatal Centre
Medical Evaluations: August 8 -9, 2008

For more information about this mission please contact Abhishek Sengupta

Vijayawada - June 19 to June 27, 2008

An Operation Smile team of more than 50 medical and non-medical volunteers will be working in Vijayawada to provide free medical evaluations and surgery to children born with facial deformities. The Operation Smile team of plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, dentists, speech therapists and others will be working at The Dr. Pinnamenani Siddartha Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Foundation to treat children and young adults suffering with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. The team consists of medical professionals from Canada, Egypt, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and the United States, who are working with their in-country Indian counterparts to provide patients with life-changing surgeries.

During the mission, the team will also be conducting a field nursing program put together by Cindi Raglin and Noreen Kessler, two nursing members of the medical mission team.

This will be the second international medical mission to Vijayawada, and the 12th international medical mission to India. Since Operation Smile's first mission to India in 2002, volunteers have provided free physical examinations to more than 3,900 patients and life-changing surgery to more than 1,600 children and young adults during international medical missions.

First international mission: 2002
International mission sites: Kolkata, Deesa, Dharamsala, Manipal, Himachal Pradesh, Bolpur. Vijayawada
Local mission sites: Kolkata, Deesa.

Kolkata - April 12 to April 14, 2008

Operation Smile India's Comprehensive Care Centre: Kalpataru Hospital, Taki Road (near Chapadali More), Basarat. 15KM from Kolkata's international airport. West Bengal
Centre Coordinator: Soumen Dey Malakar, Ph. +91 9231897980

Kolkata - April 27 to May 1, 2007

An Operation Smile international team of nearly 30 medical and non-medical volunteers are in Kolkata to provide free medical evaluations and surgery to children born with facial deformities. This will be the first Operation Smile international medical mission to Kolkata, India. The Operation Smile team of plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, a dentist, speech therapist and others are working at Students Health Home Hospital to treat children and young adults suffering with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. The team consists of medical professionals from the Philippines and from the United States, who are working with their in-country Indian counterparts to provide patients with life-changing surgeries.

On April 26, two U.S. nurses from the international mission team will conduct a nursing education program at the Students Health Home Hospital. Nurses from the hospital who will be volunteering on the mission will be trained in nursing skills specific to children receiving reconstructive surgery for cleft lip and cleft palate deformities.

Operation Smile India will open a cleft care clinic in Kolkata in July 2007 to provide year round treatment and follow-up care for children throughout the country. This has been made possible by a two-way partnership with Operation Smile India and Students Health Home, which was started in Kolkata in 1952 and today has 65 centers throughout West Bangal.

Since Operation Smile's first mission to India in 2002, volunteers have provided free medical evaluations to more than 3,400 patients and life-changing surgery to more than 1,300 children and young adults during international medical missions.

First international mission: 2002
International mission sites: Kolkata, Deesa, Manipal, Himachal Pradesh, Bolpur.

Bolpur - October 2 to October 10, 2006

More than 50 Operation Smile medical and non-medical volunteers from India, Canada, Ireland and the United States completed a successful mission in Bolpur, India. The medical team worked out of Bolpur Sub Division Hospital and consisted of plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, a speech pathologist, dentist and other medical professionals. The team provided 575 free medical evaluations and surgery to 149 children suffering with facial deformities.

Since Operation Smile's first mission to India in 2002, volunteers have provided free medical evaluations to more than 3,300 patients and life-changing surgery to more than 1,200 children and young adults during international medical missions.

First international mission: 2002
International mission sites: Deesa, Manipal, Himachal Pradesh, Bolpur.

Deesa - January 26 to February 4, 2006

An Operation Smile international medical mission team was in Deesa, India, from January 26 until February 4. The team of approximately 30 volunteer medical professionals from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the United Kingdom, the United States and Venezuela worked with Indian volunteers at Gandhi Lincoln Hospital and provided 327 children and young adults with free medical evaluations and surgery for 128 children and young adults suffering from facial deformities. This marked Operation Smile's fourth mission in the city of Deesa. Since 2002, more than 2,800 children and young adults have received free medical evaluations and nearly 1,200 have received free reconstructive surgery during Operation Smile's international medical missions to India.

First international mission: 2002
International mission sites: Deesa, Manipal, Himachal Pradesh, Bolpur.

Bolpur - September 15 to September 24, 2005

More than 50 Operation Smile medical and non-medical volunteers from Norway, the Philippines, India, the United States and Vietnam worked together during the second Operation Smile international mission to Bolpur, India. The medical team worked tirelessly at Bolpur Sub Division Hospital to evaluate and treat patients. The medical team of plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, a speech pathologist, dentist and other medical professionals provided 454 free medical evaluations to children suffering with facial deformities. One hundred seventy patients received life-changing surgery thanks to the Operation Smile medical team.

Since Operation Smile's first mission to India in 2002, volunteers have provided free medical evaluations to more than 2,500 patients and life-changing surgery to more than 1,000 children and young adults.

First international mission: 2002
International mission sites: Deesa, Manipal, Himachal Pradesh, Bolpur.

Deesa & Bolpur - January 27 to February 4, 2005

Two Operation Smile international medical mission teams worked in India from January 27 until February 4. One team worked in Deesa, at Gandhi Lincoln Hospital, while another mission took place at Bolpur Sub Division Hospital in Bolpur, India.

In Deesa, a team of approximately 30 volunteer medical professionals from the United States, Australia, Venezuela, and Canada worked with volunteers from India to provide medical evaluations and surgery for children and young adults suffering from facial deformities. This marks Operation Smile's third mission in Deesa. The team provided medical evaluations to 349 patients who hoped to receive surgery. One hundred sixty-five children and young adults received reconstructive surgery to repair their cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.

At the same time, another Operation Smile volunteer medical team compiled of plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, pediatricians, a dentist and speech pathologist, spent nearly two weeks evaluating and treating patients in Bolpur. This team included members from the United States, Canada, Venezuela and India. This was Operation Smile's first time mission in Bolpur, India. The medical team worked extremely hard to provide nearly 600 patients with medical evaluations and was able to operate on 140 children suffering from facial deformities. Since Operation Smile's first mission to India in 2002, volunteers have provided free medical evaluations to more than 2,100 patients and life-changing surgery to nearly 900 children and young adults.

First international mission: 2002
International mission sites: Deesa, Manipal, Himachal Pradesh, Bolpur

Himachal Pradesh - October 6 to October 16, 2004

A team of Operation Smile volunteers traveled to Himachal Pradesh, India, to help children and young adults suffering from facial deformities. The 41-member mission team included volunteers from the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada and India. Upon arriving at an airport in India, the team took a 10-hour bus trip to the Government Medical College Hospital. Thirty-three volunteer medical professionals including plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, pediatricians, dentists and speech pathologist spent two weeks providing free medical evaluations to 278 patients and surgery to 128 children and young adults with cleft lips, cleft palates, burn scars, tumors and other facial deformities. The mission team was extremely excited to have the opportunity to meet with the Dalai Lama on October 15. The Dalai Lama was impressed with Operation Smile's work and the dedication of our volunteers.

First international mission: 2002
International mission sites: Deesa, Manipal, Himachal Pradesh, Bolpur

Deesa - January 29 to February 6, 2004

This was Operation Smile's third international mission to India, and the second at the Gandhi Lincoln Hospital in Dessa, Gujarat. The team received a warm greeting and unwavering support from Dr. Hemant Shah, chairman of the hospital, and his staff. The international team was composed of 50 volunteers from eight nations including India, United States, Vietnam, the Philippines, Colombia, Australia, Italy and Kenya. Volunteers from the United States represented 16 different states, while volunteers from India were from Delhi, Manipal and Bombay.

Five experienced surgical, anesthesia, pediatric and nursing volunteers led the international medical team. Dr. Lam Hoai Phuong of Vietnam, led the team as plastic surgery team leader. She also served as field medical director. Her plastic surgery team, composed of physicians from five different countries, operated on 195 children and young adults in the course of five days. Volunteering on his 23rd medical mission, Dr. Willie Go of the Philippines, led the anesthesia team. Under his guidance and leadership, the team provided the highest level of care to all of the patients.

The mission was made possible by the help of many individuals and organizations such as The Bombay Rotary Club of the Queen's Necklace, the Bhansali Charitable Trust, Mr. Mahendra Mehta and the Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust and the Share and Care Foundation of New Jersey.

First international mission: 2002
International mission site: Deesa, Manipal

Deesa - January 28 to February 12, 2003

An Operation Smile team of international volunteer medical professionals traveled to Deesa, India, from January 28 - February 12 to provide free reconstructive surgery to children with facial deformities.

Thirty-nine volunteer team members, including plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, pediatricians, dentists and speech pathologists, treated more than 150 children with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. Operation Smile's first mission to India took place in 2002 during which 99 children and young adults were surgically treated and 262 received free medical evaluations.

Volunteers from Cananda, Colombia, India, Ireland, the U.K. and the United States worked at the Gandhi Lincoln Hospital.

MISSION STATISTICS
First Mission: 2002
Patients Treated: 260
Mission Sites: Manipal, Deesa
Next Mission: 2004