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Operation Smile UK

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Operation Smile UK

Children's medical charity providing free, safe surgery to children born with cleft conditions.
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31/10/2025

Growing up with a cleft lip, Brunel faced not only the challenge of eating and speaking but also the pain of bullying and isolation. Today, thanks to an Operation Smile surgical programme in Madagascar – and supporters like you – she’s thriving with the happiest of smiles. 😊💙

29/10/2025

In celebration of his OBE, we asked plastic surgeon and longstanding Operation Smile UK volunteer, Dr Ankur, what he’s learned in life and work.

Read the article via our website to be inspired! 💙

28/10/2025

A story that starts long before the operating room...

Joycelyn was nearly two years old when she first arrived at the Operation Smile surgical programme in Tamale, Ghana. Abandoned by her mother because of her cleft lip and palate, and with a father who struggled to provide her with the love and care she needed, Joycelyn’s young life hung in the balance.

Like many children with untreated cleft conditions, she had been struggling to feed. By the time our medical volunteers examined her, Joycelyn was severely malnourished and had to be admitted to the paediatric ward for urgent care and nutritional support.

After five days she was discharged and enrolled on the nutrition programme at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. But when she missed vital appointments, Patient Coordinator Clement reached out to family contacts to make sure she was safe. That’s when Cynthia, a neighbour who cared deeply about the family, stepped in – ensuring she received the love and consistency she needed to get strong and healthy enough for surgery.

Operation Smile is so much more than providing operations. It’s about comprehensive cleft care – and making sure children like Joycelyn have the chance to survive and thrive. 💙

24/10/2025

We’re lucky to have amazing supporters who choose to leave us gifts in their wills – gifts that are truly special to us.

Legacies are vital for the long-term future of our work. They don’t just make it possible to provide surgery for individual children today, but also to build healthcare capacity within communities so that children born with cleft conditions in the future can access the care they need.

We are now looking for a Legacy and Administration Manager to join our Finance and Operations team on a part-time basis (2 days per week). This role will ensure that every gift is managed with professionalism and care, in line with the wishes of our supporters and their families.

If you have the skills and experience to take on this important role, we’d love to hear from you, find out more at charityjob.co.uk.

23/10/2025

But there’s more – so much more!

This is just a taster of the fascinating conversations we had at The Conduit in London recently. 💙

We found out more about the role AI is already playing and the huge potential it has in transforming access to quality healthcare around the world. The evening was full of insights about what’s possible when partnership, innovation and equality come together – and how together, we can drive change that really matters.

Thanks again to our panellists Dr Caroline Yao, plastic surgeon extraordinaire, who’s leading the charge within Operation Smile in using AI for good to improve surgical outcomes for patients. Ricardo Martin, Johnson & Johnson Medtech Managing Director for the UK and Ireland, who brought a global perspective to the importance of partnership in business. And Golda K., Sierra Leone-born, Denmark-raised, who brought the diaspora perspective and her own expertise in delivering digital health systems in Africa.

And of course our wonderful moderator, Astrid Sundberg, Executive Director of Operation Smile in Norway.

Get in touch if you’d like to find out more.

21/10/2025

We still can’t quite believe it! 💙

Together you’ve helped raise £167,598 to transform the lives of children born with cleft conditions around the world. 🌍

We couldn’t be more grateful – to Dilan for being our little superstar, to Superdrug and Oral-B for their amazing support and for letting us share their platform, to Lindsay and Ivana who helped us promote the campaign so effectively, and to every one of you for your support.

Thank you to everyone who donated at the checkout, bought Oral-B products, liked, commented, or shared our posts. You’ve all helped raise awareness and create lasting change.

Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts. 💙

20/10/2025

Hospitals can feel overwhelming – especially for little ones facing surgery. But what if play, laughter and a sense of control could transform fear into confidence? 💙

At Operation Smile, our psychosocial care providers help children prepare for surgery through therapeutic play, giving them coping skills and a chance to just be kids in a clinical setting. The result? Many walk away not only braver, but even saying they had fun.

Discover how this powerful shift happens and meet the volunteers behind it on our website.

17/10/2025

Isn’t it amazing how even small donations add up? 💙 Just a few pennies at the checkout in Superdrug and a small donation for every Oral-B product bought has turned into… drum roll… £167,598 raised for Operation Smile! 🎉

To Superdrug, Oral-B, and every single person who tapped yes at the checkout – thank you. To everyone who liked, shared, tagged us, and helped spread the word – thank you. You’ve helped make something incredible happen.

This support means children like Dilan can access comprehensive cleft care – not only surgery, but therapy, family support, and capacity building through training local medical teams. Thousands of lives will be changed because of you.

We’re overjoyed. Truly. Thank you. 💙

15/10/2025

How does Operation Smile connect with families in greatest need of care – families who may be hiding away due to stigma or living in remote areas with little or no access to healthcare?

In Ghana, this is where patient coordinators like Clement play a vital role. Together with his team, he travels across the country to identify children in need of cleft care – giving talks, putting up posters, handing out leaflets and even going door-to-door to ensure that no child is left behind.

Operation Smile is not only about providing surgery. We work to make cleft care – and hope for the future – a reality for children living in some of the most difficult circumstances. That means nutrition support to prepare children for surgery, speech therapy, psychosocial support and building capacity within local health systems to strengthen care for the long term.

Here, Clement is pictured with Joycelyn, one of the many children he has helped to access life-changing treatment and support.

As Clement explains: “We are not only creating smiles, we are touching lives and transforming them too.”

Thank you to all our partners and supporters who make this work possible.

13/10/2025

“Is that really me in the photos?” asks Aliwu.

I countries like Ghana, it’s not unusual for children born with cleft conditions, like Aliwu, to live hundreds of miles from hospitals offering surgery. Without care, they can face dangerous health problems. This is what happened with Aliwu – she struggled to feed and became severely malnourished.

Thanks to patient coordinators like Clement, Aliwu and her mum were able to reach an Operation Smile programme, where they found treatment, support and hope for the future.

Today, Aliwu is thriving. She’s a confident, happy young girl with a beautiful new smile – and she can hardly believe she’s the same baby she sees in photos.

💙 Patient coordinators are often the hidden heroes of cleft care. Want to know more about how they change lives? Follow us to learn more.

10/10/2025

“They said she wasn’t human. That she’d never be ‘fixed’.”

These are the cruel words Aliwu and her family faced when she was born with a cleft condition. But everything changed when she received free, safe surgery through Operation Smile. 💙

Her mum, Fadila, cried with joy the first time she saw her daughter after surgery. “I am really happy with the care and attention we have received,” she said. Now, Aliwu is seen just like everyone else – with a future full of health, happiness and hope.

➡️ Follow us to hear more about their experience and how they were found by Operation Smile.

09/10/2025

AI in healthcare? It isn’t just about technology – it’s about people. 💙

Scroll through for insights from our speakers at The Conduit, London, on how AI could transform cleft care and global health equity.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to such an inspiring discussion around technology, health equity and partnership. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and do let us know if you’d like a link to our BBC Storyworks film, which showcases the impact of AI on surgical programmes in Rwanda.

Address

Genoa House, Juniper Drive
London
SW181FY

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 5:30pm
Thursday	9am - 5:30pm
Friday	9am - 5:30pm

Website

http://www.operationsmile.org.uk/

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