The Next Decade
By 2032, our goal is to improve access to care for the next 1 million patients and their families by providing world-class cleft surgery across 37 countries and investing in frontline health workers to create a lasting impact in the communities we serve.
From its very beginning, Operation Smile has focused on helping as many children with cleft conditions as possible to ensure that they can lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. After 40 years of service, the need for cleft surgery continues, and our ambition has grown.
Today, we continue to provide care directly to patients, and we have created and expanded educational programs to train more health care providers in the countries where we work. Nearly 80% of our medical volunteers are health care professionals from the low- and middle-income countries we serve. We’re investing in strengthening health systems and partnering with universities, nonprofits and governments with one mission in mind: to increase access to safe surgical and comprehensive care.
“Now, more than ever, we are called to expand innovative solutions that will lead us into the next decade of love and leadership.”
— Bill Magee, Co-Founder and CEO Emeritus of Operation Smile
Our vision is to ensure that every child has access to quality comprehensive cleft care close to home.
Operation Smile invests in local providers in the community through a hub-and-spoke model. We leverage existing expertise and resources at the hub hospitals to build self-sufficiency at the spokes, by training providers to deliver care in their own communities. We provide education and training programs, combined with coordinated investments in space and systems. The purpose of the spoke is to become a facility that delivers year-round cleft surgery for patients living within a two-hour radius.
Signature Initiatives
In order to transform lives at scale, Operation Smile has identified five signature initiatives to help us increase access to care for 1 million patients by 2032.
Women in Medicine
Women make up 70% of the health care work force but hold just 25% of leadership roles in health institutions. The Women in Medicine initiative will increase medical training, academic and leadership opportunities for female health care professionals through structured mentorship programs across four regions of the world.
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The Champion Program
The Operation Smile Champion program drives impactful change and supports educational exchanges that will help to develop the next generation of leaders.
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Transcending Borders
In 2022, over 100 million people were displaced worldwide due to violence, conflict or human rights violations. We recognize that families in search of better lives face obstacles. In Latin American and in the Middle East and North Africa regions, our programs decrease those barriers and promote access to health care for all.
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Youth and Leadership
We will invest in youth and leadership. The Next Decade of Love and Leadership will create expanded opportunities for field program support to engage the next generation of global leaders.
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Operation Smile Academy
Operation Smile Academy is an online learning and mentorship service for cleft care professionals. Our goal is to increase the capacity of health professionals and health systems to treat people affected by cleft conditions.
Learn about Operation Smile AcademyThrough collaborative partnerships, Operation Smile is expanding access to care, training more doctors in remote areas and reaching more children in need of life-changing surgeries. As part of this initiative, we work closely with international organizations such as Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the IOM and local governments.