Health Equity Heroes

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Operation Smile and our global partners are honoring the importance of health equity for women.

On a global day known for celebrating the achievements of women and marking a call to accelerate women’s equality, we are launching Health Equity Heroes – a new social media campaign inviting women working across various fields such as medicine, health, science, education, research, leadership and more to join together and share their stories.

Through this campaign, Operation Smile and our supporters from around the world hope to showcase what it means to empower women in medical leadership positions to inspire new generations of health care practitioners.

But even if you’re not directly involved with Operation Smile as a volunteer or partner, your personal journey is still an inspiration to us and many others. Which is why we’re inviting you to share your story as part of this campaign.

Operation Smile Co-Founder and President Kathy Magee led the way with this campaign by being the first to submit her own Health Equity Heroes story.

In her note, Kathy describes how her lifelong and deeply rooted passion to care for children helped guide her toward where she is today.

“As a young person, I had always wanted to help children. Children in Africa and other underdeveloped nations have always drawn my attention. In order to address that need, I decided to go into nursing – specifically pediatric nursing. So, my younger days were spent on just that – kids in the hospital and their care through surgery and other medical needs.

“But the ‘Power of a Dream’ is not in thinking it, but in living it. For me, that dream and journey has been living and addressing the care of children in the developing world with facial conditions, in particular, cleft lip and palate. Giving these children the ability to eat, speak, and face each day with dignity. It has been not a dream, but living the ability to give these children a new life.”

Representation matters, “If she can see it, she can be it.”

Inequity is a lost opportunity to equip a whole generation of girls with the tools to become talented health care leaders. Operation Smile believes that through gender equity, we can achieve health equity. And with your help and story, we can raise awareness and make a global impact.

The Health Equity Heroes campaign begins on Mar. 8, but it will continue throughout the year. Join in! Follow us on Instagram, @OperationSmileWomen.