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Operation Smile coming to Limpopo

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Operation Smile is a medical humanitarian charity with a presence of more than 60 countries that provide free, safe reconstructive surgery for children and young adults born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.

Every three minutes, a child somewhere in the world is born with a cleft lip and cleft palate. They are often unable to eat, speak, socialise or smile. Tens of thousands of these children remain untreated and one in 10 children born with a cleft will die before their first birthday, according to research.

To date, Operation Smile South Africa (OSSA) has conducted five surgical missions in South Africa and 238 free surgery procedures to 195 children and adults. OSSA held its inaugural mission in Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal, followed by two missions in Mount Frere in the Eastern Cape, one in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, one in Klerksdorp in the North West Province as well as an inaugural mission in Lilongwe, Malawi.

From 29 April – 05 May Operation Smile South Africa will conduct a pre-screening mission in Limpopo province. This mission will give the organisation an indication of the number of people in the province in need of corrective surgery.  It will also indicate the number of people expected at the South Africa medical mission that will take place in November this year.

During this surgical mission a team of medical and non-medical volunteers will provide free surgeries to anyone born with a cleft lip or cleft palate. The venue for the surgery is still to be confirmed.

For more information visit http://southafrica.operationsmile.org/

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