SURGERY IS A
FUNDAMENTAL
HUMAN RIGHT
SIGN THE PLEDGE

SURGERY IS A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT

SIGN THE PLEDGE

More people die every year from lack of access to surgical care than from malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV combined.
This is the tragic truth.

Even today, there are billions of people who don’t have access to safe surgery that's timely and effective. Too many are dying. 

Safe surgery saves lives, but the majority of people who lack access to safe surgical care are often the poorest in their countries. They are excluded from care due to economic and social barriers and residing in remote locations far from surgical sites.

Imagine living a life like Virgilio, who feared torment and ridicule so much that he rarely ventured outside of his family's home in Mexico. He endured 20 years of despair and feeling ashamed until surgery forever altered the trajectory of his life.

Virgilio beat the odds. But there are hundreds of thousands of children out there suffering, and chances are such they won't make it to adulthood.
Imagine living a life like Virgilio, who feared torment and ridicule so much that he rarely ventured outside of his family's home in Mexico. He endured 20 years of despair and feeling ashamed until surgery forever altered the trajectory of his life.

Virgilio beat the odds. But there are hundreds of thousands of children out there suffering, and chances are such they won't make it to adulthood.

 Governments alone can’t fix this problem.

We must work together with government, health, business and community leaders to create solutions to alleviate this global crisis.

For the past 35 years, Operation Smile has come to know the physical and emotional pain of hundreds of thousands of people with cleft conditions. Operation Smile has seen firsthand how surgery has transformed patients' lives of suffering into lives of health, well-being and dignity. People around the world have been lifted from hopelessness to possibility.

This could not happen without the help of thousands of dedicated volunteers and partners, who were motivated to provide exceptional care at the highest medical standards. If you believe that everyone deserves the right to surgery that is safe, no matter where they live, join Until We Heal. 

Together, our actions create a movement
Until We Heal is a global campaign uniting like-minded advocates and global health and world leaders to advance access to safe surgery for all people with cleft conditions. We are creating platforms for activism, awareness-building, government engagement and the establishment of medical programs to create long-term solutions.

Global strategies and comprehensive plans are needed to confront this problem. We are calling on global health and world leaders to work together with like-minded advocates to advance access to safe surgery for all people with cleft conditions.

 

None of this happens without you.

 

Safe surgery is a fundamental right for everyone around the world, and we urge you to take the Until We Heal pledge online and commit to action.

SIGN THE PLEDGE

To Ministries of Health, Global Health and World Leaders:

I urge you to stand with us, and continue to work with Operation Smile to make access to safe surgery a global priority.

I envision a world that recognizes safe surgery as a fundamental human right; where everyone with a cleft condition has the opportunity to have a healthy and fulfilling life. As a global movement, I unite with other like-minded individuals and global health and world leaders to work together to advance access to safe surgery for all people with cleft conditions.

Every day, children worldwide suffer from cleft conditions because they do not have the access to the safe surgery they need to live a healthy and fulfilling life. I pledge to advocate for safe surgery and its access worldwide, until we heal every child with a cleft.

Sincerely,

Need to add more than one pledge? CLICK HERE