The mayor also expressed support for the organization’s Smile Change Makers campaign. The Mayor’s support is personal not professional. The mayor also expressed support for the organization’s Smile Change Makers campaign. The Mayor’s support is personal not professional.

This is the first time anyone has attempted to trace the Caribbean coastline unsupported, Caruso said. The recent college graduate, who will begin his career as a nurse when he returns to Virginia, said he hopes his adventure raises $6,000 for Operation Smile. 

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He is a former American Navy SEAL and currently serves in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Virginia’s 2nd District. Taylor is a passionate advocate for a strong national defense, free markets, Virginia health care improvements and regulatory reform.

Representatives from Operation Smile Honduras presented the pledge during an organization-wide meeting at Operation Smile Global Headquarters. Students around the world are a driving force for the Until We Heal cause, raising awareness and propelling the movement closer to its goal of 35,000 pledges signed. 

The Operation Smile Madagascar team has invested an incredible amount of energy and resources in developing their patient villages into much more than just a place to eat and sleep. Thanks to a partnership with the Peace Corps Madagascar and the Church of Latter-day Saints, the Antsirabe patient village is able to offer extensive nutrition training and speech pathology, activities and games for young patients and skills training to economically empower the parents of patients. The impact of the patient village is significant as it helps to promote the well-being of our patients and reduces the financial burden on families who would otherwise have to pay for food or places to sleep during the medical mission. 

In Rwanda, there are only two plastic surgeons and 15 anesthesiologists/nurse anesthetists serving a population of 12.6 million people. With instruction from Operation Smile medical volunteers and the staff of the University of Rwanda, the three-week training rotations are conducted two times per year.

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From preparing medical records to providing therapeutic play for young patients and their families in the child life room, the Johnson & Johnson team helped Operation Smile to provide safe surgery to patients living with cleft conditions in Laayoune. Partnerships like the one between Operation Smile and Johnson & Johnson are critical to the success of the Until We Heal mission. 

• Improving the quality of preventive and basic healthcare 

• Increasing geographical and financial accessibility of care   

• Development of a local capabilities to produce pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and supplies 

• Capacity building for scientific and operational research in healthcare delivery 

Student volunteers and staff went directly into the field scouring the region for potential candidates for the free and transformative cleft-condition surgeries. This push, called The Future of Smiles Mission, was organized by the Inga Health Foundation in collaboration with Operation Smile Inc. and hosted by Boroma Sirona Hospital in Panskura, West Bengal, India. 

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She’s first world leader to sign the pledge. Before she became Vice President, Robredo was a human rights lawyer and congresswoman dedicated to improving the lives of the country’s poorest people, families and communities. The Until We Heal vision and mission align with Angat Buhay, her office’s public/private partnership program dedicated to “raising the quality of life of every Filipino family.”

Robredo said: “In our advocacy for universal health care, we must call into focus the need for safe surgery, particularly for those with cleft lips and palates. We’re hopeful that with Operation Smile’s partnership with the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines through our flagship public-private program Angat Buhay, we can heal children and change lives, one safe surgery at a time.”