Anesthesia team leader Dr. Williams Nichols (left) of Seattle, Washington, and pediatrician Dr. Chuck Bean of Wilmington, Delaware, screen a boy in Bolivia, 2004. Throughout the world, Operation Smile volunteers repair childhood facial deformities while building public and private partnerships that advocate for sustainable healthcare systems for children and families.

Operation Smile is a worldwide children's medical charity headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia.

Founded in 1982 by Dr. William P. Magee Jr., a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Kathleen S. Magee, a nurse and clinical social worker, Operation Smile was launched with its first mission to the Philippines to repair children's cleft lips and cleft palates.

Operation Smile currently supports international and local, in-country medical missions to 25 countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gaza Strip/West Bank, Honduras, India, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Since 1982, more than 100,000 children have been treated by thousands of volunteers in Central and South America, Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia and thousands of healthcare professionals have been trained globally.

Operation Smile is now commemorating its 25th Anniversary with a year-long, multi-faceted series of initiatives to promote sustainability and capacity-building among its 25 partner countries.

The anniversary celebration culminates in November, with the World Journey of Smiles, 43 simultaneous missions in 25 countries, with a goal of providing new smiles and new lives for an estimated 5,000 children living with facial deformities.

More information on Operation Smile is available on the organization's website.

 
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