Around 200 Mozambicans with cleft lip and palate are awaiting surgery in Nampula, where the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Operation Smile plans to carry out 44 procedures this week to help address the problem.
This is the third cleft surgery campaign organised by Operation Smile at Nampula Central Hospital in 2026 to correct the congenital malformation, following 17 surgical procedures in February and 20 in April, Nilza Ferrão, the NGO’s programme coordinator in Mozambique, told Lusa.
According to Ferrão, the current campaign is expected to benefit 44 patients, helping to reduce the province’s waiting list. “We assessed 56 patients and 44 were scheduled to take part in this campaign,” she said.
The surgeries cover patients aged between 12 months and 50 years from different districts of Nampula province, who were selected following clinical assessments to determine their suitability for surgery.
Cleft lip and cleft palate are congenital conditions that occur when the tissues forming the upper lip or the roof of the mouth (palate) do not join together completely during foetal development. They can occur separately or together. These conditions can affect feeding, speech and hearing, but can be treated with specialised surgery.
Nilza Ferrão acknowledged that the number of surgeries planned to date falls short of existing needs, but also highlighted the training component included in the initiative.
“We cannot operate on all patients at the same time. Our objective is not just about numbers, but also about what our professionals will learn during the campaign,” she said.
Foreign specialists are working alongside Mozambican professionals in maxillofacial surgery, anaesthesiology and nursing, in an effort to strengthen national capacity to perform these procedures, she explained.”
Ferrão also urged parents and guardians to seek medical assistance for children born with cleft lip or cleft palate, warning that some patients remain untreated because of the stigma associated with the condition.
“Cleft lip and palate can be corrected, and the child can lead a normal life,” she stressed.
Operation Smile had identified more than 400 people with orofacial clefts in Nampula province, according to data collected since 2021.
The humanitarian organisation runs regular corrective surgery campaigns in Mozambique, combining specialised medical care with training for local healthcare professionals in an effort to expand access to treatment for this congenital malformation.
Operation Smile, a global non-profit medical charity founded in 1982 and based in the US, specialising in the treatment of cleft lip and palate, conducts surgical and healthcare professional training programmes in several countries, including Mozambique.
Learn more about Operation Smile
The idea for Operation Smile started in 1981 when Dr. Bill Magee, a plastic surgeon, and Kathy Magee, a nurse and social worker, traveled to the Philippines on a surgical program to perform life-changing surgeries for children with cleft lip and cleft palate. The community response that welcomed them there was overwhelming. Over 300 families arrived hoping their children would receive care, but the team only had the capacity to treat 40 of them.
The couple vowed to return to help more children, especially the ones they had to turn away. Leaving the country with so much left undone was an emotionally wrenching experience. “Emotion leads to action,” says Bill Magee, co-founder.
Through bake sales and grassroots fundraising back in their hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, Bill and Kathy gathered medical supplies, surgical equipment and volunteers for their next trip, and Operation Smile was born.
That next year, the Magees brought a larger team to the country, this time helping 100 patients – more than twice as many as on their first trip. By 1986, Operation Smile had made such an impact, Mother Teresa sent the Magees a letter of commendation, inviting them to India.
Operation Smile continued to expand globally. In 1989, it became the first U.S.-based nongovernmental organization to re-enter Vietnam following the Vietnam War, and in 1990, President George H.W. Bush awarded Bill and Kathy Magee the President’s Volunteer Action Award. The organization held the “World Journey of Hope” in 1999, utilizing an L-1011 flying hospital to visit 18 countries, successfully operating on 5,300 children. It has partnered with organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children and the American Heart Association, which approved the nonprofit as an International Training Organization in 2005. In 2007 through the “World Journey of Smiles,” more than 1,800 volunteers from 80 countries worked simultaneously at 40 sites providing surgery to 4,086 patients in two weeks.
Today, Operation Smile is the largest volunteer-based medical nonprofit in the world, boasting over 6,000 volunteers who work in 37 countries. The organization employs hundreds of people and has thousands of credentialed medical volunteers, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists and nurses from more than 67 countries. More than 13,000 students in student clubs volunteer and join the annual International Student Leadership Conference. The organization has provided care to more than 400,000 patients, and they also have trained hundreds of local doctors and caregivers, helping to work toward healthcare equity for entire communities.
To this day, the history and legacy of Operation Smile lives on. The Magees are still involved in the nonprofit’s operations, along with their five children and 14 grandchildren. Along the way, two ideals have steered the Magees’ philanthropy: take risks and remain positive. The results have been life-changing for thousands.
Hope begins with action. Whether you share a story, support a family, volunteer or help expand access to care, every effort brings care closer to home. This #WorldSmileDay, share what makes you smile and help us make more #SmilesWithinReach. https://t.co/5JB0e5WL3A
— Operation Smile (@operationsmile) October 1, 2026
Source: Lusa / Operation Smile