Operation Smile 2012



First kid out of surgery!

I just finished helping out with an Operation Smile mission here in Madagascar, and it was one of my favorite experiences here in Madagascar . For those that don’t know, Operation Smile is an international NGO that works in developing countries performing free surgeries on children with cleft lips and cleft palates. The team of 60+ doctors, surgeons, anesthesiologists, child therapists, photographers, speech therapists, nurses, etc. arrived on August 7, for a week and a half of surgery. They brought all of their own medical and surgical equipment, computers, and medicine. Most of the Op Smile volunteers came from South Africa, but there were others who came from Egypt, Jordan, UK, US, and Canada. A group of 21 Peace Corps volunteers helped the team with translation as well as other random tasks that needed to be done. The work was exhausting, but one of the most worthwhile things I have done here.



The Op Smile mission began with screening, which required all families of children with cleft lips or palates to come to Tana and go through an entire day of visits. Kids visited nurses, doctors, surgeons, dentists, speech therapists and photographers over two days to establish whether or not the child was eligible for surgery with Op Smile. About 280 families showed up for screening, and in the end, 136 were selected for surgery. Needless to say, the two days of screening were LONG. We started work at 7am, which meant leaving our PC house at 6am, and waking up before that. And the days didn’t end until after 7pm. But despite the stressful two days of screening, everyone kept a really positive, upbeat attitude. Doctors and surgeons walked around in face paint and bunny ears, and there was always a volunteer blowing bubbles in the halls, or playing with the children waiting in line.




Before surgery.

Throughout the Op Smile mission, the PC volunteers stayed at the PC house in Tana, although one night it was overbooked, and the 20 of us were kicked out of our house. We planned to get a cheap hotel downtown for a night, but we had a nice surprise when we showed up at work to find out the Lion’s Club had arranged rooms for us at the Carlton hotel, a 5 star hotel where the rest of the team was staying. It was culture shock for sure, but a good kind. After work on Friday we sat by the pool, took long hot showers, had a drink in the bar, watched BBC in English and some people even worked out in the gym. It seriously felt like we had stepped out of Madagascar from the minute we entered the hotel. We had a whole afternoon to hang out, and then we stopped by an Operation Smile cocktail party hosted by the South African embassy. After the cocktail party, about 30 of the Operation Smile staff came out with the PCVs, and it was a pretty fun night. With a group of 40, we took over every bar and restaurant we stopped at, and to top it all off, we got to go back to a 5 star hotel and sleep on the most comfortable beds in the country. (Thanks Lion’s Club!)



After surgery.

Saturday was announcement day, and families found out if/when they were eligible for surgery. While announcements were being made, Op smile set up their pre/post-op wards and operating rooms to be ready for the first patients on Monday. The week of surgery began on Monday, and it was a crazy, hectic, first day as everyone tried to figure out where and how to be useful. Surgeries began at 8, and each of the 6 surgeons had 5 surgeries a day. The first day, surgeons were working until 11pm, but by the second day everyone had gotten into a rhythm and were much quicker. While surgeons were operating, dentists were pulling teeth and building obdurators (?), speech therapists were working with patients, child life therapists were playing with kids and calming them down before surgery, and student volunteers were visiting local orphanages to teach about health and talk about Operation Smile. The team kept busy! As translators, we got to work at different stations and help explain to the patients and their families what was going on. It was stressful at times, but it also felt really nice to be useful, and be able to communicate with the families. I worked at a variety of stations, including child life and the post/op ward. In child life we had to play with the kids as they waited for surgery, and try to make sure they were calm before leaving their moms and going with the doctors into surgery. In the post-op ward we helped distribute medicine and check in patients who had just gotten out of surgery. There were also a few days where I helped translate for nursing students who were helping out for the day and learning about Operation Smile. Since that was an unexpected job, I wasn’t prepared for all the technical language I would need to translate how to perform a cleft palate surgery. I got the point across as best as I could, but I was a little worried when I saw the nursing students taking notes on what I was saying. I have no idea if they actually understood what I was saying….but I tried! On Thursday we got to observe the beginning of surgery and watch the kids get put under anesthesia. Even though I had seen my fair share of Grey’s Anatomy, seeing it in person was way more interesting.


Operation Smile PCVs at the final banquet.

Friday was the last day of surgery, and by the afternoon, surgeries were done and everything was packed up to be shipped back to South Africa. To celebrate the successful mission (136 new smiles!) there was a banquet at the Carlton hotel. Peace Corps volunteers don’t usually have an excuse to get dressed up, but tonight was the night! Walking into the banquet felt like walking into a wedding reception, but it was super fun. Open bar, buffet dinner, dance floor and live band. When musical chairs began and then the YMCA came on, I was pretty sure I had accidentally walked into someone’s wedding party! But no, just an Operation Smile banquet. It was a great way to end the week, and everyone was happy and emotional about the successful mission. It really was amazing to see the before and after pictures of these kids, and to see how much their lives could change in a 45 minute surgery. I’m lucky to have been able to help with this amazing mission, and I hope I can help out again when they return in March!