Abu Dhabi: Operation Smile, an international children's medical charity with programmes and chapters in more than 60 countries, launched its UAE chapter in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Operation Smile provides free reconstructive surgery for children and young adults around the world who suffer from facial deformities.
The ceremony was held under the patronage of Shaikha Al Yaziya Bint Saif Al Nahyan, wife of Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Operation Smile UAE is a message of hope for children with facial deformities as it will coordinate programmes for training physicians, manage programmes to assist in reaching cleft lip and cleft palate repair self-sufficiency, and support education and research programmes to eradicate cleft lips and palates.
Partnerships
Operation Smile UAE will build partnerships with leading academic and medical institutions and the private sector to offer training in new and advanced techniques.
It will strive to make the UAE a regional centre for Operation Smile through delivery of education, training and medical research and treatment to children in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Virginia-based Operation Smile mobilises the force of medical professionals and caring hearts who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.
Dedication
Since 1982, through the help of dedicated medical volunteers, Operation Smile has provided more than 2 million patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries for youngsters born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. Operation Smile is able to heal children's smiles and bring hope for a better future.
