As the Congo Celebrates 50 Years of Independence, Operation Smile Medical Volunteers Just Returned from Helping the Congolese People and Creating 156 New Smiles

As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) celebrates 50 years of independence, Operation Smile was there a few weeks earlier to help the children of the Congo. Before the Belgian King Albert II, the United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and other African heads of state arrived in the DRC for the anniversary, Operation Smile, a worldwide children’s medical charity, was there on a medical mission giving new smiles to 156 patients who previously suffered from cleft clips and cleft palates. This was Operation Smile’s second medical mission to the DRC, and the response was overwhelming – the volunteer medical team screened more than 370 patients.

Throughout the DRC medical mission from May 22-29, the volunteer team was shadowed by a journalistic video crew who filmed the entire mission process and interviewed the Congolese people who sought help from Operation Smile. The video crew delved into the thoughts of the people to capture a better understanding of life in the DRC, 50 years after independence, and how a cleft dramatically affects the children and their families. View videos and a photo slide show from the DRC blog. 

On June 30, 1960, the DRC gained independence from Belgium. A vast country, the DRC is home to more than 68 million people, and is the third largest country in Africa by area. Despite its huge mineral wealth, the citizens of the DRC are currently among the poorest in the world, having the second lowest nominal GDP per capita according to the International Monetary Fund.

The Operation Smile medical mission was held in the capital of Kinshasa, Africa's third largest city. Support came from other NGOs such as Save The Children who helped with the education/entertainment for the patients and their families. 

The Operation Smile team was comprised of volunteers from South Africa, Namibia, the DRC, the United States, Canada, Belgium, Ireland, Egypt and Italy. The local people and other collaborative bodies made this medical mission their own to give hope to the Congolese people.

Each year around the world, more than 200,000 children are born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate, and are often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. With the help of medical volunteers and generous donations, Operation Smile provides free surgeries to children worldwide to heal smiles. For updates on Operation Smile’s global efforts, visit the daily blogs on http://www.operationsmile.org/, follow @operationsmile on Twitter, and on Facebook at ww.facebook.com/operationsmile.

*Note: Operation Smile Photos can be credited to: Karin Schermbrucker.

About Operation Smile
Founded in 1982 by Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee, Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children’s medical charity whose network of global volunteers are dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. Since its founding, Operation Smile has treated more than 150,000 children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities and the organization has a presence in more than 50 countries. In addition to contributing free medical treatment, Operation Smile trains local medical professionals in its partner countries and leaves behind crucial equipment to lay the groundwork for long-term self-sufficiency.