Quick Facts

• In as little as 60 minutes, one cleft lip surgery can change a child's life forever.
• Approximately one in every 500 babies in Thailand is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate.
• A cleft lip or cleft palate operation costs approximately 15,000THB.
• Untreated cleft lips and/or cleft palates are far more common in rural Thailand than urban areas.
• Operation Smile Thailand was registered as a Thai charitable foundation in 2002. Operation Smile Thailand’s foundation registration number is Kor Tor 1112.
• Donations to Operation Smile Thailand are tax-deductible.
• Children with facial deformities who do not receive reconstructive surgery often have difficulty breathing, drinking, eating and speaking. As a result, many suffer from malnutrition, medical and psychological problems.
• Operation Smile Thailand has treated over 5,000 children since 1997.
• In 2006, Operation Smile Thailand partnered with the Thai Speech and Hearing Association to produce the first Thai language manual for parents and their children who need integral cleft lip and cleft palate care.
• Since 1982, more than 115,000 children and young adults have been treated by thousands of Operation Smile volunteers worldwide and thousands of healthcare professionals have been trained globally.
• Operation Smile provides care for children in 51 countries. 9 resource countries raise funds and provide medical volunteers, while 42 program countries receive education and training and conduct surgeries.