Champions Program: Global Medical Experts Restore Smiles for Children with Cleft Lip and Palate in Jimma University

Jimma University Medical Center, which has been in partnership with Operation Smile for nearly two decades, is undertaking an educational program aimed at restoring the smiles of children with cleft lip and palate.

Through local skill capacity building, surgeons, nurses, nutritionists, dentists, speech pathologists, and anesthesiologists from all over the world came together to offer free surgeries and an education program at Jimma University Medical Center.

The campaign, named the Champions program, focused on partnering with JUMC to deliver an educational program for two weeks.

The program includes cleft surgery, speech, dental, nutrition and psychosocial care and helps build the capacity of 50 local providers.

During the campaign, the team screened a large number of patients and performed free surgeries for those who required them.

The campaign is a huge success, with over 50 cleft patients receiving comprehensive care in the process. Many patients received life-changing surgeries that would have been beyond their financial reach. Operation Smile

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