Media Release 9 September 2010

Mossel Bay Tourism has announced its support for the new Garden Route Chapter of Operation Smile – the non-profit organisation that provides free treatment for people suffering from facial deformities such as cleft lips or cleft palates.

“We decided to do this because Operation Smile is all about ‘Changing Lives One Smile At A Time’ – and, in the tourism industry, your smile is almost your most important asset,” said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm.

Madeleine Snyman decided to champion the local Chapter after attending one of Operation Smile’s missions to the Congo.

According to the web site southafrica.operationsmile.org, about one in every 1,000 babies in Africa is born with a cleft lip or a cleft palate, which often impairs their breathing, drinking, eating, or speaking, and may cause “malnutrition, medical and psychological problems” – although cleft lip surgery can be accomplished in as little as 60 minutes.

Ms. Snyman said that her greatest challenge in launching the local Chapter was finding the patients – she needs to gather a hundred in order to arrange the operations – but that local businesses and hospitals have been quick to offer their support.

She said that the Garden Route Chapter – which will include the Klein Karoo – will be launched at a luncheon at Plettenberg Bay’s Buffalo Hills at the end of October, where “there’ll be entertainment, a big marquee tent, food and wine, and an auction of prizes like a one-week package for two to BD Lodge in Mozambique, with accommodation and air tickets included.”

Operation Smile provides care in 51 countries of the world – nine of which (the ‘resource countries’) raise funds and provide medical volunteers, while 42 ‘program countries’ receive education and training, and conduct the operations.

“A cleft lip or cleft palate operation – including surgery and follow-up care – costs about R 5,500.00, and we do need to find sponsors for operations, so we’ll be displaying photos of potential patients at the launch,” said Ms. Snyman.

But, she said, her first priority remained identifying the candidates.

Children can be born with cleft lips, cleft palates, or both – a cleft being an opening in the lip, the roof of the mouth, or the soft tissue in the back of the mouth. Both the cleft lip and the cleft palate are congenital defects that form sometime between the fourth and sixth weeks of pregnancy. Their exact cause is unknown, but scientists believe a combination of genetic and environmental factors – like drugs, infections, illness, smoking, alcohol use, malnutrition, and a possible deficiency of folic acid – may lead to the development of the condition.

According to Operation Smile South Africa, this country’s “high standard of medical professionals, established infrastructure, stable economy, and status as a major hub for international business makes it a uniquely appropriate choice to support missions inside and outside its borders.”

“In spite of this, many of our people still lack access to surgery and follow-up care – but we want to ensure that this will change for patients in the Garden Route and Klein Karoo,” said Ms. Snyman.

“Mossel Bay Tourism is behind Madeleine all the way, and we’ll help wherever we can by raising awareness for her exciting and ultimately very rewarding cause,” said Ms. Holm.

For enquiries about sponsorships, or to register a patient as a candidate for an operation, please contact Madeleine Snyman on 072 406 3389, or mail operationsmile.gardenroute@gmail.com.

Tags: cleft lip, cleft palate, correctional surgery, garden route, madeleine snyman, mossel bay tourism, operation smile