Our Chosen Global Charity – Operation Smile

Alium is proud to support Operation Smile as its chosen charity.

Operation Smile is an international children’s medical charity that provides free reconstructive surgery to children and young adults who are born with facial deformities, primarily cleft lips and cleft palates. Their philosophy is simple: change a child’s life forever through an operation that can take just 45 minutes and £150.
 
To date Operation Smile have treated more than 160,000 patients in over 50 countries and have provided many thousands more with free medical assessments, dental care, speech therapy and psychological counselling. Clefts are the third most common birth defect worldwide and it is estimated that a baby is born with a cleft every three minutes. In the UK, most cleft cases are repaired in the first year of a child’s life; however, in some developing countries, families simply cannot afford treatment and many do not even know it is available. But thanks to volunteers and generous supporters, Operation Smile can provide a solution and change a child’s life forever.

To find out more about this amazing charity, visit www.operationsmile.org.uk or view their YouTube channel.