OPERATION RESTORE HOPE

On August 5, 2007 a dozen missioners from Australia will once again operate on Cebu's indigent children. Operation Restore Hope, now on it's 15th year of bringing back smiles, is a not-for-profit, non-governmental, non-sectarian charity that surgically repairs cleft lips and palates for underprivileged children in the Philippines. The charity was conceived by renowned Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Darryl Hodgkinson in 1992. In Cebu, Philippines, the project chairman is PP Wyben Briones - a highly regarded neurosurgeon.

A cleft lip and/or palate is a separation of the parts or segments of the lip or roof of the mouth, which are usually joined together during the early weeks in the development of an unborn child. A cleft lip is a separation of the two sides of the lip and often includes the bones of the maxilla and/or the upper gum. A cleft palate is an opening in the roof of the mouth and can vary in severity. A cleft palate occurs when the two sides of the palate do not fuse as the unborn baby develops.

Operation Restore Hope's purpose is to correct cleft lips and palates, facial disfigurement and other deformities for those who without the donation of services would remain untreated and permanently disadvantaged.

The team is made up of many international and local volunteers. All of the volunteers donate their time to treat the Filipino children who have birth defects, especially cleft lips and palates, along with any scarring. Of course, because of the number of people we find in need we are not always limited to children or persons with such specific ailments.

There are two teams sent to the Philippines each year - one to Manila and one to Cebu. Health clinics and the Rotary Clubs of Metro Cebu and Banilad Metro throughout the year spread the word of our missions and promote the date and location of our screening day to the community, prospective patients and their parents.

The missions typically last one week. Throughout the week the international volunteers constantly teach and develop the skills of the local medical staff who work alongside them. Much of the operating room equipment they use during their time in the Philippines is brought from abroad and/or donated.

Operation Restore Hope is in partnership with the Rotary Club of Metro Cebu, Rotary Club of Banilad Metro, The Philippine College of Surgeons and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. For 15 years, the missioners have operated on more than a thousand patients with mostly children from low-income families.

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