UPDATE: Operation Smile Deploys MedShare Donation of Specialized Feeding Solutions in the Field
Operation Smile’s Charlotte Streppling and Ashley Myles recently conducted a Comprehensive Care Conference and training in Morocco for Operation Smile nutrition, speech, oral health, and psychosocial volunteers in the region. MedShare’s donation of specialized bottles and nipples for children with cleft conditions provided them with the opportunity to train volunteers on using, washing, sanitizing, and storing the bottles along with handbooks and nutrition education handouts that could be used to provide further education on the bottles to caregivers when they returned home.
Operation Smile, a renowned international nonprofit organization, continues to spearhead the deployment of hundreds of specialized feeding solutions donated by MedShare as part of their comprehensive health care program in 36 under-resourced countries.
Many of the donated bottles have already made their way to Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Palestine, and Peru, while the remainder are being included in upcoming cargo shipments. The team from DRC shared with Operation Smile that they utilized the bottles during their recent surgical program, which was their first surgical program in quite some time due to challenges in the area. “I’m excited to report that 40 of the 104 patients that received operations during the program had graduated from their nutrition program,” said Myles, “and the caregivers were extremely grateful for the donated bottles and nipples, which will also help them reach more nutrition patients in the coming year.”
According to Myles, “We cannot understate the gratitude that we have received for your team’s donation from our teams in the field and look forward to sharing more about their impact with you soon!”
The collaboration with Operation Smile is designed to help address the unique feeding challenges faced by children with cleft conditions, promoting better nutrition and ultimately supporting their eligibility for life-changing surgeries. Among the most common birth defects globally, babies born with cleft lip and cleft palate often encounter feeding difficulties, leading to poor weight gain and malnutrition. This critical issue can hinder their ability to undergo necessary surgical interventions to repair the cleft conditions.
