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Opération Sourire
Opération Sourire's aim is to put a smile back on the faces of those who have been disfigured by war, illness and malnutrition...
6,700 patients have been operated on since the beginning of the project in 1989
| Our reconstructive surgery project, Opération Sourire, gives back a smile to hundreds of people disfigured by disease or war, traditional practices or difficult living conditions. In the countries where we work, reconstructive surgery is not a priority for local health policy, whilst there is a strong demand. The people worst affected by these conditions are the poorest. Since 1989, Opération Sourire teams have been working in close cooperation with local doctors to help these forgotten people. |
ACTIVITIES
Opération Sourire activities are based on two main priorities: surgical operations and training local doctors. Volunteer teams from France, Germany and Japan carried out 21 missions in 2008 in 9 countries across Africa and Asia. This meant operations on 760 patients, the majority of whom were children. That means more than 6,700 patients have been operated on since the beginning of the project. Treating deformities, or their consequences, through surgery helps the physical rehabilitation of patients and improves their daily life in many ways, from eating to speaking to restarting movement and regaining the use of arms or legs. Beyond the operation itself, this surgery allows patients to reassert their place in their family and community.
The projects are also excellent opportunities for exchange between the team and host country. Our teams train surgeons, anaesthetists and theatre nurses in maxillofacial surgery techniques, as well as how to improve the way an operating theatre functions (asepsis, equipment, planning, etc). For the surgeons, it is, above all, about training through mentoring, done in a practical way and always on a oneto- one basis, with the local surgeon learning “over the shoulder” of the Opération Sourire surgeon.
COUNTRIES
Bangladesh, Benin, Cambodia, Eritrea, Yemen, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Niger
OUTLOOK
In 2009, Opération Sourire plans to roll out 25 projects in 9 countries. The projects will always focus on both surgical operations and training local staff. In addition there may be new exploratory missions in Armenia, Pakistan, Nepal and Mali. As in previous years, the interventions will be carried out by French, German and Japanese teams, in collaboration with local partners, hospitals and NGOs.
Datas
| Funding | Fondation L’Oréal, Les Gueules Cassées, MdM |
| Budget 2008 | 362 000 € |
September 2009
Fondation l'Oréal
Consciente du rôle fondamental que joue l’apparence dans les mécanismes de construction de l’identité de chacun, de l’estime de soi et de la dignité, la Fondation L’Oréal s’engage à lutter contre l’exclusion des personnes dont le corps meurtri demeure un facteur de marginalisation.
En effet, la malformation physique ou l’altérité de l’apparence, quelle qu’en soit la cause conduit souvent à l’exclusion. Au-delà de la réparation physique, l’opération chirurgicale représente pour les patients un retour à une vie normale, en réintégrant leur communauté et cercle familial. Ils peuvent à nouveau aller à l’école, travailler et fonder une famille.
Depuis 2008, la Fondation L’Oréal soutient l’Opération Sourire et en est désormais le partenaire exclusif. Forte de son réseau mondial, la Fondation L’Oréal accompagne également son partenaire Médecins du Monde tout au long du déploiement du programme à l’international. Depuis 2010, des chirurgiens bénévoles allemands et japonais réalisent respectivement des missions au Cambodge et au Bangladesh.
Ainsi, jusqu’en septembre 2010, 1113 patients ont pu être opérées grâce au soutien de la Fondation L’Oréal. Au total, la Fondation souhaiterait être venue en aide à près de 1500 personnes d’ici la fin de l’année.
Pour en savoir plus : site de la Fondation L’Oréal
Mai 2008