Operation Smile Morocco Hosts CG Theriot and American International Women’s Club of Casablanca:
On November 2, the Casablanca headquarters of Operation Smile Morocco welcomed CG Theriot and a large delegation from the American International Women’s Club of Casablanca (AIWCC).
The first Monday of the month is when the previous week’s patients come for a check-up and prospective new patients come for their initial evaluation. As such, the group was able to meet over 100 mothers and babies who have already, or hope to, take advantage of Operation Smile’s completely free cleft palate and lip surgeries, speech therapy, orthodontics, psychological counseling, and dentistry.
Operation Smile Morocco’s Co-founder and Vice President, Fouzia Mahmoudi, led the tour and introduced the group to the incredible, entirely volunteer staff who are helping to change children’s lives each and every day. Most of the volunteers, including pediatric surgeons, speech therapists, and orthodontists, work at the center one or two days per week, in addition to their usual private practices or hospital jobs.
Since Operation Smile’s founding in Morocco in 1998, they have provided free surgeries in 85 Moroccan cities, thanks to an agreement with the Ministry of Health allowing them to use local hospitals to perform these life-saving surgeries. These volunteer professionals have performed over 9,500 surgeries, and Operation Smile Morocco now has two additional permanent centers in El Jadida and Oujda, where they perform the full range of free services for local children. Ms. Mahmoudi also acknowledged the generosity of Wali of Casablanca Khalid Safir who gifted the organization with a nice building in the heart of Casablanca in 1998 and continues to support them in various ways.
The AIWCC was also an early supporter of the organization with both monetary and in-kind donations, and two AIWCC members currently volunteer at the clinic. The U.S. Mission to Morocco also plans to provide volunteer assistance to Operation Smile in the coming months.
