Healthpoint’s Dental Interns reflect on their experience volunteering with Operation Smile UAE

Dental interns from Healthpoint with Dr. Ilhaam (centre) during patient screening in November 2023.

As Healthpoint dental volunteers with Operation Smile, our journey has been a fulfilling odyssey of compassion and care.

Through screening, diagnosis, and the meticulous delivery of presurgical and postsurgical instructions of new- borns to adults, we’ve played a pivotal role in ensuring comprehensive dental care for patients with cleft lip and palate.

Witnessing the resilience of these individuals, we were pleasantly surprised by the positivity that permeated every interaction. Not only did we have the privilege of imparting crucial patient education, but we also found immense satisfaction in enlightening parents about the importance of oral health.

The experience has not only deepened our professional expertise but has also reaffirmed our commitment to Operation Smile’s noble mission of transforming lives through surgical and therapeutic interventions.

We thank Operation Smile for the chance to lend a helping hand.

The Links Charity Golf Day

The Links Charity Golf Day will be hosted at Yas Links Abu Dhabi on 14th of October 2023 (12:30 shotgun) in partnership with Marriott International, supported by Golf Club Captains Leonie Sullivan and Francois Bosch. Our chosen charity is Operation Smile UAE.

TOURNAMENT DETAILS

  • 12.30PM Shotgun
  • Team Shambles
  • Best 2 from 4 to Count
  • 85% Handicap Allowance
  • Players without a handicapwill play off 0

ENTRY FEE

Single & Dual Member Midweek/SBGC Member/DG Member Marriott Guest/Visitor
Dinner onlyEntry Includes: Entry Free, On Course Competitions, Prizes, On-Course Beverages, Post Round Food & Beverage.
AED I00 of each entry will go towards the charity.

AED 250 AED 595 AED 795 AED 250

Hole Sponsorships available from AED 10,000.Silent Auction & Lucky Prize Draw on the day.

After a successful 2022 event which raised over AED 80,000, join us as we look to raise AED 100,000 for Operation Smile in our Annual Charity Golf Day!

Secure your space by emailing [email protected]

Autumn Charity Book Sale October 26-28

Autumn Charity Book Sale !

Operation Smile UAE will host a charity book sale in Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi from Thursday, October 26 to Saturday, October 28, 2023

Open from 10 AM – 11PM  in the Main Atrium, Ground Floor (Hazza’ Bin Zayed Street entrance)

We will have over 10,000 pre-loved books available.

Children’s, Young Adult, Fiction, Non-fiction, Arabic, French and much more!

All proceeds from the sale will go towards providing free and safe surgery to children born with cleft conditions.

PLEASE NOTE – WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING BOOK DONATIONS.

2023 Cycle for Smiles, November 12 – Hudayriyat Island

Join us at Hudayriyat Cycling Track on Sunday November 12th for a great fund raising event for the whole family.

Need to rent a bike? Contact Wolfi’s Click Here

Register via My Race Result  Click Here 

All proceeds will help provide free surgery to children with cleft conditions.

40KM Cycling for Smiles Challenge    6:45 AM start     105 AED (per person)

20KM Cycling Challenge                     8:00 AM start       75 AED (per person)

10KM Junior Cycling Challenge          8:00 AM start       55 AED (per person)

10KM Family Cycle (non competitive) 8:30 AM start       40 AED (per person)

3KM Family Cycle (non competitive) 8:30 AM start       40 AED (per person)

 

 

 

Sheets for Malawi

In March Operation Smile UAE answered the call from Operation Smile Malawi for urgently needed linens for their cleft and burns unit at a hospital in Malawi.

Marriott hotels in Abu Dhabi, who are long time OSUAE supporters, donated gently used sheets and towels, as well as a venue to sort the items.

Over four days more than 15 community and five student volunteers joined the Operation Smile UAE team to inspect, sew, and pack the linens. One room was set up as a sewing room, where volunteers (some of whom brought their own machines!) hemmed the sheets to the required size. In another room a team inspected, sorted and packed the items to ship to Malawi.

The sheets are already in use in Malawi.

We had so many sheets that we were also able to send a suitcase full back with Richmond, a medical volunteer from Operation Smile Ghana who attended our recent surgical mission in Abu Dhabi.

Calling All Sewers! Join us to sew for Operation Smile Malawi

Calling all sewers!

Join us to sew sheets for Operation Smile Malawi’s Cleft & Burns Centre.

We will provide all the material and there will be some sewing machines there. However if you prefer to use your own please bring it with you.

When – Tuesday, March 28, 9 AM – 4 PM & Wednesday March 29, 9 AM – 4 PM

Where – Le Royal Meridien hotel, Abu Dhabi – https://goo.gl/maps/2oKEHvXdw2unPcS59

Triangle Suite Meeting Room

Contact – Morag +971 50 229 3494

Operation Smile Egypt Mission Jan 27-Feb 2, 2023

At the end of January, eight Operation Smile medical volunteers from the UAE and seven guest volunteers from Mubadala who sponsored the mission, joined other international and Egyptian volunteers at the Operation Smile Egypt surgical mission in Aswan, Egypt.

During the busy six day mission,143 patients were screened, with 78 receiving corrective surgery for their cleft condition.  

OSUAE would like to thank the hardworking UAE medical volunteers who attended, as well as the team from Mubadala.

Mubadala’s recent MOU with OSUAE will ensure that two more international missions are funded this year, providing many more new smiles to children in need.

Watch the video to see how Operation Smile changed lives in Aswan, one smile at a time. 

Mubadala, Operation Smile UAE partner to sponsor three international volunteering missions

Homaid Al Shimmari, Deputy Group CEO and Chief Corporate and Human Capital Officer at Mubadala (left) and Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and member of the board of OSUAE during the signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

ABU DHABI, 19th January, 2023 (WAM) — Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), signed an agreement with Operation Smile UAE, to sponsor three international volunteering missions in 2023.

The first mission will take place at the end of January going to Egypt, where its employee volunteers will support children and adults as they undergo transformative procedures for cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial anomalies.

The agreement was signed by Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and member of the board of OSUAE, and Homaid Al Shimmari, Deputy Group CEO and Chief Corporate and Human Capital Officer at Mubadala, in the presence of H.H. Sheikha Alyazia bint Saif Al Nahyan, Founder, Chair of the Board and Patron of Operation Smile UAE, and wife of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The partnership with Operation Smile UAE was established as a result of Mubadala employees’ eagerness to support international causes that support children, as well as the important work the charity executes for communities worldwide.

Sheikha Alyazia said, “Operation Smile UAE has grown and accomplished so much since 2011 and we are delighted that Mubadala has agreed to partner with us and share our vision of providing surgeries for all children with cleft conditions. By sponsoring three international missions Mubadala will help us reach children throughout the world who would otherwise not have access to safe surgical care and not only improve their lives but the lives of their families and communities. We continue to encourage others to support our cause and share our belief that every child deserves a smile.”

OSUAE-Mubadala-1-1-300×276.jpg

Al Shimmari said, “As a global and responsible investor, we proactively seek ways to engage and make a positive difference in the communities where we deploy capital. It is an honour for our employees, through our Employee Volunteering Program, to partner with Operation Smile UAE. In our fifth year of volunteering and as we continue to make a tangible positive lasting impact.”

A total of five volunteers from Mubadala ─ will support the mission across several areas including child-life area support, data collection and patient screening and applicants’ registration, they will be joined by six of our Operation Smile credentialed medical volunteers from Mubadala Health – a network of world-class healthcare providers. The volunteers include one surgeon, two anaesthetists, two nurses and a dentist.
Mubadala’s Employee Volunteering Program is a purpose-driven engagement platform that provides meaningful opportunities for employees to contribute their time, skills and charity to the community. The Program was launched in 2018 with a focus on supporting the Special Olympic World Games and has continued to evolve, enabling the organisation to make a difference through volunteering activities in line with its responsible investment approach.

Operation Smile UAE partners with Appolonia World for Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry

Appolonia World Group signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the non-profit organization Operation Smile UAE, as part of the ongoing commitment to providing health care to children residing in the UAE.

Appolonia World Group for Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Operation Smile UAE (UAE chapter of international charity Operation Smile) to enhance ways of cooperation in providing dental and oral health care to patients with cleft conditions.

The agreement was signed by Dr. Yaser Haj Hamed, CEO and founding member of the Appolonia World, and Morag Cromey-Hawke, Executive Director of Operation Smile UAE.

The memorandum of understanding works to consolidate the partnership between “Operation Smile UAE ” and “Appolonia World Group” and unify the efforts made by both sides to serve the community and its members based on social responsibility, especially for children under eighteen, to provide the necessary health and treatment care, in addition to awareness campaigns and periodic educational programs for the community.

Ms. Morag, the Executive Director of Operation Smile – UAE, said: ” OSUAE is delighted to be able to collaborate with Appolonia World Group to provide more comprehensive care to our patients with cleft conditions in the UAE. Care does not stop with surgery and this partnership will allow us to ensure that our patients receive the best care possible for their dental and orthodontic needs pre and post-surgery. We are extremely grateful to Appolonia for their generous contribution and support. ”

In this regard, Dr. Yaser Haj Hamed, CEO and founding member of the Appolonia World, said: “This agreement crowns our solid partnership with Operation Smile UAE, and the close cooperation therein will have a strong imprint in our serious work towards children of all nationalities.” He added: “The goals of Appolonia World Group are based on reaching every child in the world, providing the best-integrated health care, and drawing a smile on all the children of the world. Our partnership with Operation Smile UAE will enable us to improve the health and lives of children in the UAE with cleft conditions.”

This memorandum is an extension of the activities of Appolonia World in all local, regional and international fields related to scientific studies, research, and strategic partnerships directed at volunteering and charitable services. Appolonia World Group is recognized as one of the most prominent specialized clinics for Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics in the Middle East and has many branches in the UAE. And it is well known for its voluntary awareness programs for all children of all ages and campaigns for free screening and treatment.

Operation Smile is a global nonprofit specializing in expert cleft surgery and care. They provide medical expertise, research and care through their dedicated staff and medical and student volunteers around the world, working alongside local governments, nonprofits and health systems and supported by their generous donors. Since 1982, Operation Smile has been committed to providing patients with health that lasts through life-saving cleft surgeries and comprehensive care, helping them to better breathe, eat, speak and live lives of greater quality and confidence. Our training and education programs elevate safe surgical standards and strengthen a global network to reach more people earlier in their lives.