LETTER OF OUR CHAIRMAN

Dear friends,

The year 2020 presented historic challenges to us. We faced a moment like never before in these 24 years of Operation Smile’s operation in Brazil. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been gigantic on our lives, the economy and our work. In such a difficult time, we have decided to see obstacles as opportunities. We have invested in innovation and technology, we have joined forces to protect health professionals and we have continued our work to fulfill our dream: offer the opportunity of a better life for every child who is born with a cleft lip and palate in Brazil.

Our patients cannot wait. That is why we want to bring our work closer to their homes and communities by training local professionals. We will take care of more children and their families, bringing excellent multidisciplinary and surgical care to places they have never arrived so far.

We are inspired by our search for innovation. We have developed tools that have enabled telemarketing services for our patients, as well as online and multidisciplinary training for our health professional partners and volunteers.

We have strengthened the relationship with our partners, such as hospitals, city and state health departments and sponsors. Together, we have mobilized the resources and logistics necessary to transport mechanical ventilators, oxygen concentrators and around 700 thousand items, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and medical supplies to several institutions across the country. A collective effort with a common goal: saving lives.

Our challenges have become strengths and all this work was possible only thanks to the efforts of our network of donors, volunteers, students, partners and staff.

In 2022, Operation Smile will celebrate 25 years of work in Brazil and 40 years of its foundation in the United States. It started thanks to the power that children have to bring people together and it is this power that has kept us strong ever since. Despite social and economic status and access to health of these children being different and impossible to be controlled, their energy motivates us, opens countless doors and ensures the evolution of our work. And that is also the reason we will continue working, always on their behalf, one smile at a time.

I wish 2021 to be a better year for all of us,

WHAT DRIVES US

We are one of the largest voluntary medical organizations in the world and have been operating in Brazil since 1997, carrying out humanitarian missions to transform the lives of children and adults born with craniofacial malformations, focusing on cleft lip and palate.

Our services follow the strict global standards of the World Health Organization, as described in the Medical Global Standards, a document produced by Operation Smile International which guides our service practices during our missions.

We take teams, medical supplies and the entire infrastructure that is required to remote areas in the North and Northeast of Brazil, where there are few specialized treatment centers. We also invest in the continuous training of medical residents, encourage the creation of care networks and training of local health professionals so that they may carry on the multidisciplinary treatment of our patients.

Our vision

We envision a future where health and dignity are improved through safe surgery, and available to everyone, without distinction

Our mission

Through our expertise in treating cleft lip and cleft palate, we create solutions that deliver safe surgery to people where it’s needed most.

Our values

• The quality of a child’s care comes first.
• Our staff, volunteers and donors are the lifeblood of our organization
• A network of collaborative, sustainable health care organizations fuels our success and expansion.
• We invest in youth because they will champion the future.
• When we help children and their families, we transform these families, the socio-economics of their communities and ultimately, our world.

More than two decades of operation in Brazil

OUR DRIVING FORCE: THE VOLUNTEERS

Operation Smile is one of the largest voluntary medical organizations in the world, bringing together professionals from 80 countries. In Brazil, our organization has 231 registered professionals in 16 areas, all of whom are accredited in our volunteer bank.

SPECIALTIES INVOLVED

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We have specialists in the following areas: Anesthesiology; Support; Social Work; Biomedicine; Plastic Surgery; Electronic Medical Records; Nursing; Warehousing; Speech Therapy; Photography; Patient’s Records; Dentistry; Otolaryngology; Pediatrics; Patient Imaging Technique; and, Psychology.

THE FUTURE STARTS TO BE BUILT TODAY

BUILDING SMILES IN MOSSORÓ (RN)

IMPACT OF THE OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC – A CHALLENGE SEEN AS AN OPPORTUNITY

The restrictive measures and social lockdown imposed throughout Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from performing our post-operative care, which takes place six months and twelve months after the missions. However, we could not leave our patients unattended. We have invested in new technologies and developed the call center to continue our evaluations and treatment.

ENABLING AND EXPANDING OUR SERVICE NETWORK

One of our pillars is the development of a local multidisciplinary support and service network for people born with cleft lip and palate. To this end, we promote online training for health professionals that work in the hospitals in the regions where we act and encourage our volunteers to participate in the Operation Smile International training programs.

Medical Program – Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte (January 2020 – In-Person Event)

• 33 local speech therapy professionals and students followed the consultations with patients during the mission.

Latin American Speech Therapy Specialization: Evaluación e Intervención en la Organización Lingüística en Pacientes con Paladar Hendido: Un Modelo Integral para Favorecer el Proceso de Enseñanza-aprendizaje en el Habla y Linguaje (beginning: August 2020)

• 6 Brazilian professionals participated
• Applied Practical Learning: virtual care for 7 patients from Porto Velho (RO) and Santarém (PA), between January and March 2021.

Multidisciplinary Online Education: First Care and Treatment for Cleft Patients (November 2020)

• Module 1 – Introduction to Cleft Lip and Palate: 19 participants
• Module 2 – First Care After Birth: 18 participants
• Module 3 – Surgical Treatment Timeline: 13 participants
• Module 4 – Complementary Treatments: 8 participants

Issued Certificates: 11 professionals

COPING WITH THE COVID-19 – STRENGTHENING THE FRONT LINE

Between April and December, through the Juntos Por Vocês [ALL FOR YOU] campaign, Operation Smile Brazil collected and donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), supplies, medicines and other equipment, such as mechanical ventilators and oxygen concentrators to several Brazilian institutions. The purpose of this initiative was to strengthen hospital infrastructure, permitting more ICU beds to be available and protecting health professionals and patients.

799,191 DONATED EQUIPMENT

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Some of the donated materials were part of Operation Smile Brazil’s material, PPE and medical supply stock. The other items were purchased with resources from partners, sponsors and through an online fundraising campaign.

 

R$ 5,468,586.78 IN DONATIONS

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The amount represents the Operation Smile Brazil’s resources used to purchase materials and the donations to hospitals and other medical centers in Brazil.

 

PARTICIPATING PARTNERS

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Operation Smile Brazil was supported by partners that contributed donating financial resources and logistical services necessary to facilitate the purchase and transportation of the donated materials. The following companies participated in the initiative: Azul Cargo (Azul Linhas Aéreas), Operation Smile International, Santander, Temasek and White Martins.

 

5 STATES WERE BENEFITED

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The donations were delivered to institutions in the following cities: Cajamar, Osasco, São Paulo and Pindamonhangaba (State of São Paulo); Fortaleza and Juazeiro do Norte (State of Ceará); Mossoró and Natal (State of Rio Grande do Norte); Porto Velho (State of Rondonia); and Santarém (State of Pará).

NEW FUNDRAISING STRATEGIES

2020 was a challenging year for individual fundraising. In 2019, we raised R$ 66,847.60 in events with companies, partners and during our missions. However, measures of social lockdown and the fight against COVID-19 precluded us from organizing in-person events. Thus, Operação Sorriso Brasil decided to invested in digital platforms as a means of raising funds from individuals.

1. Implementation of a new website with an online donation platform via credit card and PayPal
2. Development of landing pages to attract donations from employees of partnering and supporting companies
3. Crowdfunding campaigns via partners’ platforms (Bsocial, Abacashi and Kickante)
4. Investment in digital marketing campaigns on Facebook and Instagram

The result was the raising of R$ 102,597.11, which represents an increase of more than 53% in individual fundraising.

OUR TEAM

On August 29, the 2020 General Meeting was held. One of the agendas discussed and voted at the online meeting, organized via the 3CX platform, was the election of the Operation Smile Brazil’s new Board of Directors and Medical Oversight Board. As per the General Meeting, the number of members of the Medical Oversight Board was reduced. Check below the new organizational framework.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chairman of the Board
Túlio Prazin
CEO of Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices LATAM South

Vice Chairman
Osvaldo Coltri
CEO of Vitopel

Members
Dr. André Schivartche
Partner at Schivartche Advogados

Dr. Henrique Cintra
Clinical Director of CTAC/UERJ

 

FISCAL COUNCIL

Aline Lima Künzel
Associate Director of Temasek

Wolley Attie
Regional CFO of Vitopel

MEDICAL OVERSIGHT BOARD

Chairman
Dr. Hugo Rodrigues (elected at the General Meeting)
Dr. Henrique Cintra (until August 28)

Vice Chairman
Dr. Tereza Sigaud (elected at the General Meeting)
Dr. Hugo Rodrigues (until August 28)

Representatives

Anesthesia (until August 28)
Dr. Marcelo Teixeira
Dr. Maurício Magalhães

Social Work (until August 28)
Jacirema Bentes

Plastic Surgery
Dr. Marcio Arnaut Junior (elected at the General Meeting)
Dr. Diogo Franco (until August 28)

Nursing
Nurse Silva Natch

Speech Therapy (until August 28)
Speech Therapist Eliana Midori

Dentistry (until August 28)
Dr. Daniela Bueno

Pediatrics
Dr. Ricardo Barros
Dr. Tatiane Selbach (until August 28)

Psychology (until August 28)
Dr. Denise Souza

 

CONSULTING BOARD

Carlos Eduardo Reis
CEO | Founder of medcenter.com portal

Emanuelle Magno Member
Human Resources Manager of Santander

John Ament Member
CEO of Mars Brazil

Levindo Santos Member
Partner at G5

Patricia Maldonado
Member | Journalist at Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação

Paulo César Mayon
Member | Independent Board Member

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Executive Board
Charles Rosenburst (until April)
Cristina Murachco (interim position from May to October and effective as of October 1)

Administration & Financial

Coordination
Ket Cremonesi

Assistant
Gabriel Aquino (as of July 7)

Intern
Victor Freitas (until July 1st)

Fundraising

Coordination
Cristina Murachco (until September 30)

Intern
Luiza Oliveira (until June 30)

Communication & Marketing

Coordination
Ana Leme (until February 3)
Guilherme Wieczorek (as of April 1st)

Assistant
Hudson Junior

Programs

Coordination
Fernanda Carbonari (until February 14)
Mariana Alves (as of August 1st / Assistant until July 31st)

Assistant
Mariana Piccoli (until March 6)
Giovanna Lombardo (as of November 9)

Sponsors and Supporters

Local partners