The US all-volunteer surgical team, Operation of Hope, founded by Dr. 
Joseph Clawson, was at St. Anne’s Hospital in Harare and performed 67
free surgeries for children and people afflicted with facial
deformities. Typical deformities include, but are not limited to,
cleft-lip and cleft-palates. All costs associated with this surgery
were free- no doctor, hospital, medication or surgical fees was
charged. This surgery would typically run $35K-$85K in the US.
This visit will be the sixth trip made by Operation of Hope dating
back to October of 2006. Dr. JP Clawson, founder and director of
Operation of Hope has been leading this team since 1989 and have
performed more than 2,500 free surgeries to kids in need around the
world At least 450 children have been helped in Zimbabwe to date. “We
are very excited to return to Zimbabwe where we once again help those
in need, offering hope and relief to the families of Zimbabwe needing
this care,” says Dr. Clawson. “We had a very successful mission due
to the support of the staff and administration of St. Anne’s Hospital
the Ministry of Health and local Zimbabweans that understand and
support our work,” said Jennifer Trubenbach, Exec Director. We are
planning to return to St. Anne’s April 11, 2010 for another 70 or so
new smiles!
(this is a picture with Dr. Travis Tollefson of UC Davis Medical
Center with a patient that received a new nose)
