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When you're considered a poor family in one of the poorest countries in the world, life is hard. A newborn with a cleft lip was an unexpected challenge, but Lucien and Germaine were determined. They named their daughter Tiaviniaina. It means "she who will be loved."
Neighbors didn't see it that way. They saw her as a curse that would spread evil to all. They tried to get the family to leave. They tried to get their landlord to evict them. Parents wouldn't let their children play with Tiaviniaina, and other children called her cruel names.
One day Tiaviniaina came home with a fruit given to her by neighbor children. It looked sweet and tasty, but her father was horrified. What she held in her little hand was so poisonous she would have died if she'd eaten it. Lucien knew it was a plot to get rid of Tiaviniaina once and for all.
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Even on momentous days, 9-year-old kids will get bored as grown-ups go through paperwork. All photos by Rohanna Mertens.
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At age 4, her family learned a bittersweet truth. Tiaviniaina's cleft lip could be repaired by surgery, but they would never be able to afford it. At age 7, she entered school. Only one child there would play with her. Her name was Asina.
The cost of a cleft surgery should never be a barrier to a child having friends and going to school. Make a gift before June 30 and it will be DOUBLED by a match from a generous donor. Help end the suffering and loneliness for children like Tiaviniaina.
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At the time of this examination, Tiaviniaina's parents had learned where to find her if she was late coming home from school. When children were being cruel, she'd retreat to her favorite hiding place.
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Life changed when they heard a radio ad. Thanks to gifts like yours, Operation Smile was coming to Majunga, Madagascar, to provide free cleft surgeries. The family scraped up everything they had. A four-hour walk led to a 14-hour bus ride. And Tiaviniaina didn't qualify for surgery because she was too malnourished.
A year later, after nutritional support from Operation Smile Madagascar, they were going to try again. At the surgical site, they'd be fed and housed in a patient shelter, but they had to get there first. Lucien and Germaine worked extra jobs. They used nets to catch fish and sold them for bus fare.
They made it. Tiaviniaina was cleared for surgery. With one short operation, a lifetime of misery was pushed into the past.
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Our surgical costs are a tiny fraction of a typical American hospital bill because of donated equipment, donated supplies and the volunteer efforts of medical professionals. Here, anesthesiologist Dr. Ulf Hildingsson of Stockholm, Sweden, comes to take Tiaviniaina to the operating room.
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Operation Smile is working to train medical professionals around the world to increase access to surgical care. Tiaviniaina's surgeon here is Dr. Lalatiana Andriamanarivo of Madagascar.
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Recovery room nurse Elisabeth Johansson of Sweden checks on Tiaviniaina post-surgery. That's her father, Lucien, looking on.
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Even with stitches and the normal swelling after a surgery, Lucien marveled at her change. "I can't stop looking at her," he said.
Even with soreness and a little bit of an ache, Tiaviniaina was ready to talk about her new life. "I want to go to school and study," she said. "I want to be mom, and I want to get married."
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After surgery, our patients receive what we call Smile Bags, a collection of little treasures and toiletries contained in a colorful drawstring sack hand-sewn by volunteers. Every Smile Bag contains a mirror.
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You can end bullying and shame for children like Tiaviniaina with a generous gift today. A fellow compassionate donor will double the impact of your donation. Please do not delay. It's a race against time and here's why.
If an infant has surgery before learning to speak, speech problems are minimized. Early surgery on a cleft palate reduces the risk of a condition that can lead to hearing loss. Cleft conditions are a major factor in premature deaths. Your gift will change a life, and maybe even save one.
Please help with a gift today.
— Operation Smile
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