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Fuseina is an 11-year-old girl who beat all odds to receive free surgery during Operation Smile�s inaugural surgical mission to Ghana in 2011. Her story is one of courage and perseverance after travelling for 10 hours alone from the north of Ghana to receive free surgery in Accra. Through her bravery, she changed her life and has influenced her family and her community, as well as the hearts of the Operation Smile volunteers. Fuseina is one of thousands in the world who are born each year with this facial deformity and one of the lucky ones to survive past the age of one. One out of ten children born each year with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate will not make it to their first birthday. A cleft lip is a hole in the lip that has caused the lip to not fully form, and a cleft palate is a hole in the roof of the mouth. However, as Fuseina learned, this facial deformity can be rectified through a simple surgical procedure, which is given free of charge through Operation Smile, a non-profit organisation that has previously provided free surgery to Ghanaians. �This year, in conjunction with our many incredible community partners, we will continue to reach out to patients like Fuseina around the country,� said Kia Guarino, Operation Smile Programs Manager for Africa. �Ghana is unique in that the community has rallied behind this cause with such a force that I am confident we will be able to help many more patients, families and communities over the coming years.� Operation Smile (OS), in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Services, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Lions Club and many other incredible community partners will, from Monday May 21st through Friday May 25th, 2012, conduct free health assessments at various hospitals across Ghana for all children and adults born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate. Conducting assessments throughout Ghana gives OS an indication of how many people are still in need of corrective surgery, beyond those that have been addressed through the amazing existing cleft infrastructure, and how many people are to be expected at the next large-scale surgical mission in July. During a surgical mission, a team of medical and non-medical volunteers from Ghana and around the world will provide free surgeries and medical evaluations to Ghanaian children and adults. Operation Smile held its inaugural mission to Ghana in December 2011. During the mission, Fuseina was one of 110 children and adults received free life-changing surgery. Patients who received surgery are also asked to visit the below hospitals to receive their free follow-up healthcare check-up. Operation Smile to Conduct Free Pre-Mission Assessments for All Patients Born with Cleft Lips and/or Cleft Palates in Ghana from May 21-25, 2012