Team Cleft Repair is a dedicated group of medical professionals headed to Vietnam in August to provide comprehensive cleft lip and palate care to children and families in need. This mission is our fourth trip to Hue, Vietnam and will include expanded integrated dental care and nursing education, strengthening our continuum of craniofacial care for families while supporting local healthcare providers in advancing perioperative care, patient safety, and long-term treatment outcomes.

Want to join me in making a difference? Any donation will help us provide life-changing care to patients who otherwise would not have access to this treatment. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to our team. Please note: each team member has a goal of raising $2,500, if your team member has already hit their goal, consider spreading the love to another of our volunteers!

More About Team Cleft Repair:

Operation International's Team Cleft Repair was established in March 2023 and consists of a dedicated group of doctors and nurses passionate about comprehensive care for children born with cleft lip and palate.

The team's inaugural mission took place at Hue Hospital University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Vietnam in 2023. Collaborating with the Design Capital Asia organization, the team focused on providing essential medical care to children born with cleft lips and palates. In just five days, they performed an impressive 40 surgeries. They have since returned to Hue in 2024 and 2025, each time treating dozens of patients in need and offering follow-up care for past patients. The team also expanded their reach to Laos in 2025 and visited the country again in 2026.

See more of our work in the video and photos below:

More About Operation International:

Operation International is a secular, non-political, humanitarian organization founded in 1996 by Medhat Allam, MD; Ravi Kothuru, MD; and Robert Mineo, CRNA under the original name of International Surgical Mission Support. The founders aspired to offer free medical care to children and adults suffering from the lack of basic health care in poor countries.

In our quest to advance human rights ideas, Operation International provides free medical care to people in need — regardless of gender, cultural, ethnic, political or religious affiliations. To ensure that our efforts impact underserved communities for years to come, we also offer education and training to local health care workers during each of our medical missions, as well as improve hospitals’ infrastructure through equipment donation.

Team NY, the first Operation International team, made its maiden mission to Haiti in 1997, where the founders of the organization witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of poverty and inadequate medical care.

Since the beginning, our teams of doctors, clinicians, nurses, and aides have expanded to include over 200 medical professionals in multiple Chapters located throughout the United States, the UK, and Hong Kong.

In our many medical missions to date, we have directly impacted the lives of thousands of people by performing life-saving and life-changing surgeries including cancer surgeries, sight restoration surgeries, burn reconstructive surgeries, corrective surgeries for congenital anomalies such as clubfoot and cleft palate, and obstetric and gynecological surgeries.

Help Bring Cleft Repair Surgery to Children In Need In Vietnam

Operation International's Team Cleft Repair will head on their fourth mission to Vietnam in August.

Team Members