Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Operation Smile - Madagascar Mission

It’s first light. The city is already thick with noisy character, filtering in through half open windows to waken those attempting the luxurious post alarm-clock snooze. Dawn gracefully allows the sleepy eyes of the privileged to slowly adjust to a new day while the streets beyond golden windows are already a hive of buzzing bodies.





An area the size of an athletic track is exploding with dark-skinned heads and colourful clothing. Such a make-shift depot serves the street sellers with daily fresh produce. This early morning frenzy supplies these informal merchants with the produce they need to set up their area of pavement with neatly arranged piles of produce … in hopeful wait for the rest of the privileged city to submerge from comfort.


Antananarivo, or Tana as it is locally shortened to, has its dirt and squalor like all third world cities, but as with most novel experiences there is an atmosphere of magic. Densely packed buildings with tiled roofs are intersected by narrow little alleyways. A dirty mix of the old French colony and modern Malagasy influence is accompanied by long-legged aggressive chickens...the third world charm is thick and stagnant.


The city can be likened to an eclectic mix of subtropical Africa meets third-world Europe. Rice paddies are strewn between living areas, submerged in filthy water. People emit from every crevice; on every corner there is a pop-up stall selling fresh fruit, milky-sweet drinks, mobile phone credit, cigarettes, shoes and even muti.


Madagascar has always been at the top of my bucket-list for a travel destination, so to have arrived for the first time as a volunteer with Operation Smile is beyond coincidental. A team of volunteers from across the globe was based in the capital city, Antananarivo (I can finally say that without sounding like I have a speech impediment), for ten days.


The work that Operation Smile does is truly amazing. The children that come in to be screened for surgery have serious cases of cleft-lips and -palates, creating health, personal and social obstacles in their lives. However, only a few days later after surgery, they can smile like all their friends. I had the intermittent happy tear in my eye throughout our time at the hospital.



Apart from the few staff, everyone that is involved volunteers their time willingly. It really is inspiring to meet surgeons, anesthetists, nurses, dentists, plastic surgeons, photographers and every-day people coming together to make a difference... to make a smile. There are so many people involved that take leave to work long taxing hours for this cause. If only everyone in the world did something like this just once, the world would be a better place and something would shift in each individual involved.




There is so much goodness and good will experienced. I am honoured to have been part of the team. These people really do care!

More from the island:
ATaste for Medicinal Plants of Madagascar

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