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A Healthy Smile is Just the Beginning®®

Our Guayaquil Story

Global Smile Foundation (GSF) volunteers have been involved with humanitarian cleft programs in Ecuador for nearly 4 decades and we are now the largest provider of comprehensive cleft care in Ecuador. Throughout this time, we have maintained relationships with our patients and their families, many of whom have grown up to volunteer with us and one has even joined our staff as a full-time employee.

GSF provides a full range of integrated and interdisciplinary cleft care at no cost to all patients and their families in collaboration with sister organization, Fundación Global Smile-Ecuador. Established in 2012, Fundación Global Smile-Ecuador manages patient communication and partner relationships to ensure the sustainability of GSF’s humanitarian work.

As GSF and Fundación Global Smile-Ecuador have grown, so has the awareness of our humanitarian cleft care outreach programs. To meet the needs of the patient population, GSF added a second annual outreach medical program in 2016.

We are grateful to the Gobierno del Guayas for their partnership and support that have been critical to the success of our outreach cleft programs and comprehensive cleft care in Ecuador.

Most Recent Trip: September 3-15, 2024

GSF founders and volunteers have been providing cleft care outreach programs in Guayaquil for 38 years.

Impact

GSF and GSF-Ecuador volunteers provided life-changing care, including:

  • 231 Patient screenings
  • 118 Surgical and Dental procedures for 75 patients under General Anesthesia
  • 152 Psychosocial interventions 76 patients
  • 75 Nutrition & Feeding consults
  • 79 Speech and Language sessions
  • 152 Dental Procedures for 96 patients
  • 128 Dental hygiene kits distributed

    The GSF & GSF-Ecuador Team

    Our team included:

    • 14 Surgeons (2 GSF-Ecuador)
    • 2 Surgery Trainees
    • 11 Anesthesia (3 GSF-Ecuador)
    • 1 Anesthesia Trainee
    • 1 CRNA
    • 9 OR Nurses (2 GSF-Ecuador)
    • 6 PACU Nurses
    • 1 Periop Nurse (1 GSF-Ecuador)
    • 3 Pediatricians
    • 8 Dentists (7 GSF-Ecuador)
    • 3 Psychologists (GSF-Ecuador)
    • 3 Nutritionists (GSF-Ecuador)
    • 1 Speech Pathologist (GSF-Ecuador)
    • 10 Admin Coordinators (5 GSF-Ecuador)
    • 1 Photographer
    • 1 IT Coordinator
    • 2 Medical Engineers
    • 83 GSF-Ecuador Volunteers

     

    The next trip to Ecuador will be IN March 2025.