British School Manila students raise funds for Operation Smile Philippines

Since the beginning of this school year, international school students from the British School Manila (BSM) have been raising funds for Operation Smile Philippines which they recently handed over at the school's end of term assembly.

The students, who all take part in the "Operation Smile Philippines - British School Manila" (OSP-BSM) activity sought donations from classmates for World Smile Day, sold a variety of halloween-themed foods like caramel apples and cake pops at their Halloween Fundraiser and organised nap rooms and a Christmas movie night. They also took part in a Christmas Fair with other Service and Sustainability student groups at the school.

The group handed over a cheque for more than PHP180,000 to Operation Smile Philippines, which was gratefully received by Zachary Funtanilla, the charity's Development Associate, who is a BSM Alumni who was also part of the OSP-BSM student group during his time at the school.

The OSP-BSM project has funded four cleft palate surgeries so far. The funds raised since the beginning of this school year should fund a further five. Mr. Funtanilla commented "The energy and passion of the Operation Smile student group is genuinely impressive. Thank you again for sharing the vision of our cause and helping us to transform children's lives."

In addition to fundraising, the student group raises awareness of the work of Operation Smile Philippines and the barriers and challenges that Cleft Palates pose to children and adults around the world. They also share success stories of how life-altering the surgeries performed by Operation Smile Philippines are. "At OSP-BSM we believe that helping one person smile can change the world - maybe not the whole world but certainly their world," a representative said.

Operation Smile Philippines is one of the British School Manila's Service & Sustainability partners. BSM Students have the opportunity to collaborate with a range of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) helping to tackle important local and global issues. The goal is to develop young people who will make a positive difference in the lives of others long after they leave BSM. Each Year group is linked with a Service Learning Partner and every student at BSM takes part in Service Learning activities throughout the year to raise awareness, and funds and support good causes.

Bea Gabuya
The British School Manila
36th Street, University Park,
Bonifacio Global City, 1634
Taguig City, Metro Manila,
Philippines
Website: https://www.britishschoolmanila.org
+63 (2) 8860 4800

Scott Justice
The British School Manila
36th Street, University Park,
Bonifacio Global City, 1634
Taguig City, Metro Manila,
Philippines
Website: https://www.britishschoolmanila.org
+63 (2) 8860 4800

About the British School Manila

The British School Manila (BSM) is a co-educational, private, not-for-profit British international school. Founded in 1976, the school has grown from 2 classrooms and 32 students in its first year to the present day where BSM welcomes 940+ students aged 3-18, representing 41 nationalities.
The school is a fully accredited member of the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a founding member of the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA) and a member of the East Asian Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS). Teaching staff come from a range of backgrounds with experience of the British and other highly regarded curricula. The school offers classes from Nursery to Year 13.
The school's 2021-22 annual report is available at: https://issuu.com/britishschoolmanila/docs/annual_report_2021-2022

About Operation Smile Philippines - British School Manila (OSP-BSM)
OSP-BSM is one of the British School Manila's student Service and Sustainability After School Activities (ASA). The ASA programme ensures that all BSM students have the opportunity to experience an active and balanced lifestyle which is consistent with their abilities, interests and passions.
Operation Smile is a student-led ASA focused on providing hundreds of thousands of free surgeries for children and adults who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate, or other facial conditions. Student activities consist of planning and hosting fundraisers, raising awareness and community building. This special opportunity allows students from years 7 to 13 to take initiative, acquire leadership roles and make a difference in the community around them.

https://www.facebook.com/ospbsm

About Operation Smile Philippines:
Operation Smile was founded in 1982 when Dr. William (Bill) P. Magee, Jr., a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Kathleen (Kathy), a nurse and clinical social worker, traveled to the Philippines with a group of medical volunteers to repair children's cleft lips and cleft palates.
What they found was overwhelming. "People pushed their babies at us." recalls Kathy. "They tugged at our sleeves with tears in their eyes and begged us to help their children." In Naga City, approximately 300 families arrived hoping their children would receive surgery, but the team could only treat 40 children. As they prepared to leave, the Magees made a promise they would return to help more children. They began soliciting donations of surgical equipment and supplies from manufacturers, threw themselves into grassroots fundraising and assembled a volunteer team of 18 doctors, nurses and technicians for their own medical mission to the Philippines. They helped approximately 100 more patients, but again, hundreds still waited.

Today, Operation Smile is an international medical charity whose global network of thousands of credentialed medical volunteers from more than 80 countries is dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children from more than 60 countries. We've provided more than 220,000 free surgical procedures for children and young adults born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities. To build long-term sufficiency in resource poor environments, we train doctors and local medical professionals in our partner countries so they're empowered to treat their local communities. We also donate medical equipment and supplies and provide year-round medical treatments through our worldwide cleft care centers.

https://operationsmile.org.ph/our-story/