Operation Sunrise is a not-for-profit organization providing free reconstructive surgery and related services to children and young adults with cleft lips and palates in medically underserved areas of the world.  It coordinates an international effort in which a volunteer team of skilled professionals provides free surgery and related care to children who would otherwise live their entire lives with physically and emotionally crippling disfigurement. Our efforts have focused on providing service to the children living in the Philippines and China.

This year we will provide services to the children afflicted with cleft lip and palate living near Beijing, China.  Our host hospital for the 2007 mission will be The Linyi People's Hospital, Shandong Province. Our last mission to China was in 2005, hosted by The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. We look foreward to another productive mission to China, serving the children of Shandong province. This Web site was created to keep our friends, colleagues and sponsors updated about the ongoing mission by enabling you to read the daily log, hear audio files, and view pictures of the mission.

By using the links above left of this frame, you'll be able to access a blog containing text and audio ("2007 Cleft Mission Blog") and gallery of images ("2007 Cleft Mission Images"). The last link will direct you to our main website, that provides general information about our organization. I hope that by allowing you to "participate" in our mission, you too will have a better understanding of this devastating condition and the profound impact that we can make in improving the lives of these underserved children. Thank you for your interest and for visiting this site!

Howard S. Kotler, M.D., FACS

Director Surgical Services, Operation Sunrise