Guayaquil, Ecuador

Global Smile Foundation (GSF) volunteers have been involved with humanitarian cleft programs in Ecuador for more than 3 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 supports a Comprehensive Cleft Center at Hospital León Becerra to provide a full range of integrated and interdisciplinary cleft care throughout the year, at no cost to all patients and their families. The center is managed by Fundación Global Smile-Ecuador, established in 2012 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.

GSF is 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.

group of volunteers sitting outside of hospital

The volunteer team from the second week of the March program.

Smiling baby boy with a cleft lip Amir is one of our many patients from Ecuador. See the story of Amir’s cleft care journey (here).

Hospital León Becerra, dedicated to pediatric care for children and families of low socioeconomic status. The hospital is managed by the Benemérita Sociedad Protectora de la Infancia, an institution devoted to serving the children of Guayaquil.