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A Healthy Smile is Just the Beginning®

Located on the northwest coast of Peru in the region of La Libertad, Trujillo is the second most populous city in the country. It is surrounded by rural areas and the Andes mountains where more than one third of the population is estimated to live in poverty. In addition, the country’s significant wealth gap means that people at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum lack access to basic services like healthcare and education.

Global Smile Foundation (GSF) has provided comprehensive cleft care in Trujillo since 2008. Working with volunteers from a local dental school, we established GSF-Peru to support our humanitarian outreach in the region. GSF-Peru conducts oral health awareness campaigns throughout the year.

GSF works with EsSalud to provide comprehensive cleft care to patients. EsSalud is the largest hospital owner and operator in Peru, with more than 400 hospitals under its management. GSF is fortunate to be housed at the Hospital Virgen de la Puerta de EsSalud, the newest hospital in La Libertad. Opened in December 2014, this hospital serves the entire region with modern facilities and advanced technology centers.

In May 2016, EsSalud and GSF signed an agreement to carry out cooperative efforts in education, training, outreach missions for the fissure and the establishment of comprehensive care centers for clefts in EsSalud hospitals.

 

 

Most Recent Trip: May 19 – May 28, 2023

Impact

GSF volunteers provided life-changing comprehensive cleft care, including:

  • 75 Patient Screenings
  • 79 Surgical Procedures for 42 patients
  • 27 Nutritional Consultation
  • 66 Speech Therapy Sessions
  • 443 Dental Procedures for 101 patients

THE GSF TEAM

In addition to the local hospital staff and volunteers, the GSF team included:

  • 9 Surgeons (7 GSF & 2 Peruvian)
  • 10 Anesthesiologists (6 GSF & 4 Peruvian)
  • 9 OR Nurses (4 GSF & 5 Peruvian)
  • 1 Pediatricians
  • 1 Peri Op Nurse 
  • 4 PACU Nurses
  • 4 Speech Pathologist (2 GSF & 2 Peruvian)
  • 12 Dentists and Orthodontists (GSF-Perú)
  • 7 Administrative Coordinators (5 GSF & 2 Peruvian)
  • 2 Photographers
  • 15 Volunteers from GSF-Perú

The next trip to Trujillo will be May 17–26, 2024.

Current OMPs