What is Operation Restore Hope Australia?
Operation Restore Hope Australia is an Australian based surgical charity founded by Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Darryl Hodgkinson, which provides aid to less privileged children in the Philippines with birth defects and deformities such as cleft lip and palate, burns and tumours of the skin.

Where does Operation Restore Hope Australia operate?
Operation Restore Hope Australia began in 1994 at the Cebu City Medical Center in Cebu City. Since then it has operated annually at Lapu Lapu District Hospital on Mactan Island in Cebu. It also began operations at Paranaque Community Hospital in 2001. In 2005 it will commence operations at the President Diosdado Macapagal Memorial Medical Center in Caloocan in Manila.

How much does Operation Restore Hope Australia do?
Since 1994 Operation Restore Hope Australia has operated on more than 1,000 persons with cleft lip & palate, burn or tumours or ulcers of the skin. The team currently operates 2 weeks of the year in Cebu on 2-3 operating tables simultaneously. The average number of patients per week, per table is approximately 20. This means about 100 cases per year in Cebu.

Paranaque currently has two operating tables and we operate for one week, hence approximately 60 cases per year. The number of cases is of course dependent on the complexity of cases. More complex cases take longer and hence can decrease our throughput.

Who does Operation Restore Hope Australia operate on?
While it is of course better to repair defects as early as possible (our youngest patient in the Philippines ever being 3 months old) we try to accommodate everyone we can help. We do not turn people away. If a patient is not well enough to have surgery, it is our goal through early screening to help the patient be ready in time for the mission through nutritional programs or by getting medication to control problems such as asthma and tuberculosis.

Other services of Operation Restore Hope Australia.
For many years Operation Restore Hope Australia has included the services not only of highly qualified surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses but has included physical check-ups both pre and post-operatively by highly qualified paediatric intensivists and otolaryngologists (ear, nose and throat doctors) as well. Since 2001 Operation Restore Hope Australia has incorporated a highly successful dental program which not only assists the surgeons but provides a further service to the indigent children.

Where do the volunteers come from?
The surgeons and anaesthetists come from all over the world including Australia, New Zealand, United States, Germany, UK, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. The nurses are all predominantly Australian or Filipino/Australian nurses although some have been funded from overseas.

What is cleft lip and palate?
A cleft lip or palate is caused due to the failure of the oral structures (lip and palate (or roof of the mouth)) to close and form normally prior to the 12th week of pregnancy.

How many children in the Philippines have a cleft lip & palate?
It is estimated that there are 250,000 children and adults alike waiting for cleft lip or palate repair.

Why are there so many cleft lips and palates in the Philippines?
There is an unusually high number in the Philippines due to genetics and malnutrition. Less mobility amongst the less fortunate as well as poorer health allows this gene to flourish.

How much does it cost to help/sponsor a child?
The average cost of an operation is about $ 400 AUD. The cost is kept so low due to the amount of volunteer effort we have.

Where does the money come from?
Most of the donations to Operation Restore Hope Australia come from individuals. Donations range from $10 to $10,000! Every cent counts. Most of our donations from companies are donations in kind, meaning that they actually donate to us some of the medical supplies we need.

A fundraising committee of Filipino-Australians has been founded. This committee not only sponsors events, organises membership drives but actually travels at their own expense to the Philippines to help out on the ground with problems as complex as sourcing medical equipment to keep the team fed and on time (even in Manila traffic!)

Where does the money go?
Every cent that is donated to Operation Restore Hope Australia goes toward purchasing medical supplies and equipment that is used for our children. We also use funds to improve and renovate the hospitals and to train the local staff to care for our kids. No money at all that is donated goes to administration – unlike most charities.

Are my donations tax-deductible?
While Operation Restore Hope Australia is a registered charity in NSW and has been granted tax exemption (meaning we do not have to pay taxes), it has not yet been granted the right to extend tax deductions to its donors. This is granted through AusAID and it is hoped that this is forthcoming in the next year or two.

How can I help?
There are many ways you can help. First of all, become a member and show your support for people taking the time to care about others less fortunate. Membership costs a mere $10 per year with a one time $10 application fee. There is no better way to say that you believe in helping others and being a part of a group that does so!

Of course you can always assist in donating time, money or medical supplies. Everyone has something they can donate from a talent for a fundraiser to a raffle or auction item or even just a few hours telling your friends about this wonderful work and getting them to become members too! Every positive thought and cent counts.

Does Operation Restore Hope Australia have any vision for the future?
While the problem of hundreds of thousands of cleft lips and palates may seem too daunting to even tackle, Operation Restore Hope Australia has a vision of how we can create a program that may change the way early birth defects and deformities are screened and treated in the Philippines. We hope that through working through the immunisation centres that we can create a register of birth defects in a child’s early months. With this information we can target public education in the communities to which we have made a commitment (Lapu Lapu, Paranaque and Caloocan) so that no child in the future should have to begin school with a cleft lip or palate.