F I D I C H ARI TY A member of the medical team puts a young patient at ease before her operation Some of the 60 volunteers who participated in the FIDI Mission Living in hope: parents wait with their children before they are assessed for surgery The OSH surgeons inaction OSH: THE MISSION SO FAR FIDI donations recently funded surgical procedures for 50 children in San Pedro Sulas, Honduras. Lydia Cope reports on the latest OSH Mission, on behalf of the FIDI Charity Committee T LYDIA COPE, FIDI CHARITY WW W. F I D I. O R G FF289FebMar19 pp18-21 Charity.indd 19 hanks to your generosity, FIDI Affiliates have so far raised enough money for 200 impoverished children in Honduras to have life-altering surgery to correct cleft lip and palate malformations. As is evident from the thousands of refugees making global headlines by trying to cross the border into the USA, the poorest people from this small Central American country desperately need help. Those with children born with cleft lip and palate malformations simply cannot fund the treatment themselves. From 11 November 2018, the Hospital Leonardo Martinez in the city of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, has welcomed such patients for surgical evaluation, with the help of 60 volunteers working for Operation Smile Honduras (OSH) from Honduras and overseas. Unfortunately, because of poverty and illness, it is not possible to operate on everyone. Of the 254 evaluated patients, 97 were selected for surgery (see panel, 50 children treated thanks to you). Those children not operated on this time will remain in the care of OSH, who will help them overcomemalnutrition and illnesses in time for the next surgical mission. 19 23/01/2019 16:28