TITLE: Helping Children Smile Again

In developed world, cleft lip and palate occurs in about 1 to 2 per 1000 births, while the rate in developing countries is even higher. Operation Smile is a nonprofit medical service organization to provide cleft lip and palate repair surgeries to children all over the world. Without the fund, the family would have never been able to afford the surgery, with the help from doctors all around the world, children born with cleft lip could finally smile as usual.

AUTHOR: XIAO GU (China)

Born in Beijing and spent her childhood and teen years in various places including Tibet, Szechuan and Yunan, Xiao “Freya” Gu is a volunteer, traveler and photographer currently based in New York. Early experience of diverse cultures and exposure to different communities unleashed her fascination for human and nature. She is passionate about observing and connecting the world through travelling and volunteering. She has traveled to all 7 continents and has been a dedicated volunteer since she was 15. She takes her lenses to capture precious moments, when she sees true beauty and dignity in human as well as the wilderness in nature.