Research conducted by Operation Smile and its partners has found a potential relationship between maternal smoke inhalation from cooking over an open flame and an increased risk of having a child with a cleft condition.
This is a call to action: In many developing countries where Operation Smile provides surgical care, many families cook over open stoves inside the home.
In an effort to boost the overall health of these families, Operation Smile will send a team of undergraduate volunteers to Chiapas, Mexico, where they’ll spend a week replacing open-flame stoves.
Operation Smile has teamed up with InfraRural, a Mexico City-based organization that builds and installs wood-burning cook stoves. The student team will work with InfraRural representatives to install the stoves, which are locally sourced, as well as teach families how to use them. They will also share lessons on nutrition and fire safety.
