Hi everyone! 

My name is Carisa, and I am currently a grade 11 student at J.N. Burnett Secondary School. I joined Operation Smile because I wanted to join an organization that focused on giving back to those in need, especially in third world countries. 

Every three minutes a child is born with cleft lip and/or palate. In many countries, children that are born with this condition do not have access to the surgical care that they need. This leads to malnutrition, social isolation and bullying. Not only does it impact the child, but it has an influence on the quality of life of the entire family. 

My goal is to raise awareness about cleft lip because at first, I was unaware about cleft lip, and I just want to help educate everyone around me.