Morocco: Friendship Needs No Words
Language barriers don’t have to prevent people from being of service to others – just ask student volunteers Josey June and Hailey Dore, who served on a recent program in Morocco with fellow program partner Maeve Ragan.
“One day I needed to step out of the hospital for some air, and the next day’s patients were arriving,” Josey recounted. “I was sitting on a ledge when a mom said something in Arabic I couldn’t understand, waved me over, and handed me her baby for a few minutes while she was looking for something in her bag. It made me happy that she trusted me with her baby, and it shows that we don’t all have to speak the same language to understand each other.”
Hailey believes these moments exemplify the trust families put in Operation Smile.
“There are no bounds when it comes to getting help at Operation Smile,” Hailey said. “They’re always going to find a way to help you; even if they are busy, they’ll refer you or tell you when they’re coming back and how to proceed. They will never abandon you.”
At the Mohammed Bouafi Hospital in Casablanca, Morocco, families often line up, waiting for their children to receive care. Operation Smile Morocco regularly runs surgical programs there, and from May 23 to May 29, international student volunteers Hailey and June were sent to support the program, where they would work with hospital staff and patients.
“For the students, our goal is to support anybody there, no matter if it means bringing donations, keeping kids occupied, sorting through paperwork, or putting labels on things,” Hailey said. “Our ultimate job during the trip was to help everyone in any way possible.”
They spent time with patients and families at the Mohammed Bouafi Hospital, which allowed them to embrace the cleft community in Morocco and grow closer to those in need of care. Josey shared how she witnessed the family dynamics there, and it affected her.
“Families will do anything to help their children,” Josey said. “We saw big families waiting in line outside of the hospital with lots of luggage or none at all. Only one family member was allowed in the room before and after surgery, so seeing the dads lined up made me happy.”
Hailey said witnessing the lack of accessible healthcare changed her perspective: “(Born with a cleft) myself, I always understood that I’m able to get care easily,” she said. “So it was eye-opening to see that not everyone else has that same privilege. Realizing that made me more empathetic toward others.“