ABOUT US
Hirsche Smiles Foundation (HSF) is a nonprofit organization that takes plastic surgery, dental and home construction teams to underprivileged areas in Guatemala. The plastic surgery team provides surgery for children with cleft lip and/or palates, burns and deformed ears, fingers and toes without charge to the patient or family. HSF works with in-country sponsors to provide plastic and reconstructive surgery for needy children and dental care and dental health education to families who do not have access to these services. Hirsche Homes builds homes for families living in poverty, in shacks without doors, windows, or indoor plumbing.
Why is our help needed?
Thousands of children, young adults, and families in Guatemala live in poverty and have no access to surgical and dental care or dental health education to improve the quality of their lives. Children may grow up with birth defects that can easily be repaired, if they can just get to the help they need. Families in these areas do not have access to dental care and by the time they are in their teens or twenties, they need to have tooth extractions of several teeth due to tooth decay. Families live in poverty in shacks which we would consider uninhabitable.
How do we help?
Hirsche Smiles Foundation visits Guatemala with teams of medical professionals and other volunteers. The effort to help is three-fold: Surgical Intervention, Dental Services, and Home Construction. We provide service without charge to families who cannot afford to get the help they need.
The Surgical team consists of volunteer surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and other health professionals who perform and assist in surgery on needy children with birth defects such as cleft lip and palate deformities, extra fingers or toes, and disfiguring scars due to burns or other accidents.
Dental Services team consists of dentists, dental assistants, and volunteers who visit families in remote mountain villages throughout Guatemala. Our team is able to perform restorations and sealants to preserve teeth as well as extractions on teeth that are too damaged to save. HSF teams also instruct families on proper dental hygiene.
Hirsche Smiles Foundation Needs Your Help
The foundation is a 501(C) charitable organization and relies solely on contributions from private individuals, businesses and other charitable organizations. We are able to keep overhead to a minimal amount by using volunteer office staff and donated space. Those who volunteer to go on trips donate their time and pay their own way. This sacrifice on everyone’s part allows the foundation to use nearly all of the contributions for the care of the children. Hirsche Homes finds families in poverty and builds small and simple homes with walls, flooring, windows, a doors, and access to water and electricity.