A team of international volunteers from an NGO called Operation Smile started offering aid to children with cleft palates in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, on Sunday.

A baby with cleft lips smiles as waiting to receive a surgical evaluation from Operation Smile in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, on April 29, 2007.

Local media report the team consists of medical and non-medical volunteers from more than 20 countries, including Canada, United States and the Philippines.

More than 600 children with cleft palates traveled to the Zhengzhou No 1 People's Hospital to receive free surgical evaluations from the NGO's plastic surgeons. Operation Smile will provide eligible children with free surgery to correct their cleft palates from April 30 to May 7.

Yuan Shuanqing is a peasant from a village in Zhengzhou. He started queuing up Saturday night to register his 7 month old son for the free surgery.

"My wife cried at the sight of his cleft lips when my son was born," Yuan Shuanqing said. "How can parents smile when their kid can't?"

This is the second time Operation Smile has arrived in Zhengzhou.

Dr. Han Kai, the medical director of the mission, says he felt uneasy when he saw the number of patients.

During last year's mission, the surgeons worked around the clock for around one week and performed 127 operations. They expect to perform 150 to 200 operations this year, but they still won't be able to help everyone who seeks assistance from them.

"We have been considering changing from 'guests' to 'inhabitants' here," said Han Kai. He says Operation Smile is planning to establish a permanent mechanism for delivering aid in their partner countries, such as funding for local surgeons to carry out operations.

Operation Smile was founded in 1982 by a plastic surgeon called Dr. William Magee and his wife, Kathleen, a nurse and clinical social worker. Based in the U.S. state of Virginia, the charity is dedicated to helping children and young adults suffering from facial deformities in developing countries.

(CRI May 1, 2007)