Salmah’s smile lights up the world

The first thing you notice when you meet Salmah Kola the first time is a smile that stretches from deep beneath her soul.

Salmah (33), who was born and bred in eMalahleni, works for Operation Smile.

Salmah’s love and compassion for people led her to an international organization where she plays a key role not only as a speech therapist but also as a lactation consultant.

At Operation Smile they believe every child suffering from cleft lip or cleft palate deserves exceptional surgical care.

Salmah first learned about the organization when the South African TV show ‘Free Spirit’ showcased a medical mission in Madagascar.

Back then she was only a speech therapy student.

“After I graduated, a fellow colleague who was an Operation Smile volunteer, returned from a medical mission in Rwanda. She lit the fire in my heart after we talked about how it felt to be involved in something that was changing global health care. I signed up immediately. It was only after some time that I went on my first mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and I have not looked back since,” she said.

Traveling to Ghana, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Paraguay as a speech language therapist, Salmah has spent eight years helping transform the lives and futures of children.

Salmah is on the forefront when it comes to lactation and said in poor countries there is limited access to bottles and formula and because many people in the poor countries can not read, there is no means for them to know how to measure the correct amount of formula for babies from different ages.

Salmah was part of a global team of speech language pathologist leaders who gathered at Operation Smile Global headquarters.

“November’s meeting was nothing short of insightful, educational and exhilarating. The speech and dental conference afforded us with the opportunity to meet and discuss pressing issues, which are sometimes difficult to address through email or telephone. We were able to share our experiences and expertise and make future plans to further our role and our impact on missions. Speech therapy needs after surgery can be extensive and long term, and ideas such as speech camps were discussed and explored. This is just one way that we are looking at ensuring that the patients we treat get the most holistic care. The exciting thing about volunteering with Operation Smile is that the services we offer are constantly being monitored and improved upon. Working with the population affected by cleft is about more than just the aesthetic change. It’s about the changes we can make to our patients’ quality of life in the long term.”

Salmah’s passion for life and people radiates from her eyes, which speaks volumes.

Salmah’s smile is just a small part of a magnificent story that leaves a lot of food for thought.