--- title: For the First Time, OJOK Can Eat. The Volunteer Surgeons Behind His Cleft Palate Repair Are Not Done Yet. description: A baby in a Ugandan refugee settlement with a double cleft palate is eating and gaining weight after his first surgery. His second is scheduled for March 27. author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-03-17T13:28:45.589Z updated: 2026-03-17T13:29:10.922Z canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/ojok-cleft-palate-surgery-uganda image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/ojok-cleft-palate-surgery.webp categories: Social Impact content_type: Feature region: Uganda publication: Sovereign Magazine about: - type: Organization name: Amigos Internacionales description: Faith-based humanitarian organization delivering free medical care, eye camps, surgical missions, water wells, schools, and lifeskills training to underserved communities across East Africa. Headquartered in Whitehouse, Texas. In 2025, raised $149,000 and delivered over $10.1 million in medical services across Uganda, Nigeria, and Burundi. url: https://www.amigosii.org industry: Humanitarian / Nonprofit sameAs: - https://www.amigosii.org - https://www.facebook.com/missionpointafrica - https://twitter.com/amigosii - https://www.instagram.com/missionpointafrica - https://www.youtube.com/@missionpointafrica - https://www.linkedin.com/company/6674040/ --- In a refugee settlement in Northern Uganda, a baby named OJOK was born with a double cleft palate, two separate structural malformations of the lip and palate, a condition that made feeding nearly impossible. Without the ability to create a proper seal, he could not nurse or bottle-feed effectively. He was not gaining weight. There is no surgical unit in his settlement. The nearest hospital is not equipped for the procedure. OJOK's parents had no realistic path to specialist care in any traditional sense. ## What a Double Cleft Palate Means in Practice A cleft palate affects one in every 700 births globally, but outcomes vary enormously by geography. In countries with functioning [pediatric surgical infrastructure](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/welcomed-to-the-white-house-fight-for-life-give-children-a-second-chance-to-live-amid-organ-d), repair is routine, completed in the first year of life, and outcomes are excellent. In Northern Uganda's refugee settlements, communities already under pressure from displacement, malnutrition, and absent healthcare, an unrepaired cleft palate is a chronic emergency. The child cannot feed normally, cannot gain weight, and faces developmental consequences that compound over time. OJOK's condition was a double cleft, meaning both the external lip structure and the internal palate required separate surgical repairs, staged apart to allow healing between operations. The first surgery addresses the visible structural malformation. The second corrects the internal anatomy. Together, they restore the ability to eat, speak, and grow normally. ## The First Surgery In January 2026, OJOK received his first operation through Amigos Internacionales and their medical partner, Doctors on Mission International. The surgical team repaired the external lip, the visible portion of the double cleft, working in the kind of improvised but carefully prepared environment that defines field surgical missions in East Africa. Volunteer surgeons converted a local classroom into an operating suite. OJOK began feeding after the operation. He started gaining weight. According to the organization, the transformation from a baby unable to feed to a child eating and growing normally has been visible and significant. Before and after photographs from the surgical team show the extent of the external repair. ## The Second Surgery: March 27 The internal repair, the more complex half of OJOK's treatment, is scheduled for March 27, 2026. This procedure addresses the palate itself: the roof of the mouth, the internal anatomy that a child needs to eat, drink, and eventually speak without difficulty. It is a technically demanding surgery that requires a trained craniofacial or pediatric team. Without it, OJOK's improvement, while real, remains incomplete. Amigos Internacionales is seeking $4,000 to fund the cost of OJOK's second surgery and the surrounding care. That figure covers surgical fees, anesthesia, recovery support, and the logistical costs of getting a specialist team to a settlement that does not have a permanent medical facility. For families in this region, raising that sum independently is not a realistic option. ## The Organization Behind the Work Amigos Internacionales, based in Whitehouse, Texas, has been running medical missions around the world since 1968. The organisation began that year building mobile medical and dental clinics for the border regions between Texas and Mexico, and has also been active in Belize and Guatemala. Today, in partnership with Doctors on Mission International, it runs a structured humanitarian medical programme with documented outcomes, volunteer specialist physicians, and formal partnerships with local health authorities and hospitals. In 2025 alone, the organization raised $149,000 in donor contributions and delivered more than $10.1 million in medical services, a 71-to-1 multiplier made possible by mobilizing volunteer medical professionals who donate their expertise, combined with donated supplies and coordinated use of existing local health infrastructure. Three countries were reached that year: Uganda, Nigeria, and Burundi. Every service was provided at no cost to patients. The principal cost in volunteer-driven medical missions is logistics and supplies. The surgical expertise arrives at no charge to the program, contributed by licensed physicians and nurses who take leave to serve. When properly structured, modest donor capital unlocks care that would cost multiples of its fundraising value in a private or state-funded system. One recent outreach in Northern Uganda served more than 1,500 patients in three days, providing surgical consultations, dental care, cancer screenings, and eye treatment to communities that had no prior access. ## The April Mission: Napak District OJOK's second surgery is part of a broader mobilization. From April 11 to 18, 2026, Amigos Internacionales will lead a Children's Medical and Surgical Camp alongside a full community medical clinic in Napak District, Uganda, a remote area of the Karamoja region where many families live days away from any form of medical care. The initiative is the largest-scale mission the organization has run in the area. Services planned for the week include pediatric surgical screenings and operations, general medical care for children and families, maternal and women's health services, dental treatment, eye care, community health education, and referral pathways for complex cases that require follow-on specialist care. All services will be provided free of charge. For many of the children who will arrive at the camp, this will be their first contact with surgical-level medical care. ## A Demonstrated Pattern of Outcomes OJOK's story is not isolated. In August 2025, a 73-year-old man named Blake Johnes arrived at an Amigos-supported eye camp in Lamwo District. He had been blind from cataracts for long enough that his wife had left and his daughter had become his sole caregiver. Following cataract surgery on August 3, he regained his sight. His daughter was the first person he saw when the bandages came off. ## How to Help Amigos Internacionales is accepting donations toward OJOK's second surgery and the April Napak mission at [amigosii.org](https://www.amigosii.org). The $4,000 target for OJOK's internal palate repair represents the final step in a process that began when a volunteer surgical team first reached his settlement. The April mission requires broader logistical funding for the full week-long camp. The $71-per-dollar figure is independently documented. For donors comparing [where surgical funding goes furthest](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/the-136-solution-how-technology-is-making-life-saving-healthcare-affordable), the organization's 2025 outcomes are on record. ## FAQ **Q: What is a double cleft palate and how many surgeries does it require?** A double cleft palate involves two separate malformations: the external lip and the internal palate. Treatment requires two staged surgeries: the first repairs the visible lip structure, the second corrects the internal anatomy. Both are needed for a child to eat and speak normally. **Q: How does Amigos Internacionales deliver $71 in care for every $1 donated?** The multiplier reflects the value of volunteer specialist medical professionals who donate their time and expertise. Donor funds cover logistics, supplies, and travel. The surgical expertise, often worth hundreds of dollars per hour in private systems, is contributed at no charge by licensed physicians and nurses. **Q: Where is the April 2026 medical mission taking place?** The Children's Medical and Surgical Camp runs April 11–18, 2026 in Napak District, Uganda, within the Karamoja region. It will provide pediatric surgery, maternal health, dental, eye care, and community health education, all free to patients. **Q: How can I donate to OJOK's second surgery?** Donations can be made directly at amigosii.org. The target for OJOK's internal palate repair is $4,000, covering surgical fees, anesthesia, and recovery support. **About Amigos Internacionales** Faith-based humanitarian organization delivering free medical care, eye camps, surgical missions, water wells, schools, and lifeskills training to underserved communities across East Africa. Headquartered in Whitehouse, Texas. In 2025, raised $149,000 and delivered over $10.1 million in medical services across Uganda, Nigeria, and Burundi. [Website](https://www.amigosii.org)