Jane Rose, 7, wrote her name over and over in her notebook. She wasn’t doing it for homework: she did it because in her community in Cebu, Philippines, hardly anyone called her by that name. Because of her cleft lip, the children only knew her as “bungi”, a derogatory word that followed her everywhere.
Even so, she never missed school. She dreams of becoming a teacher and lives with her family in a bamboo house without electricity or running water, sharing a well with the entire neighborhood. Her dad, Eutigio, collects garbage and couldn’t afford the operation. He applied for it free of charge twice, and both times he was turned down because of the girl’s health problems. “My biggest fear is that she’ll grow up being bullied her whole life”, he confessed.
The third time, with Operation Smile Philippines, Jane Rose passed all the exams. The surgery lasted just 45 minutes. The next day, she stared at her new smile in the mirror, unable to take her eyes off it. Today, she shines in class, won a medal for being a diligent student, took part in a school competition, and has many friends. The same children who used to make fun of her now call her by her name. “I’m no longer ‘bungi’; I’m beautiful”, she says.
