Smiles under threat as life-changing op shop faces closure

Registered nurses Tracey and Erin with cleft lip repair patient Richmond Tuguff, his mother Pearl Tuguff and former cleft lip patient Alfhel Santos. The charity has helped over 1000 babies and children over the years.

They’ve changed the lives of more than a thousand children – babies born with cleft lips and palates who, thanks to a team of dedicated Aussie volunteers, now have every reason to smile. But the future of this life-changing work is hanging in the balance.

Helping Children Smile, a small Nambour-based medical charity that has been sending surgical missions to the Philippines since 1996, is at risk of shutting down its biggest source of funding – its humble op shop – due to rising rents and tough economic headwinds.

Helping Children Smile Op Shop volunteers, from left, Georgie, Barbara and Joy. The local medical charity that has been sending medical missions to the Philippines since 1996.

“For some of these families, it’s the first time they’ve seen their child smile properly,” said volunteer manager and mission nurse Malika Burke. “To think we might not be able to keep doing that – it’s devastating.”

The charity needs to find a new premises before 29 September. After being forced out of its long-time home in Howard Street three years ago, it relocated to a smaller shop in Currie Street. But the current lease is now up for renewal — and the rent has jumped by $19,000, to $53,000 a year plus outgoings.

“Many people don’t realise that the advertised lease amount for a shop is just the base price,” said Ms Burke. “Added to that is the landlord’s outgoings, which adds around $10,000 to $15,000. Our rent is over $1000 a week, which is a struggle to cover while keeping prices affordable.”

Funding $50,000 medical missions

The Nambour op shop has been the charity’s main source of income, helping fund medical missions that cost around $50,000 each. Australian doctors and nurses travel with all necessary equipment and supplies, providing free cleft surgeries to children from remote and disadvantaged areas of the Philippines.

“Australian babies are fortunate to receive this surgery shortly after birth, at no cost to parents,” Ms Burke said. “But in the Philippines, many children miss out because their families can’t afford it. Parents and children travel many hours from remote regions to receive the free surgery by our wonderful Aussie team.”

Despite being staffed entirely by volunteers, the shop has only managed to net around $16,000 a year in recent years — well short of what’s needed to fund a full mission. The charity has been dipping into its reserves to bridge the gap.

“With higher rents, the rise of fast fashion and a cost-of-living crisis where people are more likely to sell unwanted items than donate them, it’s become much harder for op shops to raise money,” Ms Burke said.

“At this rate, we have funds for maybe three more missions,” she said. “If this important work is to continue, the charity needs a fairy godmother to help us find an affordable shop — or another source of funding. If anyone can help us find an affordable shop we’d really appreciate it.”

• To help find a new premises, for more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.helpingchildrensmile.org.au.