BHS student, senior Nikki Norberg is headed to Peru on August 3 to volunteer with the Smile Network.
The Smile Network is a Minnesota based organization that travels around the world to help children obtain surgeries for birth defects. They focus on cleft lip, which is separation of the left and right side of the upper lip. The surgeries cost about $500 each, but through the Smile Network, volunteers and donations allow the surgeries to be free to the children who need them.
“I wanted to do something like this after graduating. I’ve been bringing it up to my dad for years and he finally said that I could. He knows people who have done this, so he thought it would be a good idea to do it with them,” Norberg states.
Norberg won’t just be flying to Peru hospitals right away, she has to go through a lot before going.
“I’ve been exercising every day to get into shape because when I’m there I’ll be walking about 15 miles each day. We hike the Inca trail for four days and end up in Machu Picchu volunteering in hospitals [for 13 days]. But one thing I’m most nervous about is getting the shots to go there.”
