An NYPD officer from Crown Heights volunteered for a medical mission to help children in Peru.

When Capt. Alison Esposito of the 77th Precinct volunteered for the mission, there was only one main objective -- make kids smile.

Through a program called 'Smile Network International,' Esposito assisted medical doctors in Peru in 2015 who performed reconstructive surgery on children suffering from cleft lip.

The program works to give children who suffer from the birth defect a chance to thrive.

Esposito says many children born with the defect are shunned from their communities because people believe the children are cursed. 

She says now she is using her voice to raise awareness about the defect.