The duo is set to fly to India in two days, just after completing four days of training at SDSU, which this week hosted Operation Smile, a Virginia-based charity that provides emergency care in disadvantaged areas around the globe.

LAURA EMBRY / Union-Tribune Sukhmani Gill practiced yoga during training presented by Operation Smile, a charity that provides emergency care in disadvantaged areas around the globe.

Teens and a handful of adult volunteers from all over the United States and as far away as Paraguay and Ireland settled on campus this week to prepare for assignments that could take them to Africa, Asia and Central and South America as aides on medical expeditions.

The charity's name comes from its primary mission, to offer free surgeries to children who suffer from cleft palates and other facial deformities. Yet the group also provides the poor with education and advice on how to improve their health care.

The 47 volunteers, who will be entrusted with giving those lessons, learned the basics at SDSU – proper nutrition, clean water, emergency dehydration relief and burn care – along with tips that can help them along the way.

For instance, bringing their own toilet paper. And stuffing their suitcases with toy cars and stickers to break the ice – and the language barrier – with youngsters facing examinations or surgeries.

The culture shock can be substantial, said K. Wade Hooton, who directs Operation Smile's student programs. Part of the training workshop is devoted to warnings about possible conditions on upcoming trips, including the lack of warm water and the prospect of flea-ridden beds.

“You gotta get over that to be prepared to serve,” said Hooton, a veteran of seven missions.

Charleen Pham, 17, of Mission Viejo, said she is ready.

“For a few weeks, I can get used to it, for a chance to change someone else's life,” said Pham, a high school senior.

The 26-year-old charity, which provided operations for more than 9,200 children last year, selected the volunteers based on their participation in school clubs affiliated with Operation Smile. Pham's, for instance, hosts restaurant fundraisers to support the group.

Others, like Boyajian, 18, of Bethesda, Md., and Nebeker, 17, of Salt Lake City, have closer connections to the organization. Boyajian's father, a plastic surgeon, has treated children on five missions. Nebeker's father raises money for the group.

They did not know each other before meeting in San Diego, but will be paired for the trip to Hyderabad, located about 400 miles outside Mumbai.

One lesson this week focused on water and dehydration. A nurse stressed the importance of clean water and taught the group how to create restorative liquids out of clean water, salt, baking soda and sugar.

In effect, the concoction is a makeshift form of Pedialyte, a brand of electrolyte drink given to ailing children. For the poverty-stricken, such a drink is a luxury. Learning how to make it from available resources can be a lifesaver.

“I didn't realize it's so simple to become hydrated,” Nebeker said.

A classmate, Staci Drangmeister, 17, of Albuquerque, N.M., said she wanted to be associated with Operation Smile because the group trusts her to take on major responsibilities. “Lots of other organizations don't have that same commitment to young people,” she said.

“Going anywhere will be an amazing experience,” said Drangmeister, another senior, “and knowing just that wherever I'll go, I'll be able to help.”

Jennifer Vigil: (619) 718-5069; jennifer.vigil@uniontrib.com