Smile Ethiopia
A cleft palate and a split lip are caused by abnormal facial development during pregnancy. In the case of a cleft lip, the skin tissue fails to fuse fully leaving the mouth exposed. With cleft palates, the two plates of the skull which form the roof of the mouth do not join, leaving a gap.
In the UK, split lips and cleft palates are easily repaired - usually during infancy. In Ethiopia, this is often not the case. The lack of adequate healthcare facilities means that many people go their whole lives without surgery to correct this condition.
There are many health risks associated with this clefting including painful mouth and ear infections, possible deafness and severe malnutrition due to the difficulty of eating. Furthermore, split lips and cleft palates carry a heavy social stigma in Ethiopia where physical disabilities or deformities are often seen as a curse from God. Many affected children also develop severe speech difficulties and very few will attend school.
In 2005 and 2006, Ethiopiaid funded missions for volunteer groups of expert surgeons, dentists and nurses to visit Ethiopia and perform surgery on children with facial deformities. Both missions took place at the Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa and the service was free of charge to all beneficiaries. The medical volunteers also took time to train local staff in the techniques used so that they can ensure their knowledge is passed on.
In 2006 alone, 157 children had their facial deformities corrected because of Ethiopiaid. The operation needed to repair a split lip or cleft palate takes only 45 minutes and costs little more than £150 per patient. So many more children's lives can be changed – but please remember we can only do this with your help.