Free Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery Appeal

Problem

Cleft lip and palate are birth defects and are the most common congenital facial deformities. A cleft is a fissure or opening—a gap. A cleft lip can be either unilateral or bilateral. With a unilateral cleft lip, the gap is only on one side of the lip under either the left or right nostril and might extend into the nose. Babies born with a bilateral cleft lip have a gap on both sides of the lip, and they may have a deep split in the lip that extends into both nostrils. A person with a cleft could have only a cleft palate, only a cleft lip, or both a cleft lip and a cleft palate.

Every year more than 170,000 children are born with clefts. Cleft lips and palates occur in approximately 1 per 500-700 births, the ratio varying considerably across geographic areas or ethnic groupings. Clefts occur more frequently among Asians (about 1:400) and certain American Indians than Europeans. Clefts are relatively less common among Africans and African Americans (about 1:1500). Cleft lip alone and cleft lip with a cleft palate occurs more often in boys, while cleft palate without a cleft lip occurs more often in girls.

(Source: World Health Organization International Collaborative Research on Craniofacial Anomalies)

• 170,000 children are born with clefts every year
• 1 in 700 children born have a cleft lip or cleft palate
• 10,000 babies are born with clefts in Pakistan every year
• 300,000 cleft lip and palate sufferers in Bangladesh
• 35,000 children in India are born with cleft every year
• 90% sufferers can't afford surgery

Causes

Cleft lips and palates are due to the non-fusion of the body's natural structures that form before birth. Generally, facial clefting results when medial, lateral, and maxillary nasal processes on either left, right or both sides of the forming craniofacial complex do not fuse completely. Suspected causes include genetic (inherited) and environmental factors (like maternal diseases due to certain medications or vitamin deficiencies).

Cursed and Isolated

Children with cleft lip and palate may have had to cope with bullying or teasing. Sufferers with cleft lip/palate are less likely than non-affected peers to marry. In Uganda babies with cleft are called Ajok which means “Cursed by God.” In many parts of the world babies with cleft are killed or abandoned right after birth.

Also, children with cleft lip and cleft palate also difficulties with eating, hearing loss, dental problems, such as cavities and missing or malformed teeth, speech and language delay.

How We Work

AMWT organises free plastic surgery camps for treatment of children born with cleft lip and palate once a year. Camps are arranged in the poorest parts of the world where the higher number of clef lip and palate cases are located. Such as Pakistan, Kashmir, Bangladesh, India, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda. Each camp carries out up to 50 surgeries. The surgeries are carried out at camps and complex cases are referred to the network of Al Mustafa medical centres or nearby private hospitals.

AMWT also organize seminars and public lectures for awareness of this issue. These events help to increase the interaction of cleft patients with the society and reduce their feelings of deprivation and isolation.

It Just Costs £150 to give Smile

£750.00 can provide cleft surgery for five children

£450.00 can provide cleft surgery for three children

£150.00 can provide cleft surgery for one child

£75.00 can help train a surgeon

£30.00 can cover costs for an overnight hospital stay

We will welcome any contribution