Our November Cleft Programme: Harar

30th November 2021 

Mid way through November we were able to deliver a successful cleft programme in Harar —  the charities birth place, in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Of the 45 children who were taken to hospital for treatment, 37 were able to receive surgery for their cleft lip or palate. Of the eight children who were not able to receive surgery, five were not healthy enough to receive safe surgery, either because they were presenting early signs of malnutrition, or because their blood pressure was too low. Three children were not old enough to receive surgery.

Project Harar provided the children who were not healthy enough with targeted nutritional support packages and specialist advice, to encourage healthy weight gain. Our programme team will check in our their progress through connecting with their local health authority or health extension workers who operate in their area, so that when they are healthy enough, they can receive cleft surgery. 

“When my daughter was first born I was scared to take her outside because the community would fear her. Now she is treated I can’t express my happiness, it is too much — and in the future I will send her to school so she can get education.”