Eba's story

"When Eba was first born I was scared, he couldn't breast feed from his mother and since I did not have a cow, I had to make a contract with someone in our village to get milk from theirs. I raised Eba like this until he was two years old, after that he could eat soft food. The other children in the village are afraid of him, they say it is a curse and they also make fun of him. He always comes home crying and asks if I can do anything. I always felt sad and I really tried my best to get him help but I didn't know where to go. He has not been able to attend school — no one can understand his speech apart from me.

When I heard that treatment was available and for free, I was happy beyond words. I am hopeful that now he will be able to attend school and make friends."

We met this father and son during our cleft programme in December 2021. The remote location that the family lived in — plus their financial circumstances had meant they were not able to seek a treatment option for their seven year old sons cleft lip and palate. Earlier on in 2021 a polio vaccination programme came to the families village and the health workers were able to put the family in contact with Project Harar.