Comprehensive aid for cleft children

The German Cleft Children’s Aid Society was founded in the autumn of 2002 and promotes the comprehensive treatment of children with cleft lips and palates on a worldwide scale. The society helps to establish the worldwide standards for the treatment of children with cleft lip and palate, like collaboration of pediatrician, ENT specialists, dentists and orthodontists, functional (speech) therapy - depending on local circumstances. Today the non-profit organisation is operational in India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cameroon, Rwanda, Peru, Bolivia, Afghanistan and (in individual cases) in China.

The number of children we could help has grown continuously over the last years. In 2009 3,225 operations were financed, in 2010 and 2011 that number grew to 3,500. Financial help is also provided for educational work and - if already existent in the country - the financing of orthodontics and speech therapy is made possible as well. In the cases where these types of treatment are not available we are actively supporting their development. We cooperate with the local supporting organisations which in some cases we helped to establish. Our explicit objective is to help others help themselves, which means the local founding and developing of centres of excellence and supporting structures that can be run by local personnel.

Our high-quality and sustainable local aid includes:

• Primary surgery (closure of the cleft lips, the hard and soft palates)
• Secondary surgery and corrections
• Non-surgical efforts such as orthodontics, ENT-treatment, speech therapy and myofunctional therapy
• Educational and information work on location
• Training and advanced education of local physicians, therapists and social workers
• Support in the development of local organisations and supporting structures
• Networking our project partners beyond the boundaries of countries and beliefs