Every year the German Cleft Children’s Aid Society enables the surgery of some 170 cleft children in Cameroon. Since 2004 the numerous training and surgical activities are supervised by Prof. Dr. Frank Feyerherd and Prof. Dr. Dr. Götz Ehmann, both of whom are members of the board. With their support it was possible to open a permanent contact point with excellent technical equipment in the “Hôpital Protestant de Ngaoundéré” in Ngaoundéré, which lies in the northern part of the county. It is supported by the Protestant Church of Cameroon, the l’Eglise Evangélique Luthérienne au Cameroun EELC.

In Douala-Bonabéri, which lies in the south-western part of the country, the treatment of cleft children is independently ensured by a surgeon who received his trained through us. Dr. Etienne Nguidjoi learned the specialist surgical treatment of cleft lips and palates from experienced German and Swiss surgeons and has also been trained in our Indian centres. He is a guarantor for quality and careful treatment of cleft children in the southern part of Cameroon. As he himself is from the region of Douala he succeeds in winning the trust of the parents towards surgery in a special way.

The aid of cleft children in Cameroon has reached a high sustainability thanks to our commitment. The growing network in the country helps us to find children with cleft lips and palates and to educate the parents about possibilities of treatment. But a lot remains to be done in regard to the aftercare.

Join us in our help

In Cameroon, a country which stretches over a distance of 2,000 kilometres, it is of urgent necessity to train additional cleft surgeons besides establishing the third centre for surgery in Pettè. We need more donations in order to be able to provide aftercare such as orthodontics and speech therapy. Join us in our help to train physicians from Cameroon so that they can independently treat the cleft children in their own country in a sustainable manner.