Our volunteer team will be in Ecuador in March 2023 to provide free care for patients living with the tremendous burden of untreated cleft including social stigma, poor health, malnutrition, & poverty. Cleft surgery is the first step for our patients to have healthy lives & access education, employment, & financial stability. Funds will help provide medicines, surgical care, & COVID-19 testing for 5 of the 50 patients scheduled for the trip. Every dollar donated will make a difference!
Cleft is one of the most common birth defects in the world, but in resource-limited areas of Ecuador children born with cleft have no way of getting the care they urgently need. Living with a physical disability like untreated cleft lip/palate can be devastating: infants have higher mortality rates, children are hidden at home due to bullying, & families struggle financially. Because of the pandemic, there is a long backlog of patients who need care in addition to new babies born with cleft.
This project will enable the GSF team of volunteer surgeons & other medical professionals to provide free comprehensive cleft care to patients in March 2023, including surgical procedures for at least 5 of 50 patients & feeding assistance for parents of infants born with cleft. Our patients will receive the care they need to help them overcome the negative effects of living with a physical disability & be able to grow and thrive. Donations have an immediate & direct impact to help our patients.
Comprehensive cleft care transforms the lives children born with cleft and gives them a new chance at full, productive lives. Our patients have better health, can attend school, and integrate into their communities. Without the burden of caring for a child isolated at home, their families are better able to gain financial stability & find social support. GSF will share patient stories & photos via GlobalGiving about the life-changing care that your generosity makes possible through this project.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
