Physical Health Lebanon Project #47995

Provide Cleft Care for 10 Children in Lebanon

by Global Smile Foundation

Provide Cleft Care for 10 Children in Lebanon

Summary

In 2023, GSF will be in Lebanon twice to provide comprehensive cleft care for underserved children with cleft lip/palate (April & November). More babies are born with cleft in this region than almost anywhere else in the world. All care is provided free of charge so that our patients can overcome the tremendous burden of living with untreated cleft, including social stigma, poor health, malnutrition, & poverty. Funds will help provide medicines, surgical care, and COVID-19 testing.

$15,000
total goal

$8,295
remaining

31
donors

2
monthly donors

2
years

Challenge

Access to specialized cleft care in the Levant region is limited and many families have no way of getting their children the help they need. Without treatment, children born with cleft must live with a physical disability and often experience difficulty feeding properly, suffer poor physical health, and are bullied in their communities. These consequences are devastating for families living at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum, including the millions of refugees in Lebanon.

Solution

This project will fund free comprehensive cleft care to 10 of the patients we will care for in 2023. Our GSF and GSF-MENA teams will provide life-changing reconstructive surgery, nutrition/feeding assistance, speech therapy, and dental care. Our patients will receive the care they need to help them overcome the negative impacts of living with a physical disability and be able to grow and thrive.

Long-Term Impact

Comprehensive cleft care transforms the lives children born with cleft and gives them a new chance at full, productive lives. Our patients are able to thrive, 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 and social support. GSF will share patient stories and photos via GlobalGiving about the life-changing care that your generosity makes possible through this Fund.