Our next Comprehensive Cleft Care Workshop (CCCW) will be held in November 2025 in Cartagena, Colombia. This is a valuable opportunity for cleft care professionals to improve and advance their skills to ensure that more children born with cleft will receive this essential and lifesaving care. Currently, access to cleft care is extremely limited in underserved areas of Colombia and in South America.
Cleft is one of the most common birth defects in the world, occurring in approx. 1 in every 700 births globally. Without proper and timely care, children born with cleft face heightened risks of premature death, poor health outcomes, and poverty. In the Global South, there is a lack of skilled cleft care providers to treat the 250,000 patients born with cleft each year in these areas. The need for education and training in cleft care cannot be met through humanitarian outreach alone.
This project will provide scholarship funding for surgeons, dentists, nurses, speech therapists, and other providers in to attend the CCCW in Cartagena, Colombia to acquire the skills and knowledge they need to provide the best care to patients in their communities. During the 4-day, immersive workshop, attendees will learn from world leaders in the field, observe live surgery, and can participate in hands-on surgical simulations with one-on-one mentoring.
Investing in the training of cleft providers in South America will help build capacity for localized high-quality cleft care and reduce the reliance on humanitarian aid. Our workshop will enhance the delivery of comprehensive cleft care services, expand access to treatment for underserved populations, and ultimately improve outcomes for children with cleft lip and palate in the region.
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