Help a Child Smile, Change a Life

Abdurazak, pictured to the left with her mother, is enrolled in our Early Intervention programme. She has a twin sister, and they were born at their local health centre where the midwife identified Abdurazak’s cleft condition at birth.

Abdurazak’s mother shared her thoughts with us. ‘This was very shocking for me because before this, I had heard people say that a child born with cleft could be a curse. When I first saw my baby, those words came to my mind and I started to look back at myself and wonder if I had done something wrong. It was a very painful and confusing time for me as a mother.’

When Abdurazak was born in February, she weighed just 1.8 kilograms (just under 4 pounds) and it was unlikely that she would survive had the midwife not been trained to identify cleft conditions.

As such, when Abdurazak was born, the cleft-trained midwife provided her mother with guidance on feeding her, fortified milk powder, and a specialist cleft feeding bottle.

In March 2026, when Abdurazak and her mother returned for a check-up, Abdurazak's condition had improved greatly. During the check-up she was weighed, and she had nearly doubled in weight, now at 3 kilograms. Abdurazak and her mother returned home with more fortified milk powder so that she could continue growing before receiving cleft surgery. 

Abdurazak's mother went on to tell us, "I am very grateful for the support we received. It has given my baby a chance to grow and a hope for a healthy future."

Hundaol is a one-year-old from the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Hundaol was born with a cleft lip which for his family, was an unexpected and deeply distressing experience. Hundaol, has two older brothers who were both born without any congenital birth defects. ‘I did not understand what was happening to my child. I cried every day and felt completely alone’ Hundaol’s mother told us.

Hundaol was unable to suckle, making feeding extremely difficult. As a result, he became severely undernourished and underweight during his first weeks of life.His mother feared for his surival, and due to stigma and lack of information, initially kept him hidden from the community.

‘I was afraid people would judge my baby. I thought I was the only mother facing this.’

A critical turning point came when Hundaol and his mother travelled to their local health centre for routine immunisation when Hundaol was just two months old. A midwife trained by Project Harar identified the condition and immediately enrolled the child for support.

Through this programme, Hundaol received formula and a specialised feeding bottle designed for babies with cleft conditions, along with practical feeding guidance and close follow-up. Hundaol began to gain weight steadily and his overall health improved. By four months of age, he was strong enough to safely undergo cleft lip surgery.

'For the first time, my baby was able to feed without suffering. I felt hope returning. When I saw him after surgery, I believed my son would live.’ - Hundaol's Mother.