WHY CLEFT LIP AND CLEFT PALATE?
What Is Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate?
More than 200,00 children are born with cleft lip and cleft palate each year. This condition threatens the life, livelihood, and happiness of the child. These birth defects occur when the lip and mouth do not form properly during pregnancy, approximately during the ninth week. This causes the roof of the mouth or the lips to improperly join together, leaving a hole or a cleft.
The causes of cleft lip and cleft palate are unknown. While some evidence suggests that there is a genetic link, other evidence points to environmental factors experienced during the pregnancy. This can include improper nutrition, medication, or smoking.
Children born with these defects face many disadvantages, such as feeding and getting proper nutrition, which can lead to many other health problems. When the roof of the mouth is not closed properly, it can lead to constant upper respiratory tract and sinus infections. They can also have difficulties speaking properly. All of this can lead to self-esteem issues. Sadly many of these children are kept out of school because of perception of the defect preventing them from receiving a proper education and limiting their opportunities.
History
Mending Faces was founded in 2010 by a passionate, highly experienced group of medical professionals and others to make a life-changing difference for children born with facial deformities.
Since 2010 we have performed hundreds of life-changing surgeries!
Why The Philippines, El Salvador and THE DOMINICAN rePUBLIC?
Recent studies show higher rates in these countries than in the United States and other developed countries. One in every five hundred births in the Philippines has a cleft lip and/or cleft palate. In the United States, the surgery to repair a cleft lip costs $10,000, and to repair a cleft palate costs $15,000. With the generous donation of their time and skill, our team of medical professionals are able to perform these procedures for only $250.
