Reaching more young patients than ever before

Having found Sebotu aged 1 (left), we’re able to give her the best possible start in life! That’s because early intervention is vital for children born with a cleft lip or palate; especially to prevent dental problems, ear disease and to aid speech development.

Unlike in the Western developed world, most Ethiopians are not born in hospitals and live far away from medical centres. Our challenge is to find even more young patients that are aged between 10 months and 4 years who live in the most rural areas of Ethiopia. 2011 saw us reach this particular goal more successfully than ever before, increasing the percentage of children that we reached from 28% to 33% of our total patients.