OUR PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS
Project Harar is incredibly grateful and proud to be able to collaborate with a diverse range of partners in our goal to provide the best care for children with cleft lip and palate. Through these valuable partnerships, we are able to embrace their expertise, resources, and support to ensure comprehensive and transformative treatment for these children. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partners for their dedication and commitment, as together we make a significant impact on the lives of these children, empowering them to thrive and embrace a brighter future.
CIRCLE OF CLEFT
Project Harar is very proud to be one of the founding members of The Circle of Cleft, working towards a common goal of transforming the lives of individuals affected by cleft lip and palate in Ethiopia. The Circle of cleft is a worldwide network of cleft professionals and cleft charity leaders, who are promoting Comprehensive Cleft Care (CCC) in resource-constrained contexts.
This includes access to specialised medical treatments, surgical interventions, and ongoing rehabilitation services. Additionally, raising awareness about cleft conditions, promoting understanding and acceptance in society. The Circle of Cleft professionals also work towards empowering individuals and their families by offering guidance, counseling, and community-building initiatives. Lastly, they are committed to advocating for improved healthcare policies and resources, ensuring that individuals with cleft conditions receive the highest quality of care.
The Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Project Harar maintains a close relationship with the Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, benefiting from their expertise and collaborative efforts. Through this partnership, Project Harar can access a network of skilled craniofacial surgeons, researchers, and healthcare professionals who contribute to the organisation's mission of providing comprehensive care to individuals with facial disfigurements in Ethiopia. The Craniofacial Society's support and guidance greatly enhance Project Harar's ability to deliver high-quality surgical interventions, rehabilitation services, and long-term care, ultimately improving the lives of those affected by craniofacial conditions in Ethiopia.
Face Equality International
Project Harar are a proud member of Face Equality International. Face Equality International is an alliance of over 30 NGO'S (Non-Governmental Organisations) ,charities and support groups. The mission of the alliance is to mobilise the many groups and organisations, big and small, national and international, which support and represent people with facial differences and disfigurements. The alliance aims to create the critical mass and solidarity needed to gain global attention for the campaign for face equality.
We have previously run programmes with:
Comic Relief
In 2017, Project Harar received a 3-year grant of £113,000 from Comic Relief for a cleft and nutrition programme in the far north-western region of Afar. We plan to recruit 480 children for cleft surgery or nutritional support, and provide their mothers with education about diet and feeding for a child with cleft. We will also train 350 health workers on all aspects of cleft and complex facial conditions so that they are able to assist with recruitment and referral.
Smile Train
Smile Train has been a long-term and much valued partner of Project Harar. All of the surgeons who operate on patients with a cleft lip and palate, who have been identified for access to surgery by Project Harar, work in Smile Train accredited hospitals and have received training from Smile Train.
DFID
We were fortunate in 2014 to receive funding of £200,000 over 3 years for a cleft programme in the remote Somali region of Ethiopia. Despite the challenges of distance and drought, we were able to treat 540 young people for cleft and train 150 health workers in the identification of cleft and referral to Project Harar for surgery.
2020 Update: As a result of the sustainability of this programme, 50 young patients have been identified and referred to Project Harar for treatment for cleft lip and palate.
Transforming Faces
Transforming Faces works across the world to give children access to cleft lip and palate surgery and comprehensive cleft care. We worked in partnership with them on a programme for community-based speech therapy delivery to patients in rural parts of the country.
Our Medical Partners:
Yekatit-12 Hospital, Addis Ababa
Project Harar has collaborated for many years with Yekatit-12 Hospital, one of the leading public hospitals in Addis Ababa and a key partner in providing cleft surgery for Project Harar’s patients. Each year during our 2-week complex surgical mission, UK, international and Ethiopian medical staff work together at Yekatit-12 to provide surgery to patients with complex facial conditions.