Providing cleft lip and palate treatment to children across Ethiopia
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1 in 7 babies who arrive at Project Harar are too malnourished to have surgery. Many newborns with cleft conditions can’t breastfeed properly as they struggle to latch or swallow. Mothers are left frightened and helpless as their babies lose weight.
EVERY CHILD DESERVES TO SMILE, DONATE TODAY TO CHANGE A LIFE.
Since 2001 Project Harar has worked in the poorest and most remote areas of Ethiopia to provide access to treatment for young patients with cleft lip and palate.
Children who live in remote areas of Ethiopia already experience food insecurities due to environmental, social and economic factors, these difficulties are heightened for those with cleft lip and palate and these children can become dangerously undernourished. Babies are often unable to suckle and may be prone to choking, making breastfeeding a near impossible task. Without corrective surgery, not only will these children face malnourishment, they often go on to struggle with further developmental barriers, such as speech and hearing difficulties.
Our cleft programme is delivered in Ethiopia by an Ethiopian Programme team who are experts in their field. In rural Ethiopia, children with cleft lip and palate are often hidden away by their families, unable to go to school or have friends. There is a lack of awareness that a cleft condition is treatable. Project Harar strives to break social stigma, working with community leaders and local health clinics to provide information and access to treatment for cleft lip and palate.
Be a part of a child’s smile journey
Children born with cleft lip and palates in Ethiopia, if not provided with treatment, face significant developmental risks, struggling to eat, breath, and go to school. Every child deserves to smile, donate today today to help change a life.
Due to the extra care needs for a child with cleft lip and palate, mothers often must stop working/education to look after the child. If the child does not receive treatment, it is unlikely they will attend school, meaning that the mother does not have access to the free childcare and respite that school provides. As a result, the mothers can become increasingly isolated from the community and society itself. Over the years we have spoken to many mothers of children who are receiving treatment, who explain that there are economic and social disadvantages due to the stigma of having a child with a cleft condition. By providing treatment to their children, mothers are also given a second chance to be active members of their community and to contribute financially to their families.
Reducing stigma for mothers
Our Stories
When you donate to Project Harar, you not only give a child a smile, you change their life and the lives of so many around them. Read some of our stories to see the personal impact that your kind donations have had on children with cleft conditions.
Our Impact
10,313
Ethiopian health and social workers trained in cleft management
since 2001.
504
Infants and children affected by cleft lip and palate have accessed treatment so far in 2025.
12,107
Infants, children and young people treated in Ethiopia with cleft or complex facial conditions since 2001.
Stay up-to-date with our organisation's activities, inspiring stories, and impactful initiatives in providing life-changing treatment and support for individuals with facial disfigurements in Ethiopia. Explore our journey of transformation, hope, and the power of compassion.
Read the remarkable stories and transformative impact we have achieved over the years. From our earliest initiatives, programmes we have run and heartwarming stories, witness the profound ways your support has changed lives for children and their families across Ethiopia.
Make a donation.
Change a life.
When you give a child a smile, you give them a second chance at a happy and hopeful future.
