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  • cleft-lip-and-palate-ph
  1. Home
  2. Cleft Lip and Palate

Cleft Lip and Palate

One child in every 700 worldwide is born with a cleft lip or palate. Cleft lip and palate is a complex developmental problem in babies where the upper lip or palate (roof of the mouth) is not correctly joined. A cleft lip creates a opening in the upper lip between the mouth and nose, and looks like there is a split in the lip. A cleft palate creates an opening in the palate - the roof of your mouth. 

infants born with cleft conditions can become severely malnourished as they are unable to suckle and may be prone to choking. Left untreated, a child with a cleft condition may not learn to speak properly, can suffer hearing problems and continue to struggle with adequate nutritional intake. 

As well as the daily communication and physical difficulties, cleft children can confront great social stigma. Many individuals with a facial difference are often ostracised by their communities, and can even be denied their right to a school place, or forced to drop out of school due to bullying. 

infants who are born with a cleft condition in the UK are operated on soon after birth, but in most of Ethiopia this does not occur. Although treatment is freely available in some hospitals, the communities we work with are either unaware of the treatment or cannot access it due to distance and cost. 

Project Harar has provided access to surgery for more than 9,500 children and young people with cleft lip and palate since it was founded. In order to expand our reach, we have trained 9,500 government health and social workers, building their capacity to identify and refer patients to Project Harar.

Project Harar is committed to providing comprehensive and sustainable cleft care in Ethiopia, you can read about this in more detail by selecting the options below.

Nutrition

Nutrition

Nutrition is a vital part of cleft care. A cleft lip and palate can make feeding for infants extremely difficult, this is often combined with food insecurity which affects rural and disadvantaged areas of Ethiopia. Read more

Published: 27th January, 2022

Author: Rose Edwards

Stories from our Cleft Programme

Stories from our Cleft Programme

A film about families who had travelled from remote areas of Ethiopia to access treatment for cleft lip and palate. This is our first ever film about our cleft programme, filmed in February 2020 Read more

Published: 4th May, 2021

Updated: 31st March, 2022

Author: Rose Edwards

Our Cleft Programme During Covid

Our Cleft Programme During Covid

Read about the adaptations to our Cleft Programme and the new safety measures we have implemented Read more

Published: 20th October, 2020

Author: Rose Edwards

Comprehensive Cleft Care

Comprehensive Cleft Care

Our commitment to comprehensive cleft care in Ethiopia Read more

Published: 24th September, 2020

Updated: 12th May, 2022

Author: Rose Edwards

About Our Cleft Work

About Our Cleft Work

A short film about our cleft and outreach programme Read more

Published: 19th August, 2020

Updated: 24th September, 2020

Author: Rose Edwards

Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and language therapy is a vital component of our cleft work. Read more about what we do. Read more

Published: 2nd January, 2018

Updated: 21st July, 2021

Author: Emily Eldred

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Showing 10 of 6

Latest

  • Selam and her mother recount their cleft treatment journey with Project Harar

    Selam and her mother recount their cleft treatment journey with Project Harar

    In June 2022, Project Harar conducted a surgical treatment program in Debre-Tabor, with one of our partnering hospitals Debre-Tabor Hospital. We had the chance to interview Selam and her mother Thehay about their journey from when Selam was born with cleft lip and palate, to now receiving treatment at 4 years old.

  • Project Harar provides Speech Therapy consultations for children as part of comprehensive cleft care

    Project Harar provides Speech Therapy consultations for children as part of comprehensive cleft care

    Project Harar, collaborating with Transforming Faces, has been at the start of speech therapy consultations in Ethiopia. In 2019 the very first cohort of medical professionals who trained and graduated to provide speech and language therapy in Ethiopia.

  • Over 30 families access cleft treatment in Debre Tabor

    Over 30 families access cleft treatment in Debre Tabor

    Project Harar continues to provide access to treatment for children with cleft lip and palate, this time in Debre-Tabor. It is absolutely vital that we can continue to provide these services, as environmental and political issues gain momentum in Ethiopia, it is increasingly more difficult for families to seek cleft treatment. We are partnered with the Debre-Tabor Hospital, and in May we were able to treat over 30 families who came from different towns in the Amhara region.

  • Kassahun receives access to cleft surgery at Kadisco Hospital

    Kassahun receives access to cleft surgery at Kadisco Hospital

    During our recent programme at the Kadisco hospital in Addis Ababa, 6 month old Kassahun and his family accessed surgical treatment for his cleft lip and palate through Project Harar's services. After an 11 hour journey to the Kadisco hospital, they recount their story to our team.

Most read

  • Our Founder's Story

    Our Founder's Story

    Read about our Founder, Jonathan Crown.

  • Volunteering Opportunities: Medical Professionals

    Volunteering Opportunities: Medical Professionals

    Find out about volunteering opportunities with Project Harar if you are a medical professional.

  • Ethiopia

    Ethiopia

    We work across 5 regions of Ethiopia.

  • Nutrition in Ethiopia: Teff

    Nutrition in Ethiopia: Teff

    First up in our blog series on nutrition in Ethiopia: Teff, what is it? What can you make from it? And what is it's nutritional value...

  • Our November Gala Dinner 2018

    Our November Gala Dinner 2018

    Join us for our annual Gala Dinner on Saturday 24th November!

  • Our UK and Ethiopian Team

    Our UK and Ethiopian Team

    Meet our team in Ethiopia and the UK

  • Our Partners

    Our Partners

  • Our Impact

    Our Impact

    We have provided access to treatment for more than 8,000 patients with cleft and complex facial disfigurements since we were founded in 2001. Read more about the impact of our work.

  • Cleft Lip and Palate

    Cleft Lip and Palate

    We provide access to treatment for children and young adults with cleft lip and palate throughout the year in Ethiopia.

  • Complex Facial Disfigurement

    Complex Facial Disfigurement

    Read about complex facial disfigurements and how it effects people in rural areas of Ethiopia.

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Call us on 020 7794 4856
Project Harar is a charity registered in England and Wales (1094272) and in Ethiopia (2873).
Project Harar is a member of the Institute of Fundraising and the Fundraising Regulator.