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One in every 700 babies are born with a cleft lip or cleft palate worldwide
Every 3 minutes, a child is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate and may suffer from difficulty with feeding, speech, social stigma and isolation from their communities.
For many children born with a cleft lip or cleft palate in the developing world access to treatment is not available or too expensive. These children grow up unable to eat or speak properly, unable to attend school, or play an active role in their community.
In the UK, the NHS provides timely and effective treatment from the age of 3 months. Operation Smile works to provide the same excellent standard of care in some of the world’s poorest places, so children do not have to face the pain and isolation living with an unrepaired cleft.
By supporting Operation Smile, you will help us provide more children with the treatment they desperately need today, as well as train and upskill local medical professionals so that they can continue to provide the same care for the babies that will be born tomorrow.