The Smile Train

On Wednesday, I was privileged to watch cleft lip and palate surgery by the hospital's plastic surgeon who is heavily involved in work for The Smile Train charity.  Meeting Dr Sood was inspirational.  Not only was his work delicate and amazing, his passion for the charity work he has undertaken, was inspiring.

A cleft lip and cleft palate is a congenital abnormality caused by abnormal facial development.  A 'cleft' means a 'gap', and causes non fusion of structures that are formed in the mother's womb.  Approximately 1 in 700 children are born with either a cleft lip or palate.  There are lots of different variations in location and severity of clefts.  These deformities are not just an aesthetic annoyance.  Secondary effects include speech articulation errors and mispronunciations  impact on their self confidence and can cause social anxiety.  Other complications cause trouble feeding and so malnutrition is common in these children.

Many children all round the world, with clefts, go untreated because the family is too poor to afford treatment.  Smile Train aims to provide children born with a cleft, the same opportunities in life as a child born without a cleft.  This involves offering completely free cleft surgery, with comprehensive rehabilitation including speech therapy, general dentistry and orthodontics.

Children from all over Delhi, and surrounding villages and slums are brought to Sant Parmanand Hospital for this fantastic charity work.  In fact, on Wednesday I will be lucky enough to visit the slums to find children who will benefit from these services.

What an amazing cause :)