South America
Lima, Peru
Perú is a South American country known for its natural beauty and rich cultural origins. Yet poverty and inequality persists, especially in rural areas.
With a highly uneven distribution of health facilities, about 25% of Peruvians lack adequate access to healthcare.
Cleft Lip and Palate
In Perú, cleft lip and palate occurs in 2 of every 1,000 live births. This is one of the highest rates on the continent. Over half of Peruvian children born with CLP live outside the capital city of Lima. Many of these children live in rural and impoverished areas, with few medical facilities.
Armonizar
Since 2003, Transforming Faces Worldwide has been supporting reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation for CLP through our local partner organization, Armonizar. Founded in 1997 by members of the Christian Life Movement, Armonizar is a Peruvian non-profit organization supported by a local team of volunteer medical professionals. Armonizar is the first organization in Perú dedicated to the comprehensive treatment of children with cleft lip/palate.
Armonizar is committed to comprehensive cleft rehabilitation including:
- Speech and language therapy
- Dental and orthodontic care
- Physical therapy
- Ear, nose and throat services
- Paediatrics
- Nutrition
- Genetic counselling
- Psychology
Results
To date, over 1100 children have received cleft treatment through the TFW-Armonizar partnership. In addition to supporting the above rehabilitation services, TFW supports travel expenses for patients outside of Lima. Children from all over the country, including the depths of the Peruvian jungle, travel to Armonizar to receive free surgery.
In order to foster local capacity building, TFW supports training and each year for the project's 48 local professionals and volunteers. Armonizar, in turn, raises over US $26,000 annually as their local contribution to the project.
Armonizar has also organized an International Cleft Congress to allow Peruvian and other South American professionals to share their expertise. As a result, local and international internship programs have also been developed with prestigious Peruvian and Canadian universities.
Latest Update: Chincha
Armonizar's operations have expanded to other Peruvian cities, including Piura, Trujillo and Chincha. In 2007, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of Perú, causing almost 600 deaths and major destruction in the city of Chincha.
The Armonizar clinic in Chincha, which provides rehabilitation services for 104 children with CLP and other disabilities, was severely damaged. Many local families were left without shelter and basic necessities. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, TFW provided funds to rebuild the clinic's roof, and to attend to the basic needs of those families involved with the project.
Tucumán, Argentina
Since 2002, TFW has supported cleft lip and palate treatment in San Miguel de Tucumán, a northern city on the slopes of Argentina's Aconquija Mountains (See map). Over 350 children in Argentina have received cleft surgery and rehabilitation to date.
Local partner GAVINA is the only centre in Northern Argentina providing multidisciplinary cleft rehabilitation.
GAVINA was founded to serve Tucumán and neighbouring provinces where the most acute poverty levels are found in Argentina. GAVINA provides the following services to children in need:
- Reconstructive Surgery in cooperation with Tucumán's Hospital for Sick Children;
- Speech therapy;
- Dental work;
- Orthodontics;
- Nutritional advice,
- Psychological support;
- Counselling to family members;
- Monitoring visits from GAVINA's social worker.
Latest News:
In the next 3 years, over 200 children from Northern Argentina will receive surgery and rehabilitation for cleft lip and palate through the TFW/GAVINA project.
In 2007, an alliance was formed with the local Maternity Hospital to open a special breastfeeding clinic for mothers with children with cleft lip and palate. Often, new mothers experience stress after giving birth to a child with cleft lip and palate, and they need guidance to ensure proper feeding and bonding.
TFW also provides training for local doctors and specialists. In cooperation with Chile's Fundacion Ganz, GAVINA's plastic surgeons will travel to Santiago to receive training on the latest surgical techniques.
