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.

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.

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.

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.

Dr. Sáenz meeting with a patient a local ENT clinic

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.