Tai Shinde, India
Tai Shinde was identified with a cleft lip and palate at birth. She was small, malnourished and irritable as a result of her condition. She could not feed properly and the milk was often regurgitated from her mouth and nose due to the cleft palate.
Tai comes from a nomadic family in India, and her parents earn their living as they move from one place to another. However, her family was convinced by the local CLP team to remain in Jamkhed, for the treatment of their child’s cleft lip and palate.
Tai was admitted to the hospital at Jamkhed to provide her with adequate nutrition so that she would gain sufficient weight for the surgeon to perform the initial cleft lip operation. She was 5 months old when her cleft lip was repaired.
Tai is now 4 years old and attends a childcare program run by CRHP for nomadic pre-school children. She receives two nutritious meals per day, and is stimulated by the activities in the pre-school childcare centre. Tai enjoys playing with other children and is accepted by others. Tai’s parents are very proud of her, and grateful that she will grow up to be a beautiful and confident young woman. Her story will continue and is an example of a life transformed by the initiative of the Society for Comprehensive Rural Health Projects and Transforming Faces Worldwide.
