Children with cleft lip and palate suffer from malnutrition, speech and hearing problems, stigma and discrimination. They are bullied due to their appearance and most do not go to school or make friends. In addition, our beneficiaries are located in extremely isolated areas of Ethiopia with little or no access to healthcare, surgery or support. Without Project Harar their lives would be bleak and they would live in isolation with compromised physical and mental wellbeing.

We identify and mobilise patients providing them with access to surgery from some of the most remote regions. We provide advice on diet and feeding to mothers with cleft babies to support their children as they grow, preventing long-term malnutrition. We provide patients with speech and language therapy enabling them to communicate properly - some for the first time. We train health workers to change the negative community perceptions of cleft and to help children reintegrate socially.