Rebuilding faces, changing lives in Ethiopia

Situation

Facial disfigurements and cleft lip and palate cause a multitude of developmental issues and social stigma, often preventing children attending school and being part of their community. Affected children suffer pain, discomfort, and issues with eating and speech. Treatment is out of reach both financially and geographically for those living in rural, disadvantaged areas of Ethiopia. Covid and local conflict have also impacted these communities.

Solution

Project Harar provides life-changing, and often life-saving, access to surgery and treatment for those living with cleft lip and palate and more complex facial disfigurements. Our approach is community-based health outreach, which covers identification, awareness raising and tackling health misinformation. We aim to deliver comprehensive treatment to hundreds of children that have been identified across the country as needing urgent treatment and surgery for complex or cleft conditions.