Help a Child Smile, Change a Life

Hundaol is a one-year-old from the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Hundaol was born with a cleft lip which for his family, was an unexpected and deeply distressing experience. Hundaol, has two older brothers who were both born without any congenital birth defects. ‘I did not understand what was happening to my child. I cried every day and felt completely alone’ Hundaol’s mother told us.

Hundaol was unable to suckle, making feeding extremely difficult. As a result, he became severely undernourished and underweight during his first weeks of life.His mother feared for his surival, and due to stigma and lack of information, initially kept him hidden from the community.

‘I was afraid people would judge my baby. I thought I was the only mother facing this.’

A critical turning point came when Hundaol and his mother travelled to their local health centre for routine immunisation when Hundaol was just two months old. A midwife trained by Project Harar identified the condition and immediately enrolled the child for support.

Through this programme, Hundaol received formula and a specialised feeding bottle designed for babies with cleft conditions, along with practical feeding guidance and close follow-up. Hundaol began to gain weight steadily and his overall health improved. By four months of age, he was strong enough to safely undergo cleft lip surgery.

'For the first time, my baby was able to feed without suffering. I felt hope returning. When I saw him after surgery, I believed my son would live.’ - Hundaol's Mother.

Mahir visited our programme at Selam general hospital in June this year and this was his third visit to one of our programmes.We first met Mahir in August 2024 where he arrived with his mother seeking surgery for his cleft lip. However, he was unable to undergo treatment because he was underweight and malnourished.

This nutrition programme greatly helped Mahir meaning he was able to return in November 2024 for the surgery on his cleft lip.

Mahir’s mother told us;‘I heard that a few people in our community had cleft cases and received treatment through Project Harar.They were cured successfully.We have no history of such a condition in our family, but it appeared in my son, Mahir.We tried to get treatment for him many times, but it was difficult due to a lack of money. However, I received information from others who had been treated by Project Harar.’

“After he received cleft lip treatment, I started to participate in social life,going everywhere without any fear. Previously, we weren’t going to the Masjid with Mahir,and now I can thank Project Harar from the bottom of my heart that he could get treatment and be freed from the cleft. I am so grateful to Project Harar and want to thank them for all the work they do. Everything about this treatment for my son has been fantastic from the nutritional support, surgery, and follow-up support.He has made such good progress."

Links:

• Project Harar Website