Project Report
| Mar 22, 2019
Our Cleft Work in the Afar Region
By Emily Eldred | Programme Officer
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Project Harar has been treating children with cleft lip and palate since 2001 – changing the lives of 8,000 people to date. We work across Ethiopia in most of the nine regional states. In 2017 we expanded our cleft programme to Afar, one of the poorest regions of Ethiopia.
Key facts abour the Afar region:
- One of the most geographically remote and economically marginalised areas in Africa
- 36.1% of the population live below the national poverty line
- A drought-prone region with very limited rainfall and high temperatures - one of the hottest places on earth
- 90% of the population are nomadic herders
Our 3-year project in Afar, supported by Comic Relief, provides outreach services for children with cleft, nutritional training and support for their mothers and referral to speech and language therapy. Our staff also train local health workers in identifying cleft, encouraging prompt referral into our services and helping to reduce the stigma associated with the condition.
We are pleased to have supported our cleft patients with the following outcomes:
- Life-changing surgery or rehabilitation services and referral support
- Nutritional support before, during and after surgery
- Re-integrated into their communities with vastly improved life prospects
Thank you for being part of our work and a child with cleft smile in the Afar region.
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Dec 18, 2018
1,000 patients treated this year!
By Emily Eldred | Programme Officer
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2018 has been another successful and satisfying year for Project Harar. We continue to provide life-changing surgery in the Oromia, Southern Nations, Amhara and Afar regions of Ethiopia, supporting many hundreds of patients with cleft lip and palate and severe facial disfigurements. Our dedicated team in the UK and Ethiopia has worked hard to ensure that we reach the most marginalised and remote individuals.
Our 2018 highlights include:
- Treating more than 7,000 patients with cleft lip and palate since we were founded in 2001, in the Oromia, Southern Nations, Amhara and Afar regions of Ethiopia.
- Treating 1,000 patients by the end of this year, increasing our total to 8,000.
- We are thrilled also that the average age of our patients this year was 7 - reaching children early is so important to improving their long-term health outcomes.
- Our advocacy efforts have resulted in cleft being recognised as a major contributor to child mortality by the Ethiopian government.
The support received from individuals like yourself is so vital in ensuring that children and young people with cleft can access surgery so that they can grow up and attend school without the health complications and stigma that accompany a cleft condition.
We'd like to thank you once again for you generous support.
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Sep 25, 2018
You've helped children like Mohammed
By Emily Eldred | Programme Officer
Did you know that cleft is one of the most common birth defects with research showing that every 3 minutes a child is born with the condition? In the UK, babies born with cleft are treated immediately. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Ethiopia, and Mohammed was amongst those born with cleft which affected his ability to eat, drink and speak as well as his overall health.
In 2018, Project Harar was able to provide Mohammed with life-changing surgery for his cleft. Following a successful operation, four year-old Mohammed slowly came out of his shell and was finally able to speak, attend school and play like a normal child.
After his surgery, his father was delighted:
'Thanks to Project Harar, Mohammed will never again suffer like before. I am ready to share my experience with families with the same problem. I really thank Project Harar for their support.'
Thank you for supporting Project Harar.
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