Provide safe access to 25 cleft surgeries

"We heard about Project Harar when we saw a feature on the OBN TV channel, it was a long journey to reach the hospital, my baby was crying but we reached the city eventually. My brother is here to support me, as my husband is looking after the rest of my children at home.

When my baby was born and I saw his little face for the first time, I was shocked — I hadn't seen a cleft lip before and I didn't know what it was, all of my other children were born healthy. The other people in my family also reacted in shock, it was sad and heart breaking for me to see how they reacted to my baby. We were able to read about cleft lip and palate on the internet, I saw that it happens to children all over the world — but that the surgery is not complicated — and it gave me hope. 

Now that he is treated I am so happy, I cannot stop smiling. My son is one of the lucky children to have received treatment at such a young age. When he grows, he will go to school and he can achieve his dreams — feeling comfortable in how he looks. Thank you for this experience."

Some families we meet wish for their names to not be included 

10 year old Kitessa and his father travelled from the West Shewa zone in the Oromia region, to Addis Ababa so that Kitessa could receive surgery for his cleft lip. They live in an extremely remote and difficult to reach kebele (village) – the nearest woreda (town) has no accessible road.

Combined with the rural location, Kitessa’s father also described that they were having huge financial difficulties – their family trade was producing cash crops to sell at the market, which had closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The cost of reaching Addis Ababa for Kitessa’s treatment was unattainable without the support of Project Harar.

Their rural home location had also meant limited health messaging and so the family had not previously been aware that treatment was available. 

Because of stigma in their community Kitessa had never attended school, his father described how he would stay home and look after their cattle and sheep.

As the kebele where they lived was in an extreamly remote area - and had no accessible road, Kitessa and his father had to walk for two hours by foot to reach the transport that was provided by Project Harar. Financial difficulties meant that Kitessa also did not have adequate clothing, so Project Harar’s Programme Officer provided him with new clothes, including a warm coat. When Kitessa received his surgery both he and his father were so happy. Kitessa’s father told us that he will endeavour to enrol him in schooling when they return to their village. 

Recieving cleft surgery will also mean that Kitessa will have less difficulty with eating and drinking, this is important for any child, but ecpecially in rural areas of Ethiopia where there can be an insecure food enviroment.