Medicine and facts

You've probably never met a child with a cleft lip and palate.

But according to statistics, every 500th child is born with a cleft: cleft lip and palate are among the most common congenital malformations. The children need an operation.

Here in Germany - as in most economically strong countries - the malformation is corrected shortly after birth with a routine procedure. All that remains is a small scar.

In less financially strong countries, however, the situation is different:

A cleft lip and palate is a significant impairment there. Physically and mentally. Starting with breathing difficulties, which is vital for survival, the child is usually neither able to eat regularly nor can it later express itself verbally without restrictions. Ear, nose and throat diseases almost appear to be the slightest limitation. Due to the appearance, there are massive social problems, starting with teasing (we would call it "bullying") to the exclusion of the child and his family from society. In extreme cases, children are even rejected by their parents.

The possible causes of cleft lip and palate have not yet been clarified and are diverse. The main cause appears to be a combination of hereditary and external factors. If a family member is already affected by cleft formation, the probability of occurrence in the offspring is increased. However, individual disturbances in embryonic development during pregnancy are probably more important than hereditary disposition. Circumstances such as lack of oxygen due to local circulatory disorders in the womb or illnesses in the mother during the formation of her child's face, medicinal or harmful substances such as alcohol or nicotine can contribute to the formation of clefts in the child.

We can change a child's life with a relatively small contribution to costs, based on the result. Doctors and nurses work on the missions in their free time for free. Costs remain for medical material, power and cooling generators and clinic costs. For as little as EUR 800.00 (incl. any follow-up operations and follow-up care) a child can be operated on and the foundation for a life full of opportunities and normality can be laid.

Operation Smile, with a presence in over 60 countries, is dedicated to changing the fate of cleft children. What's more, the organization not only draws attention to the problem of cleft lip and palate, but has also performed more than 200,000 free corrective surgeries on children and young adults since 1982.

We want to give something back to the land of smiles and as PETER SCHMIDINGER SMILE FOUNDATION e.V. we are primarily concentrating on supporting Operation Smile Thailand.
 

You will see:

The distance between helping and smiling is short.
Thank you in advance for your donation!