A universal trait of parenthood is the desire to see their child smile. Yet, for hundreds of thousands of children, their smile brings social stigma, rejection, and pain. Even worse, certain cleft/palate conditions can be life-threatening as they lead to severe malnutrition.
For fifteen years, CURE has worked closely with Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft charity, to bring hope and healing to children born with cleft lips and palates. Since 2007, the organizations have partnered to provide more than 15,000 cleft surgeries for children living in seven different countries ranging from West Africa to Southeast Asia.
The two leading nonprofit organizations have recently agreed to expand their successful partnership by offering comprehensive cleft care across CURE’s network of children’s hospitals using a combination of Smile Train resources and CURE medical professionals and facilities.
Comprehensive cleft care is a multidisciplinary approach designed to ensure that every child born with a cleft condition has access to a portfolio of essential treatments, including feeding/nutrition services, hearing services, speech/language therapy, psychosocial support, and dental/orthodontic care.
In addition to offering these important services at all seven pediatric orthopedic hospitals in the CURE network, the organizations have agreed to double the cleft surgical capacity across the network to nearly 2,500 cleft/palate procedures per year. This strategic goal is a positive step forward in treating the estimated 200,000+ babies born each year with a cleft.
“Serving alongside the world-class Smile Train team is empowering CURE to reach more kids in more ways than ever before,” said Justin Narducci, President and CEO of CURE International. “Working together with Smile Train, we see a day where every child born with a cleft condition will have access to comprehensive services that they deserve.”
“This partnership is a win-win as CURE and Smile Train are aligned with a goal of changing more lives of cleft-affected children,” said Susannah Schaefer, President and CEO of Smile Train. Children born with clefts need more than surgery. Together, we’re committed to treating the whole patient through programs that provide access to important comprehensive cleft care services.”
Children with untreated cleft conditions face physical difficulties in eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking. Furthermore, cleft conditions often cause children to be significantly stigmatized from a very early age by adults and their peers during the most formative time of their lives. The treatment for cleft conditions is a safe, permanent, and time-tested surgical procedure that is one of the best low-cost, high-impact medical interventions available today.
About CURE International
CURE International is a Christian nonprofit organization that operates a global network of pediatric surgical hospitals, which serve one of the world’s most marginalized and vulnerable populations – children with disabilities. Patients at CURE hospitals suffer from orthopedic, neurosurgical, and maxillofacial conditions that limit their mobility/functionality and opportunities for education and employment. In addition to world-class clinical service, CURE intentionally ministers to the emotional and spiritual needs of patients in its care and invests in training programs that aim to equip the next generation of health workers and strengthen national health care systems. Since inception, CURE has conducted more than 5.3 million patient visits and 330,000 surgical procedures around the world. For more information, visit https://cure.org/.
