Help for cleft children in Bolivia

Four teams at three locations

Our activities in Bolivia are led by four surgeons across three locations: Tarija, La Paz (two projects), and Cochabamba. Since 2010, Dr. Mario Villalba has been a partner of Deutsche Cleft Kinderhilfe, treating children in need with cleft conditions in Tarija.

At the end of 2015, we expanded our team with Dr. Adolfo Mamani from La Paz. A pediatric surgeon, he was trained in cleft surgery over three years by our Peruvian partner Dr. Alberto Bardales and went on to found the organization Jiwaqui Bolivia.

In May 2020, we welcomed an experienced new partner: Ayninakuna. Under the umbrella of the “Fundación para la Salud Ayninakuna,” renowned surgeon Dr. Roberto Edmundo Rosa Ressini established an interdisciplinary treatment center at the Aranjuez Clinic in Cochabamba. After his passing in 2018, surgeon Dr. Eligió Rolando Arcienega Llano, whom he had trained, took over leadership.

Since 2022, Dr. Gonzalo Torrez Cruz and his organization “Sonríe Bolivia” have been part of our Bolivian team. He leads our second project in La Paz.

A large part of Bolivia’s population lives in mountain villages in the Andes at elevations of up to 4,000 meters. Life in the mountains is tough, and poverty is widespread. High altitude and the often one-sided diet of mothers during pregnancy increase the likelihood of a cleft lip and/or palate. Geographic conditions also make access to medical care difficult. To reach these families and their children, our teams regularly carry out surgical outreach missions in surrounding areas. Word spreads quickly: every successfully operated child helps carry our mission forward.

Comprehensive cleft care

In Bolivia, our young patients receive care beyond surgery. Speech therapists, orthodontists, and psychologists work hand in hand with the surgeons. The interdisciplinary teams also accompany some of the outreach missions in rural areas.