850
Around 850 children with cleft lip and/or palate are born in Peru each year.
144
In 2024, our two teams in Peru performed 144 surgeries.
5166
Our impact in Peru through the end of 2024: 5,166 surgeries.
We have been active in Peru since 2006. Two surgeons lead Deutsche Cleft Kinderhilfe’s work on the ground: Dr. Alberto Bardales from Lima with his organization “Qorito,” and Dr. Mario Cornejo from Cusco.
Because of the country’s size and poor transport infrastructure, reaching patients outside the cities is difficult. There are also stark regional disparities in Peru’s social fabric. As in Bolivia, poverty in the Andean highlands—especially among Indigenous communities—is particularly severe. From the outset, Dr. Bardales has made it his mission to help these families. To reach people where no help is otherwise available, he regularly organizes surgical outreach missions. In this way, we have established contact points for children with cleft conditions in places such as Ayaviri, Puno, Cajamarca, Huánuco, and Azángaro.
Dr. Bardales has also successfully pursued another vision: he has built an interdisciplinary team comprising a speech therapist, three psychologists, a pediatric dentist, and an orthodontist. Whenever possible, the entire Qorito team accompanies the outreach missions so that children outside Lima can also benefit from comprehensive cleft care.
Dr. Bardales is not only highly experienced in cleft surgery; he is also a respected trainer. In Peru, he is committed to training young surgeons within his team, ensuring the long-term continuity of the support structures he has built over many years. Our project in neighboring Bolivia also benefits from the Qorito team’s expertise. Dr. Bardales promotes interdisciplinary exchange and serves as a trainer himself. He is currently mentoring the young Bolivian surgeon Dr. Gonzalo Torrez.
Stories from Peru
Where we help
