Help for cleft children in India

Deutsche Cleft Kinderhilfe in India

Since the start of our work in India in 2003, India has become our largest project country in terms of the number of locations and surgeries.

With an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 children born with cleft lip and palate in India every year and many cases still untreated, the need for help for cleft children is enormous. Despite fast economic growth and rapid development of the major cities, the situation of much of the rural population remains unchanged. Of the approximately 1.4 billion Indians, more than 44 million live in extreme poverty, and nearly 42 million belong to the rural population (World Poverty Clock, 2022). By the World Bank definition, "extreme poverty" is defined as having less than $2.15 per day per person.

As the most vulnerable population group, children suffer the most. Children with cleft lip and palate have it particularly hard. Because of their disfigurement and otherness, they are ostracized. About one in twelve cleft children in India dies before their first birthday. Social neglect, malnutrition and an increased susceptibility to infections are the most common causes.

Key areas of our work in India

Surgery

In 2023 we again, for a third consecutive year since 2021, provided more than 3,000 surgeries at our 30 project sites in India.

Education

In India, superstition still determines people's lives in many places. When a child is born with a cleft lip and palate, the parents assume that it is a punishment for their own misconduct. Fathers leave their families because they cannot bear the shame. Mothers are ostracized for bringing curses on the family. The children themselves are often hidden out of shame and live a life of isolation. The parents are usually unaware that the cleft can be corrected by surgery. Only a long-term and sustainable effort with targeted education work can bring about changes here. In this context, it is particularly important to recruit multipliers, e.g. employees in hospitals and schools, and to address the population directly.

Comprehensive cleft therapy

"Comprehensive cleft care" is the term used in India for comprehensive cleft therapy. This holistic approach requires a high degree of organization from the treating team. Accordingly, it is offered exclusively in selected cleft centers. In Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata, our patients have access to all relevant medical disciplines: NAM as preoperative therapy, speech therapy, ear, nose and throat (ENT) medicine, orthodontics and dentistry. In addition to surgery, individual follow-up therapies are performed in Agra, Nagpur and Pune. Comprehensive cleft therapy in India also includes certain nutritional programs. Children with cleft malformation are often malnourished or undernourished. They are more susceptible to infections, and their development is delayed. It is not uncommon to meet children who cannot walk at the age of one and a half. They are provided with special food before and after the operation.

Our partners in India

Since 2015, our work to help children with cleft lip and/or palate in India is organized by our partner organization ABMSS (Akhila Bharatha Mahila Seva Samaja), based in Bengaluru. ABMSS is the main contact for our teams and partner hospitals at currently more than 20 locations.