Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is one of the most common congenital malformations. Around one in 500-600 births is affected. In everyday life, however, this is till rare enough that those affected can feel as if they are alone in their situation. Self-help can play a very important role in countering such feelings. Those born with CLP, or parents of affected babies and children, help each other by passing on tips and information. The emotional value of these efforts can also be huge for people who feel overwhelmed or lonely. Networking with people in the same situation can bring self-confidence and optimism. As members of teams or organizations that deal with “their” issue, those affected contribute valuable knowledge about what is needed.
The Wolfgang Rosenthal Society (https://www.lkg-selbsthilfe.de/) is a self-help group for people with cleft lip and palate in Germany. It offers those affected and their parents information and opportunities to exchange ideas with people in a similar situation.
People with cleft in DCKH’s cleft aid effort
A person born with cleft also works on the team of Professor Ganatra, the project director and chief surgeon of our project for cleft lip and palate care in Karachi, Pakistan. She is the telephone contact person for the patients.
With our new colleague Natalie Edelmann, we also have a person born with cleft lip and palate on the DCKH team. She works with great commitment to make our work to help other people born with cleft a reality. You can hear in her own words in this video what motivated her to take on this work:
Many of our donors have also come across us because they themselves or one of their children are affected. We are deeply grateful to them for their valuable support and their trust in our work. Thank you!
