When Nazmul and Nipu learn that they are going to become parents, their lives suddenly shine in a new light. They are excited about their first child and can hardly wait for the birth of their little daughter. They already have a name: Noor, the Bengali word for “light.
But the young family’s joy is abruptly dampened. When Nipu holds her baby in her arms for the first time after birth, the shock is great: a large cleft disfigures her daughter’s tiny face. Nipu and her husband Nazmul are desperate. They know that Noor needs surgery. But they don’t have the money for the operation.
Noor is born with a bilateral cleft lip. In Germany, children with cleft lip receive surgery as early as the third month of life. But in Bangladesh, Nazmul and Nipu’s home country, many people do not have access to or the necessary money for early treatment of their children. Noor’s parents are no exception. The worries are great: How will they feed the little girl now? What will the others in the village say?
Suddenly, light comes back into the family’s life. An employee of our aid project learns about Noor and visits the family at home. He tells Nazmul and Nipu about the possibility of free surgery for their daughter. The parents gain new hope and show up for our surgeon Dr. Mohammad Quamruzzaman, in short Dr. Zaman’s cleft surgery camp in Rangpur. The highly experienced Dr. Zaman closes Noor’s bilateral cleft lip. Noor is just three months old, the chances of her cleft healing well are optimal. Noor now has the best chance of leading a normal life, growing up healthy, having friends and going to school. And when she smiles, the sun rises!
