David, our first patient in Popayán, Colombia

News from Colombia! Project launch in the “Ciudad Blanca” Popayán: With the operation of little sunshine David, we are inaugurating our new project location for cleft lip and palate treatments in Colombia. The project is headed by surgeon Dr. Oscar Náñez Lopez. In his home region, there is a great need for help for children with cleft lip and palate and hardly any treatment options for those affected. We want to change that with our new project.

Before the operation: Little David doesn’t let the cleft spoil his mood. He is in very good hands with Dr. Oscar.

Since 2022, we have been working in Colombia with the surgeon Dr. Jorge Enrique Navarro Barrios, who provides surgeries in Barranquilla and Cartagena in northern Colombia, on the Caribbean coast. With the new cooperation with Dr. Oscar Náñez Lopez, who works in Popayán in the southwest of the country, it is now much easier for cleft lip and palate families from this region to get the help they need for their children. It is 1,300 kilometers by car from Popayán to Barranquilla: a difficult journey for a poor family with a baby!

We wish Dr. Oscar and Dr. Jorge and their teams, and of course little David and his family, good luck and all the best for the future!

A message from Colombia

Help us help children like David all over the world with your donation ! In 2023 we were able to make some 8,000 cleft surgeries possible, and in 2024 we hope to do even more. Every operation is a huge weight lifted from the shoulders of a child and their parents!