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Cleft child Amina from India

Cleft children from all over the world
07-01-2020
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Amina lives with her family in a village in the middle of the Bengal Delta in the state of West Bengal. Her cleft affects her lip, jaw and palate. Amina is one year old when her parents learn of the offer of free surgery in our cleft center in Kolkata through a brochure. The trip to Kolkata is arduous and takes Amina and her parents two days by bus and train, a difficult journey with a toddler. But the joy that Amina can finally get help outweighs the troubles. Fatema, Amina’s mother, wants nothing more than that her daughter can grow up to be as healthy as her two older brothers.

Dr. Siddhartha, the senior surgeon at our Kolkata cleft center, first operates on Amina’s lip cleft. The little girl recovers quickly and can leave the hospital two days after the procedure. The monsoon has begun and the water level in the mangrove area that the family has to cross on foot on their way home has risen significantly. Back in the village, the joy is great. Fatema is particularly happy. She is hopeful and confident that her daughter will now be able to attend school once she is old enough. Fatema herself only has a primary school degree. She wants Amina to have it better than she did!

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Amina with her mother Fatema at home in her village.
The family lives in a small village in the simplest of circumstances.
Amina in her mother’s arms with one of her two brothers and her grandparents.
Fatema is happy to have a daughter after two boys.
Shortly before the operation: Fatema is hopeful.
Amina is in good hands with Dr. Siddhartha and his team.
The family’s home is located in a mangrove swamp and can only be reached on foot and by boat.
Back at home: Amina enjoys the attention.
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Six months later:

Dr. Siddhartha closes Amina’s cleft palate in a second operation. Our cleft center in Kolkata is one of the six of our Indian centers where we can offer the patients comprehensive treatment with all relevant medical disciplines. In addition to surgery, this includes speech therapy, orthodontics, dentistry, ENT and psychological care. Amina’s treatment will now continue with speech therapy. With that and with her family at her side, she has the best chance to live a completely normal life.

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DCKH Cleft children from all over the world From our projects Videos
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Videos
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