For the first time in 15 months, our partner organization Qorito led by surgeon Dr Alberto Bardales carried out an aid mission outside of Lima from May 14th to 16th. Before Corona, the team traveled regularly to remote regions of Peru to operate cleft children. They depend on this help because there are no cleft surgeons where they live. This was no longer possible due to travel restrictions. In addition, our surgeon Alberto Bardales, who has been with us since 2006, belongs to the risk group at the age of 62 and was accordingly cautious.
16 patients have registered for the surgical mission in Ayaviri. Ayaviri is a small town in the very south of Peru, 1,400 kilometers from Lima, the headquarters of Qorito. Despite the long journey and new, complex safety precautions, everyone is happy as always and infects the little patients and their parents with their good mood. The mission is perfectly planned. When our team arrives at the hospital in Ayaviri, all the necessary preliminary examinations have already been carried out. All patients were contacted in advance by phone or video call. Exactly coordinated appointments prevent queues before operations. Thanks to the good organization, all 16 children can be operated on successfully.
Dr Bardales is an excellent surgeon and with over 7,000 realized operations very experienced. His team is highly motivated and the next surgical missions are already planned. A long waiting list for patients has emerged in Peru. Due to COVID-19, aid organizations that otherwise send foreign surgeons to Peru on surgical missions have had to cease their activities. Our help from local surgeons on site is therefore more important than ever. Please support us and our team and give a cleft child from Peru a perspective with your donation.
The most important part of the treatment is the surgery. Performed by a skilled, qualified surgeon like our partners are, it makes children with a cleft lip look “normal” again. If there is also a cleft palate, at least one further operation is required. An untreated cleft palate has serious consequences: the children cannot eat and drink properly and speak with difficulty.
