Promotion

An estimated 3500 children are born with cleft lip and/or palate in Guatemala each year. Our process begins with promoting our work in order to find patients that need our help and educate parents and family members with the foundational knowledge about cleft lip and palate.

We promote through banners, flyers, radio and TV spots and keep contact with local hospitals, health posts and midwives throughout Guatemala. Additionally we employ several local promotors who travel throughout the country to find these children, maintain all contacts, evaluate babies and set up a plan for their medical course of treatment.

This phase is a critical stage in our process as it empowers families by dispelling the myths and fallacies about what causes cleft lip and/or palate. In Guatemala, It is often believed that children born with cleft lip and/or palate are punishments from God. Therefore, being the messenger of this good news to many parents who believed this about their children, finally offers them freedom from guilt and shame