Speech therapy

Closing the lip and the palate makes a big difference in the lives of children with schisis. However, this does not completely resolve the problem. Every child born with an open palate needs speech therapy after closing this palate.

Because of the structural differences of the face and mouth that are associated with cleft lip and palate, children develop insecurity and avoidance behaviors in speaking situations within their communities. This leads to isolation, fears and anxieties which impact their social participation. To prevent this from happening, we provide quality speech therapy services that are free of charge across twelve different locations throughout Guatemala. 

We currently employ 5 local speech therapists. Besides working with the children they also give parents information about speech development prior to the surgery of their child. In this way they can stimulate their children to develop a correct speech from home as well. The costs for 2 years of speech therapy are €175 per child..