Surgeries

Children born with cleft lip and palate typically undergo 4 to 5 surgeries. In Guatemala, there is only one private clinic that performs cleft lip and palate surgeries, but it is very expensive. Additionally, medical missions from various countries come to Guatemala to perform surgeries and then leave without providing pre- and post-operative care.

Currently, we are the only organization with our own specialized hospital where we perform free cleft lip and palate surgeries for underprivileged children. Moreover, we are the only organization providing comprehensive post-operative care throughout Guatemala. Every month, for at least one week, we conduct surgeries in collaboration with organizations from America and our local team at our cleft hospital. Since 2022, we have started a training program for local surgeons. Our first surgeon, Bruno Wehncke, is currently in his third year of training and performs surgeries himself every two weeks on 2 or 3 children with cleft palate. He is currently being trained to perform lip surgeries as well. Since 2023, surgeons Fredy and Francisco have also been involved in this special program, and as of May 2024, Michelle has been added.

During the surgery weeks, we select children to participate in our milk project based on their health and weight, as well as children who require further surgeries. Parents stay in our newly opened patient accommodation, just a 5-minute walk from the hospital. Since most families are very poor, we also provide transportation, food, medications, and all necessary care during this period.

In recent years, the costs of medicines and materials have increased significantly. Additionally, because we now work with nearly an entirely local team, we have additional salary costs for our local nurses. The surgical costs are €500 per child.