Beside our support of Dr Mario Villalba, who operates on cleft children in Tarija and also performs operating campaigns in provincial hospitals of the lowland, we have started a second project with the talented Bolivian paediatric surgeon Dr Adolfo Mamani in La Paz. From the beginning of our cooperation in 2016, Dr. Adolfo looked for options to realize CCC cleft work. He founded the group Jiwaqui and began to bring aboard specialists from the other medical disciplines involved in CCC.

The physical geography of Bolivia makes the treatment of children with cleft lip and palate especially difficult. Lots of villages lie in remote mountainous regions, at altitudes of up to 4,000m above sea level. The rough terrain and great distances mean that people are often cut off any from medical help. To make the situation worse, the high altitude and often poor available diet lead to a higher rate of cleft lips and palates. Together, the two surgeons realize about 300 surgeries per year.

Join us!

Please join us and support the effort to further improve our treatment infrastructure in Bolivia. The Cleft Group is one of the main international organizations promoting and delivering comprehensive cleft care there. Cleft children need long-term support, with further treatments often being necessary until adulthood. Thus we are looking for long-term sponsorships to take decisive steps forward.