|
A smile -- it’s the universal language of love and acceptance.
It communicates unexplainable joy without a sound. But thousands of boys
and girls are born each day unable to express these feelings without bringing
sorrow to those surrounding them. These children and their families suffer
the medical, emotional and physical consequences of having a cleft lip,
a cleft palate or both.
Around The World
Each year, hundreds of thousands of children are born with disfiguring
cleft lips and palates. Most are too poor to afford corrective surgery.
Without it these children often live life ostracized from society while
enduring many health problems. Infants starve to death because they
are unable to nurse. School-age boys and girls don’t attend school
because of their humiliation. Many cultures see the disfigurement as
a curse. Marriage is often out of the question. They need help!
Hearing the cry of these desperately poor children, Operation Blessing
is concentrating efforts in China, Africa, Indonesia and the Philippines.
In China alone, more than 26,000 orphan boys and girls needing cleft
lip and/or palate surgery have been abandoned to languish in an orphanage
without hope of adoption.
With very little we can do so much to change these youngsters' lives.
In the United States, a typical cleft lip/palate surgery can cost $5,000
plus. Due to minimal overhead and low medical costs in foreign countries,
we can hold the cost to $400. In partnership with surgeons, hospitals,
government agencies, and caring people like you -- we provide free operations
to give children living in poverty a chance for a better future. A gifted
surgeon can erase traces of the deformity with little or no scaring.
You Can Give A Child the Faith To Face Tomorrow!
Partner with us in bringing life transforming surgeries to children in need! Thousands
of boys and girls are waiting. But we can't help them alone, we need
you! Your gift of just $34 a month for 12 months -- or a special gift
of $400 – will sponsor corrective surgery for a precious child.
|
Cleft lips and palates mar
children's faces worldwide..
-
Africa - 1 in 1,000-
- Europe - 1 in 700-
- Asia- 1 in 500
|
|
|
A
Little Girl's Wish
|
Li Chen is like any other 9-year-old girl - full of energy and smiles.
When not playing with her friends or putting her hair up in pigtails,
she cleans her room at the orphanage and washes clothes. Yes, Li Chen
is an orphan at the Shi Hezi Social Welfare Institute in China. Her
parents abandoned their infant daughter in a wheat field after discovering
that she had a cleft lip. Thankfully someone rescued and placed her
in the orphanage.
As Li Chen grew up, the cleft lip continued to seriously affect her pronunciation
and overall health. While other children were being adopted by loving
parents, the precious girl was overlooked. How she wished she would be
pretty enough to get her own dad and mom. But caregivers say that in spite
of her bleak circumstances Li Chen still smiled more than any of the other
orphans.
Earlier this year part of Li Chen's wish came true. Representatives
from Operation Blessing China asked her orphanage if any of their children
needed free cleft lip or palate surgery. They happily told them about
Li Chen, and she was scheduled for the operation at the Urumqi Friendship
Hospital.
After a successful surgery, Li Chen felt stronger and prettier. Her top
lip formed one beautiful smile! The orphange's principal said: ”...you
have given the child courage, a new life and a bright future."
|
]